Browsing by Author "Mushi, Daniel E."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Alternative goat kid-rearing systems for improved performance and milk sharing between humans and offspring in climate change mitigation
(Springer International Publishing AG, 2015) Chigwa, Fanny C.; Eik, Lars Olav; Kifaro, G.C.; Muhikambele, V.C.M.; Mushi, Daniel E.
Intensification of livestock production reduces the amount of land required to sustain a livestock unit and frees up the land necessary for carbon sequestration. Transforming the goat sector from meat only to a dual-purpose system with both milk and meat is reported to increase food production per unit of land. Dairy goats have been widely adopted among smallholders in Tanzania and are now gaining popularity in Malawi. High mortalities due to poor feeding of goat- kids have been identified as a major challenge and therefore kid rearing systems of different milking systems for dairy goats and use of different creep feeds and alternate rearing systems for meat goat on Likoma Island were evaluated. In study I, the methods used were (a) suckling one teat twice daily and milking the other teat; (b) suckling in daytime only and morning-milking of dams, and (c) early weaning and bottle-rearing using goat’s milk. In study II, three different types of locally available creep feed supplements were evaluated for animals grazed on unimproved rangeland. The third study qualitative differences in kid rearing systems for local goats, with or without milking, were evaluated on Likoma Island in Malawi using a semi-structured questionnaire. In study I, kid growth rates, ranging from 62 to 76 g/day did not significantly differ; one teat milking provided the most milk for human consumption and artificial rearing was found to be the most labor intensive and therefore not recommended under small-holder condi- tions. Goat farmers on Likoma Island preferred faster kid growth to more milk for human consumption. It is concluded that successful kid rearing systems should address farmer milk utilization and kid growth and evaluate locally available feeds for creep feeding and dam feeding.
Effect of concentrate supplementation levels on growth and slaughter characteristics of SEA and SEA × Norwegian goats under on- farm conditions
(Springer, 2013-07-07) Hozza, William A.; Kifaro, George C.; Safari, John G.; Mushi, Daniel E.
A 2×3 factorial experiment was carried out to eval- uate the effect of goat genotypes and different concentrate levels on growth and slaughter characteristics of Small East African × Norwegian crossbred (SEA × N) and Small East African (SEA) goats. The three concentrate levels were T0 (no access to concentrate), T66 (66 % access to ad libitum concentrate allow- ance) and T100 (100 % access to ad libitum concentrate allow- ance). Twenty-four castrated goats of each genotype (18 months old with an average weight of 16.7±0.54 kg) were randomly allotted into T0, T66 and T100 treatments. Daily feed intake and fortnight body weight measurements were recorded for the whole 84-day experimental period, after which the animals were slaughtered. Feed intake of T100 animals was 536 g/day, which was 183 g/day higher than that of the T66 group. Supplemented goats (T66 and T100) had significantly (P<0.05) higher daily gain and body condition score, and better feed conversion efficiency and dressing percentage than T0 goats. The SEA goats had higher (P<0.05) hot carcass weight (8.2 vs. 7.9 kg) and showed better (P<0.05) dressing percentage than SEA × N animals. Among supplemented goats, the cost of a 1-kg gain under T66 was Tshs 213/= cheaper than T100 (US$1≈Tshs 1,500). It is concluded that goats should be grazed and supplemented with 353 g concentrate/day for satisfactory fat- tening performance and higher economic return on investment.
Feeding strategies for improved beef productivity and reduced GHG emission in Tanzania: effect of type of finish-feeding on carcass yield and meat quality of Zebu steers
(Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015) Selemani, Ismail Saidi; Eik, Lars Olav; Holand, Øystein; Ådnøy, Tormod; Mtengeti, Ephraim J.; Mushi, Daniel E.; Oddvin, Sørheim
The study was conducted to elucidate the effects of grazing on natural pastures alone versus total stall feeding on growth performance, carcass character- istics, and meat quality of Tanzania Zebu steers. In this experiment, 27 steers were distributed into 2 dietary groups; stall feeding (SF) and natural pasture feeding (NP). Animals in SF were totally confined in the feedlot with free access to wheat straw as a basal diet and supplemented with concentrate mixture, while those in NP were freely grazed on natural pasture. Animals in SF displayed 500 g higher average daily gain (ADG) and four units higher dressing percentage than those in NP. The marbling scores, hind leg length (HL), and hind leg circumference (Circ.) was also statistically higher among animals in SF than among those in NP (P 0.05). Moreover, postmortem temperature was observed to decline more rapidly among animals in NP than in SF. However, postmortem carcass pH, meat tenderness, meat color, meat chemical composition (moisture content, dry matter (DM), ash, Ether Extract (EE), and Crude Protein (CP)) were independent of concentrate supplementation (P > 0.05). The high performance of the SF group in terms of ADG, dressing percentage, and intramuscular fat deposition was associ- ated with utilization of high energy rich concentrate and improved utilization of wheat straw following concentrate supplementation. It was concluded that, in addition to the manipulation of the animals’ body through nutrition, other factors such as reducing pre-slaughter stress and appropriate ageing of meat should be manipulated to improve the meat quality of indigenous Zebu cattle.
