By Shija et. al. (2022)
From the Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences
The ability of smallholder dairy farming systems (SHDFS) to achieve desirable lactation-curve characteristics is constrained or reduced by environmental stresses. Under stressful production environments in the tropics, the better lactation-curve characteristics in smallholder dairy farms are a result of improved dairy genetics and husbandry practices. Better husbandry practices improve animal health and welfare status, which is important to sustain SHDFS in the tropics where dairy cattle are constantly exposed to multiple environmental stresses of feed scarcity, disease infections and heat load. In this case, lactating cows in smallholder dairy farms labelled positive deviants are expected to express lactation curve characteristics differently from typical farms, regardless of the stress levels confronted. Read more………….
Shija, Dismas Said, Okeyo A. Mwai, Julie M. K. Ojango, Daniel M. Komwihangilo, and Bockline Omedo Bebe. 2022. “Assessing Lactation Curve Characteristics of Dairy Cows Managed under Contrasting Husbandry Practices and Stressful Environments in Tanzania” World 3, no. 4: 1032-1052. https://doi.org/10.3390/world3040059
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