Longitudinal study of calf morbidity and mortality and the associated risk factors on urban and peri-urban dairy farms in southern Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Calf morbidity and mortality are among the leading causes of economic losses on dairy farms around the world. Poor calf management practices exacerbate the problem in developing countries like Ethiopia. This prospective, longitudinal study was conducted on 70 selected dairy farms in southern Ethiopia with the aim of estimating calf morbidity and mortality rates, identifying the associated risk factors and determining whether the mortality rate is above economically tolerable levels. For this purpose, a total of 274 calves on 70 farms were followed up every two weeks from birth to six months of age for major clinical health problems and deaths.

Results

The study found a morbidity rate of 13.2 cases and a mortality rate of 3.8 cases per 100 calf-months at risk in th

SUBMITTER: Abebe R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9854030 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature