Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:03:31.158Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On-farm performance of Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle 1. Herd structures and cattle disposal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. E. O. Rege ,
R. R. von Kaufmann  and
R. I. Mani
J. E. O. Rege
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
R. R. von Kaufmann
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
R. I. Mani
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Get access

Abstract

A study urns conducted to examine herd structures and cattle disposal patterns of Bunaji herds kept under traditional management at four locations in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. Sale for meat was the single most important disposal reason, accounting for proportionately 0·55 of all disposals. Mean age of cattle sold for meat was 8 years but the age range was wide: animals as old as 17·4 years were involved in such sales. Male animals were sold at a younger age (6·2 years) than females (9·3 years). Sale of calves was an important exit avenue for rural herds with less access to milk market. Calves were sold at a mean age of 1·1 years and male calves accounted for a larger proportion (0·62) of such sales. Animal sales were highest in the early dry season and lowest in the early wet season. The predominantly arable farming location, Ganawuri, had the highest frequency of animal sales and lowest frequency of exits for ‘social functions’ (exchanges, transfers and gifts). Animal transfers, gifts and exchanges were important disposal routes in the traditionally pastoral communities, especially in locations with good grazing (e.g. Abet). Exits involving exchanges, transfers and gifts were more frequent during the dry season and least frequent in the wet season. An average herd had 77 head of cattle composed proportionately of 0·54 adult females (>3 years), 0·13 adult males (>3 years), 0·08 young bulls (1 to 3 years), 0·13 heifers (1 to 3 years) and 0·11 calves (0 to 1 year). There was a tendency toward smaller herds in later years (97 in 1980 to 51 in 1989) and a decrease in the ratio of adult females to males (from 6:1 in 1980 to 3:1 in 1989). Substantial between-location differences existed in herd size ami herd structure, ranging from the ‘beef orientation’ of the arable Ganawuri with a high proportion of immatures and calves, to the pastoral situation in Abet and Kurmin Biri with high proportion of adult animals. The proportions of adults were lowest in the early dry season, reflecting seasonal pattern in disposal and calving. The pattern in disposal reasons over time indicated a decrease in the proportion of animals exiting herds through exchanges, transfers and gifts and signified a possible shift from tradition, probably a response to population pressures and emergence of cash economies.

Keywords

herd structureNigeriatraditional farmingWhite Fulani cattle
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , October 1993 , pp. 199 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abaelu, J. N. 1973. The economics of livestock production in Nigeria. Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ife, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Bille, J. C. 1981. A Beotion approach to cattle herd structures in Kenya. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Kenya.Google Scholar
Bourne, D. 1983. Tsetse control, agricultural expansion and environmental change in Nigeria. D. Phil., University of Oxford.Google Scholar
Bishop, D. R. 1974. Livestock marketing in Szvaziland. Ministry of Agriculture, Swaziland.Google Scholar
Doran, M. H., Low, A. R. C. and Kemp, R. L. 1979. Cattle as a store of wealth in Swaziland: implications for livestock development and overgrazing in eastern and southern Africa. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 61: 41–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Livestock Centre for Africa. 1979. Livestock production in the subhumid zone of West Africa: a regional review. ILCA systems study no. 2, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, R. von. 1986. An introduction to the subhumid zone of West Africa and the ILCA subhumid zone programme. In Livestock systems research in Nigeria's subhumid zone. Proceedings of second ILCA/NAPRI symposium, Kaduna, Nigeria, 1984. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Lamorde, and Franti, C. E. 1975. Nomadism and cattle production in Nigeria. Proceedings of the first annual conference of Nigerian Society of Animal Production, Enitgu.Google Scholar
Nelson, G. and Spreen, T. 1978. Monthly steer and heifer supply. American journal of Agricultural Economics 60: 117–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Otchere, E. O. 1986. Traditional cattle production in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. In Livestock systems research in Nigeria's subhumid zone. Proceedings of second ILCA/NAPRI symposium held in Kaduna, Nigeria, 1984. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Oyedipe, E. I., Buvanendran, V. and Eduvie, L. O. 1982. Some factors affecting the reproductive performance of White Fulani (Bunaji) cattle. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 59: 231–234.Google Scholar
Pullan, N. B. 1979. Productivity of White Fulani cattle on the Jos Plateu, Nigeria I. Herd structures and reproductive performance. Tropical Animal Health and Production 11: 231–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pullan, N. B. and Grindle, R. J. 1980. Productivity of White Fulani cattle on the Jos Plateus, Nigeria IV. Economic factors. Tropical Animal Health and Production 12: 161–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raay, J. G. T. van. 1974. Rural planning in a savannah region. University Press, Rotterdam.Google Scholar
Rege, J. E. O. 1992. LOGMLVAR: a computer programme for estimating sampling variances of predicted probabilities from maximum likelihood estimates in a logit response function. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Rege, J. E. O., Kaufmann, R. R. von, Mwenya, W. N. M., Otchere, E. O. and Mani, R. I. 1993. On-farm performance of Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle 2. Growth, reproductive performance, milk offtake and mortality. Animal Production 57:211–220.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis System Institute. 1987. SAS user's guide. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary NC.Google Scholar
Wheat, J. D., Leeuw, P. N. de and Koch, B. A. 1972. Bunaji cattle at the Shika Research Station, North Central State, Nigeria. Samaru Miscellaneous Paper No. 41. IAR, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Wilde, J. C. de. 1967. Experiences with agricultural development in Tropical Africa, vol. 1 and 2. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.Google Scholar
Wilson, R. T., Leeuw, P. N. de and Haan, C. de, ed. 1983. Recherche sur les systemes des zones arides du Mali: resultats preliminaires. CIPEA rapport de reserche No. 5. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Winrock International. 1992. Assessment of animal agriculture in sub-Saharan agriculture. Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, Hamilton, Arkansas, USA.Google Scholar