A zootechnical follow-up was conducted in Gounaka (Tassaoua department, Maradi region) in Niger on 48 goats aged less than one year to 4 years including 36 Redheads (75%) and 12 Blacks (25%), all followed by 76 kids including 37 females and 39 males of Red dress (58 individuals) and Black (18 individuals) belonging to 45 breeders. Analyzes have shown that frequency of single litter in Red goats (45.71%) was lower than that of Black (50%). On other hand, double litters were more frequent in Red goat (54.28%) than Black (50%). Differences in 2 cases of litters were not statistically significant (p> 0.05). There was a statistical difference (p <0.05) between milk production average of two types of goats. Red goat had regularly higher than Black at all rows of lactation. Average of durations of intervals between 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd, 3rd-4th, 4th-5th and 5th-6th parturitions in Red and Black goats in all dresses were respectively 8.36 ± 1.56; 8.67 ± 1.49; 8.66 ± 1.34; 10.00 ± 0.82 and 9.50 ± 0.71 months without statistical difference. At birth, Black kids weighed more than their Red counterparts with 1.67 ± 0.20 and 1.61 ± 3.55 kg respectively, but difference was not significant. As for mean of decadal scrotal circumference (perimeter), it increased from first (D1) to tenth (D10) decade respectively from 5.13 ± 0.89 to 10.71 ± 1.61 cm for Red kids and 4.70 ± 0.80 to 9.51 ± 2.14 cm for black kids significantly (p <0.05).
In order to analyze the fattening practices and commercial speculations of sheep on the occasion of the Muslim holiday (Aïd El Kebir) commonly known as Tabaski, an investigation is carried out three months before the holding of this festival in the course of the year 2020 in the Tahoua region in Niger. The survey is carried out on a sample of 300 sellers / resellers and buyers from the urban commune of Tahoua and the peripheral village of Badaguichiri. The most important and least important option scaling method was used to analyze the weight of preferences of actors in the sheep fattening value chain. Sheep and the commercial activity of Tabaski sheep remain 100% male prerogative for sellers / resellers and 90% for buyers. The study reveals that sheep fattening is an activity subject to very strong commercial speculation as part of the Tabaski rite. The breed, the color of the coat, the overweight and the conformation of the animals are the preferred criteria in marketing and which are unanimous among sellers and resellers as well as buyers. These criteria come into play in the determination, selection and pricing of sheep for Tabaski. Also, out of a total of six genetic types belonging to four inventoried Sahelian sheep breeds, the Oudah breed is the most presented and appreciated in local markets and outlets. The renewed financial margin linked to commercial speculation around the Tabaski sheep is growing with the increase in the size of the animals. This dynamic of sheep prices can be used by producers and importers as a useful commercial database for scheduling sales at times that open the door to commercial speculation.
In African countries, the diversity of domestic animals is maintained thanks to traditional agro-pastoral communities. The mutations experienced by these communities result in an erosion of the genetic diversity of which they are the guardians. In response to threats to biological diversity, a convention for its protection was signed in 1992 by several countries, including Niger, therefore committed to conserving the genetic diversity of its livestock breeds. One of these breeds, the Koundoum sheep, is threatened with extinction. The objective of this work is to study the reasons and consequences of this decline, through semi-structured interviews with 104 sheep farmers in the natural habitat of Koundoum. The main reasons given as causes of the decline in the numbers of Koundoum sheep are crossbreeding with other breeds (25.00%), the lack of pasture on the banks of the Niger River (19.23%) and mortality linked to parasitism. (15.38%). Regarding the consequences, this regression was considered damaging for national biodiversity by 7.69% of breeders. 14.42% of breeders think that it is a loss of local cultural values and 9.62% see it as a risk loss of a breed adapted to their land. 42.31% of herders perceive this disappearance primarily as a loss of financial resources. In short, the farmers' responses refer to two distinct phenomena: substitution between breeds and the decrease in the total sheep population in the area. The two phenomena call for different conservation strategies, in situ and ex situ. These should be integrated into a global program involving breeders, scientists and political authorities.
Characterized by the agro pastoralism and pastoralism, breeding is essentially extensive in Niger. However, the pastoral resources are more and more threatened by crops farms. To better securize fodder resources, the Departmental Commission Land of Boboye through its partners has processed to the mapping of these fodder resources. This study was conducted to assess the perception of actors of the rural community of Fabidji on how to secure fodder resources. A number of 76 persons consisted of officials for pastoral resource management and users of fodder resources were investigated. According to the survey results, 75% of the farmers and 63.6% of the livestock breeders asserted that the cartography has made access easier to the pastoral resources. According to farmers (91.3%) and livestock breeders (82.6%), the typology of pastoral resources has been well drawn by the cartography. At the organization level, all the ALHERI members (100%), AREN (100%) and those of the administration (100%), the majority members of FNEN DADO (75%) and the non-affiliates (96%) think that the cartography has permitted to improve the knowledge on pastoral resources. 75% of village leaders declared that the cartography has permitted to preserve of the pastoral resources. For the majority of AREN (85.7%), ALHERI (50%), FNEN DADO (50%), administration (71. 4%) and (92%) of non-affiliates, the cartography has permitted to sort out of conflicts between breeders and agriculturists.