Abstract

Mulugeta Ayalew and Belayeneh Asefa

The study was undertaken in Angolellantera, Chacha town and nearby selected kebeles, North Shoa zone of Amhara regional state from September 2011 up to December 2011. The objective of the study was to characterize the overall reproductive and lactation performances of dairy cows in Chacha town and surrounding kebeles. The participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method was used to generate information during exploratory survey and 100 households were selected for formal survey by using random and purposive sampling technique. The overall average estimated lactation yield of local and cross bred dairy cows was found to be 1173.93 ± 899.6. The overall average estimated lactation length of both local and cross bred cows was 10.49 ± 3.08. The overall average estimated daily yield of local and cross bred dairy cows was 3.75 ± 3.25 L. The overall mean estimated average age at first calving was found to be 40.9 ± 6.6 months (n=103). The overall mean calving interval of local and crossbred dairy cows was found to be 23 ± 4.3 months. The overall average reproductive efficiency of local and crossbred cows in Chacha town and nearby kebeles was calculated as 62 ± 14.97%. The dominant cow genotype was local breed cows. In conclusion in order to exploit the potential of dairy cattle to increase the reproductive and lactation performances intervention measures have to be given attention.