Major reproductive disorders in crossbred dairy cows under smallholding in Addis Ababa milkshed, Ethiopia.

摘要

Cross-sectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa milkshed between January 2008 and December 2009 with the aim to determine the prevalence of the major reproductive health problems and the associated risk factors in the crossbred dairy cows under smallholding. Cows confirmed pregnant and/or calved were investigated and body condition scored (BCS); questionnaire surveys and evaluation of the management conditions of the farms were carried out. The sera tested to detect Brucella antibody by the use of Rose Bengal Plate Test as screening test and Complement Fixation Test as confirmatory test. There were records of one or more of the clinically manifested reproductive problems diagnosed in an animal and the overall prevalence of observed reproductive health problems was 67.8% (1208/1781). The finding of Brucella antibody test conducted in the crossbred dairy cows (n=1413) belonging to smallholder farms (n=295) in the milkshed indicated an overall seroprevalence of 4.7%, with a significant (P<0.05) range of 2.6% in Debre Zeit to 7.1% in Addis Ababa. In the milkshed significantly (P<0.05) high proportional morbidity rates were observed with regard to the prevalence of retained foetal membranes (17%), anoestrus (10.1%) and uterine discharges (9.5%). Similarly, the prevalence of endometritis (6.7%), repeat breeders (6.2%), abortion (5.9%), dystocia (3.1%) and stillbirth (2.8%) was considerably high (P>0.05). Analysis of risk factors showed that except in the case of parity and herd size, the overall prevalence of reproductive disorders was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by location of study farms, BCS of the animals and the shelter/shade and hygienic conditions of the farms, indicating the influence of management conditions of the farms and nutritional status of the animals. The mortality rate of 2.7% found in the study showed that death of the animals was not a major problem in the milkshed. In conclusion, the highest prevalence of reproductive disorders and the associated risk factors indicate the importance of management related constraints. Additionally, the reduced prevalence of the reproductive health problems in cows observed with better BCS and management conditions suggests the potential returns or benefits in the maintenance of these conditions. In sum, to ameliorate the constraints more focused study on the management and nutrition aspects of the crossbred dairy cows under smallholding is recommended.