Cattle Production Management Practices Predisposing Animals to the Incidences of Reproductive Failures in Small Scale Farming

摘要

Preparing for an effective animal reproduction requires proper management practices before parturition.This study aimed to identify cattle production management practices that predispose cows to the incidences of reproductive conditions in small scale farming.One hundred and thirty-five(135)structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from the farmers following reported cases of dystocia,downer cow syndrome,retained placenta,vaginal prolapse and abortion in cows at the North West University animal hospital.The data included information such as cow age,parity,breed,number of incidence of the conditions,feeding system,feed type,whether or not the animals were supplemented,supplement type,condition experienced by the cow,vaccination status,cow’s Brucellosis status and access to veterinary services were also assessed.The data were analyzed in Statistical Product and Service Solutions(SPSS)version 25 using descriptive statistics,Chi square and Stage-Two Cluster analysis.The results showed that the factors significantly related(p<0.05)to the incidences of reproductive conditions were cow breed,parity,feeding system,whether the farmer has heard about Brucellosis and the frequency of getting animals checked by a veterinarian.The study found that in communal areas,herds with Afrikaner breeds,when farmers have not heard about Brucellosis,when cows are the first parity,while they are in free ranging method of feeding and with an annual veterinary check-up mostly experience abortions.Implementation of management strategies for the improvements of farming methods in communal farming is necessary to change the state of livestock agriculture through the reduction of reproductive failures in small scale farmer.