International Journal of Animal Science, Husbandry and Livestock Production (IJASHLP) (2141-5191), Vol. 6(7), pp. 334-340, September, 2020.  © Advanced Scholars Journals

Review paper

Characterization of the production systems of sheep in tropics, the case of Ethiopia.

Getachew BF^1,2* and Ashenafi AA^1,2

^*1Department of Animal Production and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Gambella University, PO Box 126, Gambella, Ethiopia

^*2Addis Ababa University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Department of Animal Production, P O Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia

*Corresponding Author: E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 7 September, 2020.

Abstract 

About 31.30 million heads of sheep are estimated to be found in Ethiopia, out of which about 71.82 percent are females, and about 28.18 percent are males. Therefore, this review was attempted to characterize phenotypic and production Systems of sheep in tropics, the case of Ethiopia. The sheep are widely dispersed and adapted across the different agro-ecologies of the country, majority of the sheep are found in the highlands, while one-fourth of them are reared in the lowlands. Sheep is highly adaptable to a broad range of environments. In the lowlands of Ethiopia, livestock is comprised of large sheep flocks, where only surplus are sold at local markets or trekked to major consumption centers. Differences exist in reproductive performance between indigenous sheep breeds and their variation allow for the selection of suitable breeds for a given environment. Age at first lambing of some of Ethiopian sheep breeds are ranges from 13 to 24 months. Lambing interval has an important influence on a sheep production enterprise. Litter size is largely determined by ovulation rate but is also modified by fertilization rate and embryonic and fetal losses.

Keywords: breeds, Ethiopia, production, reproductive performances, sheep.