The study comparison was between the Small East African Zebu and the Tyrolean Grey cattle crosses in Uganda

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess farmers’ perception of the performance of indigenous Small East Africa Zebu (SEAZ) and Tyrolean Grey (TG) x SEAZ cattle cross. TGZ cattle is indigenous to the alpine region of Austria. Cross-sectional survey was carried out among 45 respondents comprising 37 farmers, three (03) artificial insemination technicians, three (03) extension workers, and two (02) farm managers in the Ugandan districts of Kole, Nakapiripirit and Kayunga. Source of labour (χ2=6.042, p<0.05) influenced farmers’ preference of cattle. Traits such as better draft power (χ2=6.943, p<0.01), resistance to parasites and diseases (χ2=4.477, p<0.05) were significantly associated with SEAZ. On the other hand, docility (χ2=4.847, p<0.05), better milker (χ2=13.976, p<0.001), good mothering ability (χ2=10.174, p<0.001), fast growth (χ2=11.242, p<0.001) and hard hooves to withstand muddy places better (χ2=4.498, p<0.05), were significantly associated with TGZ. More than three quarters (78.8%) of the farmers preferred the TGZ because they felt that it performed better than the SEAZ.