Influence of age at entry and level of concentrate feeding on growth and carcass characteristics of feedlot-finished Tanzanian long-fat-tailed sheep
(Springer, 2014-03-22) Shirima, Eligy J. M.; Mtenga, Louis A.; Kimambo, Abiliza E.; Laswai, Germana H.; Mgheni, Dyness M.; Mushi, Daniel E.; Shija, Dismas S.
A 4×3 factorial experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of age at entry to feedlot (AEF) and levels of concentrate feeding (LCF) on body weight gain, feed utilization and killing out characteristics of Tanzanian long- fat-tailed castrate sheep. The AEF points were 9, 12, 15 and 18 months, designated as AEF9, AEF12, AEF15 and AEF18, and the LCF were 50, 75 and 100 % of ad libitum concentrate intake designated as LCF50, LCF75 and LCF100, the last representing ad libitum concentrate intake with 10 % refusal rate. Grass hay as basal diet was offered ad libitum to each sheep. Daily feed intake and weekly live weight were record- ed for a period of 84 days. Animals were slaughtered and carcass and non-carcass parameters were recorded. Dry matter intake (DMI) of hay decreased while DMI of concentrate increased (p<0.01) with increasing LCF. Daily gain in high level (LCF100) was 93.1 g/day, almost twofold higher than that in low level (LCF50) of feeding (39 g/day). Overall dressing percentage ranged from 40.7 to 46.5 % and increased with increasing AEF. The proportion of carcass bone de- creased (p<0.05) with increasing AEF while that of fat in- creased (p<0.05) with increasing LCF. Age at entry × level of concentrate feeding interaction was detected for DMI, feedconversion ratio (FCR), slaughter body weight (SBW), muscle/bone ratio and bone (as % cold carcass weight (CCW)), but the effect was not regular. Entering fattening at 18th month seems too late, hence to get in the shortest time the highest output slaughter and carcass weights, fattening should start latest at 15 month.
Reducing GHG emissions from traditional livestock systems to mitigate changing climate and biodiversity
(Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015) Mushi, Daniel E.; Eik, Lars Olav; Bernués, A.; Ripoll-Bosch, R.; Sundstøl, F.; Mo, M.
Climate change (CC) directly impacts the economy, ecosystems, water resources, weather events, health issues, desertification, sea level rise, and even political and social stability. The effects of CC affect different groups of societies differently. In Tanzania, the effects of CC have even acquired a gender dimension, whereby women are viewed as more vulnerable than men because of socioeco- nomic and historic barriers. CC is largely caused by anthropogenic activities, including those that increase the concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Recent findings indicate that the livestock sector is responsible for 18 % of GHG emissions measured in the CO 2 equivalent. Moreover, some gases emitted by livestock have higher potential to warm the atmosphere than CO 2 and have a very long atmospheric lifetime. Methane (CH 4 ) has 23 times the global warming potential (GWP) of CO 2 , whereas nitrous oxide (N 2 O) has 296 times the GWP of CO 2 . It is now estimated that the atmospheric concentrations of CH 4 and N 2 O are increasing at a rate of approximately 0.6 % and 0.25 % per year, respec- tively. Cattle may emit CH 4 from enteric fermentation equivalent to 2–12 % of the ingested energy, whereas produced manure can emit N 2 O up to 1.25 % of its weight. The estimated total CH 4 and N 2 O emissions from Tanzanian ruminants stand at 26.17 Gg and 0.57 Gg, respectively. In this paper, we first very briefly review emissions of GHGs from different livestock production systems in Tanzania with the view of identifying the main hot spots. Then, we concentrate on the available adaptation options and the limitations on the adoption of such adaptation options in Tanzania. Emission of these GHGs per unit product varies with the level of intensification, the types of livestock kept, and manure management. Intensifi- cation of livestock production reduces the size of the land required to sustain a livestock unit and frees up the land necessary for carbon sequestration. In Tanzania, such intensification could take the form of the early harvesting and storing forage for dry-season feeding. The advantage of this intervention is twofold: young harvests have higher digestibility and emit less CH 4 when fed to ruminants than mature lignified forage; use of stored roughage in the dry season will reduce the desertification of rangeland and deforestation that occur when livestock search for pastureland. Dry-season supplementation of ruminants with energy and protein-rich diets will reduce CH 4 emission. The chemical treatment of crops byproducts will increase the crops’ digestibility and reduce CH 4 emission from ruminants. Cross- breds of indigenous and exotic breeds are more efficient converters of feed into products like meat and milk, with less GHG emitted per unit product. The use of manure for biogas production will reduce the emission of both CH 4 and N 2 O into the atmosphere. Shifting from liquid to solid manure management has the potential to reduce CH 4 emissions. Most of these interventions, however, are not cost neutral – enhancing awareness alone will not lead to their widespread adoption. In the absence of subsidies, the adoption of these interventions will depend on the relative cost of other options. Although some traditional livestock systems in Tanzania are already coping with the impact of CC, such efforts are handicapped by inadequate resources, poor coordination, and implementation of competing measures.