Husbandry Practice and Performances of Local and Crossbred Dairy Cows in Kacha Birra District, Central Ethiopia

The study was conducted with the objective of assessing the smallholder dairy cattle production practices and constraints in Kacha Birra district, Central Ethiopia. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the study kebeles and households in the district. A total of 162 households were interviewed in the study. About 76.5% of respondent households were headed by males. About 51% of the households in the study area attended elementary education. The major feed resources available for dairy cattle as ranked by respondent households were natural pasture (first), pseudostems of enset and banana (second), crop residues (third), and improved forages (fourth). About 91% of respondents house their cattle with the family. Reproductive and productive performances of cattle in the study district were influenced by agroecology and breed of cattle. The age at first service (AFS) was 37.15 ± 0.96 months for local, 23.42 ± 0.86 for Jersey, and 23.08 ± 0.69 months for HF crosses. The overall CI of local, HF, and Jersey crosses was 24.14 ± 0.599, 12.96 ± 0.379, and 13.76 ± 1.089 months, respectively. Similarly, daily milk yields (DMYs) of local, Jersey, and HF crosses were 1.53 ± 0.332, 8.61 ± 0.433, and 9.11 ± 0.581 L/day/cow, respectively. Training programs should be implemented to enhance dairy farmers’ knowledge and improve productivity in the region.