Improved cow fertility through appropriate management practices on-farm in Koibatek and Nakuru districts

Abstract

n a survey conducted in 1996, 82 (22.6 percent) of all cows with impaired fertility, i.e expected calving interval over 1.5 years, were found on 63 and 53 farms in Koibatek District and Nakuru District (Bahati Division), respectively. The cows were appraised visually for body condition, and rectal palpation was done to determine the condition of their reproductive organs. The appraisal revealed that about 50 percent of the cows were in poor condition and about 60 percent were in anoestrus, thus indicating the effect of nutrition. Work carried out earlier in Kiambu, Nyandarua and Nakuru Districts of Kenya on factors causing impaired fertility in cows on-farm, showed that management factors and most importantly, nutrition was the primary cause