Production objectives, selection criteria and breeding practices of afar sheep in aba’ala, afar region, ethiopia

The aims of this study was to identify production purposes, selection criteria and breeding practices for Afar sheep in Aba’ala district, Afar region, Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify research sites and respondents. A total of 90 households from agro-pastoral and pastoral production systems were selected. Individual interview, group discussion and own-flock ranking experiment were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. There was no significant difference in sheep flock size and structure between the two production systems. In the agro-pastoral areas, sheep were mainly kept for income generation, milk, and meat production, while income generation, milk production and saving were for the pastoral production system. All flock owners utilized breeding rams that are born in their flock. Sharing of breeding rams among sheep producers is commonly practiced in the study area, especially during the dry season. Selection of breeding male is done starting from very young age with main focus on coat colour. However, selection of breeding female is non-existent though few farmers look for milk producing ability after the birth of the first offspring. Milk yield, coat colour, and appearance were the most mentioned attributes for selecting a breeding female, whereas breeding male selection criteria are coat colour followed by fast body growth and appearance. Awareness creation on selective breeding and retaining best male lambs for breeding purpose is needed.