Risk factors for mortality associated with respiratory disease among Menz and Horro sheep in Ethiopia.

A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 6718 sheep of two breeds (2772 Horro and 3946 Menz) on risk factors for mortality associated with respiratory disease (MARD) in Ethiopia, based on data collected between October 1993 and December 1997. Potential risk factors examined were breed, gender, age, month, and air temperatures.Fifty-four per cent of total deaths in the flock could be attributed to respiratory disease and the annual MARD rate ranged between 6.

Genital disorders, linear and testicular characteristics in Menz rams.

Clinical examination, bodily condition score (BCS), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), wither height (WH), and scrotal circumference (SC) were assessed on 486 mature Ethiopian Menz rams, on small farms, in local markets, and at the main abattoir in Addis Ababa from December 1994 to April 1995. Almost 27% of the rams were found to be unfit for breeding. Poor general condition, mainly in the form of respiratory disorders, was seen in 1.

Reproductive characteristics of Ethiopian highland sheep. II. Genetic parameters of semen characteristics and their relationships with testicular measurements in ram lambs.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of season on, and to estimate heritabilities of, and genetic correlations among, semen and spermatozoa characteristics and the relationship of these characteristics with measures of testicular or scrotal size in 6-, 9- and 12-month old ram lambs of Menz and Horro sheep breeds indigenous to Ethiopian highlands. A total of 278 ram lambs with substantial pedigree information were involved in the study. There was improvement in all semen and spermatozoa traits with age, the means at 12 months being consistently superior to values at 6 and 9 months of age.

Reproductive characteristics of Ethiopian highland sheep. I. Genetic parameters of testicular measurements in ram lambs and relationship with age at puberty in ewe lambs.

A study was conducted to estimate heritabilities of, and genetic correlations among, body weight (WT) and testicular measurements - scrotal circumference (SC), testicular diameter (TD), testicular length (TL) and epididymal diameter (ED) - in ram lambs between 6, 9 and 12 months old, and relationship of the testicular traits with age at puberty in ewe lambs (AP). Two fat-tailed sheep breeds, the Horro and Menz, indigenous to the Ethiopian highlands were studied. Experimental lambs were produced by mating 250 oestrus-synchronized ewes of each breed to 10 sires in a single-sire mating system over three mating periods which produced, for this study, a total of 361 ram lambs and 148 ewe lambs, with substantial pedigree information, in two dry seasons (October/November 1992 and 1993) and one wet season (June/July 1993).

Fertility in zebu cattle (Bos indicus) after prostaglandin administration and artificial insemination.

A total of 137 cycling zebu cows, each receiving a single dose of prostaglandin PGF(2alpha)were used in an oestrus synchronization programme on three different farms. Of the cows on the three farms, 60.6 and 90.