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The study was undertaken in Gedeo zone with the aim to identify traditional sheep breeding practices. Three potential districts (Yirgachefe, Bule and Gedeb) were purposely selected from Gedeo zone. A total of 180 smallholder sheep farmers were selected at random to complete a structured questionnaire that had been pretested. A pairwise ranking tool was used to prioritize ranked data during focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics were generated using SPSS version 26, while indices were computed for the ranked data. Mating happens because most farmers in Gedeo zone (80%) own breeding rams that are mixed and run with ewe flocks. Fifty-two percent of farmers were certain that their breeding rams mate with neighboring ewes. Nearly 70% of farmers prevented unwanted sheep breeding in their flocks by castrating or isolating undesirable rams from the ewe flock. Undesired or old breeding rams were replaced either from the same flock (58.9%) or purchased from local markets (41.1%). Breeding flock selection was common in Gedeo zone, with 97.2% of farmers selecting breeding rams and 93.3% of farmers selecting breeding ewes. Genotype (Index = 0.26) and body conformation (Index = 0.20) were the primary and secondary criteria used to select breeding ewes. Likewise, confirmation (Index = 0.25), genotype (Index = 0.24) and lamb growth rate (Index = 0.19) were the top three criteria when selecting breeding rams. Approximately three-quarters of interviewed farmers culled sheep due to poor body condition (31.8%), old age (28.6%), sickness (22.7%) and sterility (15.6%). Castration of rams was more common in Gedeb (58.3%) and Yirgachefe (55%) districts, and it was done for fattening, controlling unwanted breeding, and improving temperament. The mean selection and castration age of breeding rams were 13.18 and 30.72 months. In general, sheep breeding strategies for Gedeo zone should take into account section preferences and basic traditional sheep breeding practices., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The study assessed dairy cattle management practices and identified constraints at smallholder dairy farms in Dilla-Zuriya District. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken on 120 purposely selected smallholder dairy farmers from three potential kebeles (Chichu, Andida and Gola). A Structured questionnaire was developed and applied to collect data. Descriptive statistics procedures of SPSS were followed to analyse the collected data. The result showed that most farmers (70.9%) produce milk primarily for income generation under a mixed crop-livestock production system. The herds mean of the local and cross breeds cattle in the study area were 5.23 and 2.41, respectively. Banana and Enset leaves and stems were the primary feed resources of the study area. Besides, farmers use natural grazing pasture and home fruit and vegetable leftovers as animal feed. The watering frequency was twice a day, either from river or pipe. Traditional houses made from locally available construction materials like mud and wood are the typical dairy cattle housing system. Except for calves, all types of dairy cattle were kept together in the same house. Feed shortage, limited access to, and the high purchasing cost of improved dairy heifers were the top two pressing constraints of dairy production in the study area. Therefore, enhancing the quality and accessibility of feed and applying breed improvement technologies are highly recommended to support dairy production., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)