TITLE:
Pre-Weaning Morbidity and Mortality of Crossbred Calves in Bahir Dar Zuria and Gozamen Districts of Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Yeshwas Ferede, Hailu Mazengia, Tewodros Bimrew, Addisu Bitew, Mohammed Nega, Adebabay Kebede
KEYWORDS:
Bahir Dar Zuria, Crossbred Calves, Gozamen, Morbidity Rate, Mortality Rate, Pre-Weaning
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.1 No.3,
June
27,
2014
ABSTRACT: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2009 to August 2010 with the objective of determining calf morbidity and mortality rates, to investigate the potential risk factors for mortality and morbidity and to determine the type and prevalence of major diseases of crossbred calves in Bahir Dar Zuria and Gozamen districts of Amhara Region. A total of 148 respondents engaged in small holder crossbred dairying were interviewed using a structured questionnaire survey about their calf management practices and major calf health problems encountered. About 396 crossbred calves were considered for this study. The overall magnitude of morbidity and mortality rates of crossbred calves were 58.4% and 30.7%, respectively. Higher mortality of crossbred calves was found in Gozamen district (39.6 %) than in Bahir Dar Zuria district (29.9 %). The major calf diseases found were diarrhea (21.4%), pneumonia (18.6%), septicemic conditions (12.4%) and navel ill (8.1%) and miscellaneous cases (39.5%). Risk factors such as study location, blood level, age, colostrum feeding and time of colostrum feeding were found to have statistically significant (p