Assessment on major reproductive health problems of dairy cattle in Boloso Sore, Southern Ethiopia

The ultimate goal integrated herd health management is to lower calving interval, decrease the number of services per conception thereby increasing reproduction and production but reproductive health disorders affect the reproductive performance of the dairy cows, the number of potential replacement needed to maintain a constant herd size and the longevity of the cow in the herd. There was insufficiency research information in the particular situation in the area for dairy production intensification. Assessments were conducted to identify the major reproductive health problems of dairy cattle and associated risk factors at Boloso Sore, Ethiopia from November 2016 to April 2017. In the present study, smallholder dairy owners were interviewed using local language; data on dairy reproductive performances particularly  history of reproductive health problems were collected. A total of 200 respondents were interviewed and the finding revealed that the most frequently encountered reproductive health problems were repeat breeding, dystocia, abortion retained fetal membranes, uterine prolapsed, and still birth: 17,16.5, 14.5, 5.5, 3.5, and 1% respectively were record. Overall, fifty two percent (n=104/200) of dairy owners responded to the presence of either one or more reproductive disorders history in their herd. In the present study the association of history of reproductive problems showed significant difference with respect to breed and parity of dairy cattle thus, Holstein cross breed dairy with increased parity was recorded to have history of reproductive health problem than others in the management system. Further studies should be conducted at different cross blood level, and awareness given to farm owners and attendants to improve dairy management with increased parity. Key words: Abortion, Boloso sore, breed, dairy, parity, reproductive health problem.