Tackling the future challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry - vTI

Abstract
RAHMANN G & GODINHO D (Ed.) (2012): Tackling the Future Challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry.
Proceedings of the 2 nd OAHC, Hamburg/Trenthorst, Germany, Sep 12-14, 2012
Characterization of sheep management system in Dohuk (Iraq)
ABDULRAZZAQ ABDULHAMEED ABDULLAH AL-RAWI 1 ,
SADALLA MOHAMED SALEH 1
1 Animal Resources Department, University of Salahaddin, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq.
E-mail: iraqppa@yahoo.com
Sheep production in Dohuk is based on extensive natural vegetation grazing system. Sheep reared
mostly for production of lambs. Therefore, meat from lambs marketed in Dohuk is considered to be
organic. Sheep flock management received very little attention by authorities and researchers. A
survey was conducted during July-December, 2009 through interview of 26 sheep owners, within
the province of Dohuk, Kurdistan, Iraq. The main findings of the survey were: The average size of a
flock was 182 heads of sheep. Most sheep owners (69.20%) indicated that flock size increased over
the last 10 years. The percentage of flock's fertility of less than 70% is 3.8%, while 23% of the
flocks showed a fertility between 71% to 80% and 76.9% of the flocks showed fertility rate of 81%
to 100%. The range of lambing rate (average number of lambs born per ewe exposed) was 0.68-
1.09. Lambs suckled their mother's udder for a period of not less than 4 months, and most of them
were marketed at 25-28 kg. Range of daily milk yield was between 200 -750 ml. Most sheep owners
(62.5%) sold their milk as yogurts while 37.5% sold their milk as fresh milk. Mortality ranged from
zero to 14% depends on flock's management.
It is concluded that management practices differed with the various geographic areas. Wide range
of variations exist in all economical traits studied, this may suggest the possibilities of improving
productive as well as reproductive performance and consequently increased meat and milk as well
as increase sheep owner profits. Producing of green forages and improving artificial pasture is
necessary to improve production of organic milk and meat from sheep in Dohuk, Kurdistan, Iraq.
Key words: Sheep, Natural grazing, Organic meat and milk.
Introduction
Sheep flocks in Kurdistan, Iraq are presumed to have low productive and reproductive performance.
Management is the main cause of low productive and reproductive rates among sheep flocks in the
region. These include low culling rates of unproductive ewes, under and imbalance nutrition, keeping
rams for long time and diseases (Al-Rawi et al. 1997, Thomson et al. 2003 & AlKass and Juma
2005). Sheep flock management received very little attention by authorities and livestock researchers.
Increasing meat and milk production to meet the rising demand is a designated development
goal in Kurdistan as well as in Iraq. Due to quantifiable information is not available. The objectives
of this investigation are:
1- Assess strengths and weaknesses in the sheep flocks management in Dohuk.
2- Based on these assessments provide solutions for some problems facing producers.
3- Provide hands on technical assistance as a guide for developing sheep production
Material and methodology
To provide reliable baseline information on sheep management in Dohuk, Kurdistan, Iraq, a survey
was developed and conducted during July - December, 2009. A random sample of 26 sheep herders
were interviewed to get details of flock management, using following questionnaire: - Name and
age of farmer, name of village, breed of animal, flock size, number of males and females and their
117