Comparison of Breeding Systems by Smallholder Goat Keepers in the Humid, Sub-Humid and Semi Arid Ecological Zones of Uganda

Abstract

A study was conducted in three districts (Arua, Soroti and Sembabule) in Uganda to characterise the goat breeding practices in Uganda. A set of detailed structured questionnaires was used to collect information from 160 goat owners in one-visit-interviews. Goats have multi-functional roles, though mainly kept as a regular income source in all the three districts. Goats were mainly acquired by buying while removal was by selling. Mating was generally natural and uncontrolled. In each village, less than 20% kept their own bucks. Breeding does were selected mainly because of performance, birth type and body size while bucks were chosen mainly on the basis of growth rate and body size across all districts. to indigenous livestock. Although majority of the goats kept were indigenous, there appears a clear trend from pure indigenous towards cross-breeds. It can be concluded that, although from different ecological zones, goat keepers from Uganda seem to have similar realistic breeding strategies.