The study was conducted to predict body weight from linear body measurements of indigenous non-descript chickens using principal component analysis (PCA). Linear body measurements for body weight (BW), body length (BoL), back length (BaL), neck length (NL), breast circumference (BrC),…
A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess incidences of lamb mortality in low input farming systems in the Eastern Cape province. Four villages (Ndakana, Kwa-Masele, Qhugqwala and Ndindwa) and 18 households were selected. Data was collected from 399 lambing records…
The possibility of shortening the test length of beef bulls will be of great benefit. Not only will it save costs since collecting feed intake data is expensive, but more animals can be tested, enabling higher selection pressure on efficiency.…
Communal cattle farming experience high mortality levels, general low reproduction rates and low calf weaning percentages. This result in a low beef off-take of less than 12% which is much lower in comparison to 25% in the commercial sector. The…
Ticks are widely distributed throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Globally, costs associated with ticks and tick-transmitted pathogens in cattle range between US$ 22-30 billion. This study was carried out from April 2016 to March 2017 to…
The study was conducted in Gwaba village, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province. The study provides information that can be utilized to track change over time with respect to the livelihood status, livestock asset ownership and the production and…
A study was designed to assess factors affecting response to oestrus synchronization, conception and calving rate of communal cows following timed artificial insemination (AI) in Limpopo province, South Africa. A total of 140 cows were selected from communal villages based…
This study investigated indigenous goat production on Kikuyu at Cedara Research Station, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Three stocking rates were used (30, 45 and 60 goats/ha) to evaluate goat production on kikuyu. Does with kids grazed kikuyu for a total of…
Dairy ranching can be defined as the practice of keeping cows of relatively low milk yield, being parted from their calves in the evening, milked out in the morning, and spend the day with their calves at foot. These cows…
Estimation of animal weight is critical in cattle production to assist in herd management and to estimate the value chain prices of the animals. There is a lack of tools for small-scale farmers and stakeholders to readily estimate cattle weight…
The study was conducted in Gwaba village, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province. The study provides information that can be utilized to track change over time with respect to the livelihood status, livestock asset ownership and the production and…
Successful reproduction of a cow-calf production system is the corner stone for biological and economical efficiencies. Cattle evaluations have focused mainly on production traits and consequently genetic improvement on reproductive traits through the use of selection tools is limited. Twinning…
Wood ash is a mineral source that is readily available in most subsistence farming communities. The potential use of wood ash as a mineral source in animal nutrition is evaluated and reviewed. The predominant mineral in wood ash is calcium…
In resource-limited livestock production systems, the supplementing of mineral supplements is often not feasible because of economic constraints and possibly a lack of appropriate information. Wood ash is a pure mineral source that is usually readily available in many subsistence…
Estimation of animal weight is critical in cattle production to assist in herd management and to estimate the value chain prices of the animals. There is a lack of tools for small-scale farmers and stakeholders to readily estimate cattle weight…
The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of serial hatching on egg production parameters and hatchability of the non-descript indigenous Xhosa chicken ecotype. Additionally, the effect of season on egg production parameters over 4 seasons was…
About 70% of South Africa’s total area is suitable only for livestock production. Although livestock are found throughout the country, the highest numbers are concentrated in the Eastern Cape Province. The main objective was to assess the status of livestock…
Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body condition of pastoral livestock. The result is lean animals that, besides falling short of market requirements, often fetch low prices for producers. In Kenya’s pastoral areas, stratified cattle…
Women play an important role in livestock production and their contribution remain un-recognized by researchers and policy makers. The study was conducted to investigate the participation of women in livestock production activities at two district municipalities of the Eastern Cape.…
