Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality
A small survey was carried out on 38 camel herds in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia to study production and reproduction parameters, herding strategies, offtake and constraints to camel production. The study also recorded the rate and causes of mortality in the surveyed herds over one year. Four disti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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CIRAD
2000-03-01
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| Series: | Revue d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/REMVT/article/view/9727 |
| _version_ | 1827843829074493440 |
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| author | B. Abbas A. A. Al Qarawi A. Al Hawas |
| author_facet | B. Abbas A. A. Al Qarawi A. Al Hawas |
| author_sort | B. Abbas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A small survey was carried out on 38 camel herds in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia to study production and reproduction parameters, herding strategies, offtake and constraints to camel production. The study also recorded the rate and causes of mortality in the surveyed herds over one year. Four distinct herding strategies were discovered. Type one herders were companies or merchants who kept large herds (mean = 1260 camels) in semi-intensive operations and who marketed milk, meat and young camels on a regular basis. Type two herders were unspecialized merchants who kept medium-sized herds (mean = 86 camels) for family use without apparent commercial benefit. The third type of herders consisted of pastoralists or agropastoralists who kept smaller herds (mean = 14 camels) always with other animals (mainly sheep and goats, and occasionally cattle). Type four herders were classical camel merchants who also kept a relatively small group of camels (mean = 17 camels) in a feedlot for sale at a profit at the first opportunity. The calving rate was 68%, the mean age at first calving was four years and four months and the mean intercalving interval was 20 months. The highest mortality was recorded in the period from birth to one year of age and averaged 17% in all the data. In large commercial herds, an additional age group with high mortality was the two- to three-year-old females in which up to 9% mortality was recorded. Most of the male camels were sold for meat at around one year of age and only 4.3% males remained in the herds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:32:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cf0cc8134f2542dbb791e62a0cf38371 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0035-1865 1951-6711 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:32:12Z |
| publishDate | 2000-03-01 |
| publisher | CIRAD |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf0cc8134f2542dbb791e62a0cf383712023-09-02T17:33:43ZengCIRADRevue d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux0035-18651951-67112000-03-0153329329810.19182/remvt.97279727Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortalityB. Abbas0A. A. Al Qarawi1A. Al Hawas2Department of Veterinary Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 1482, Buraydah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 1482, Buraydah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 1482, Buraydah, Saudi ArabiaA small survey was carried out on 38 camel herds in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia to study production and reproduction parameters, herding strategies, offtake and constraints to camel production. The study also recorded the rate and causes of mortality in the surveyed herds over one year. Four distinct herding strategies were discovered. Type one herders were companies or merchants who kept large herds (mean = 1260 camels) in semi-intensive operations and who marketed milk, meat and young camels on a regular basis. Type two herders were unspecialized merchants who kept medium-sized herds (mean = 86 camels) for family use without apparent commercial benefit. The third type of herders consisted of pastoralists or agropastoralists who kept smaller herds (mean = 14 camels) always with other animals (mainly sheep and goats, and occasionally cattle). Type four herders were classical camel merchants who also kept a relatively small group of camels (mean = 17 camels) in a feedlot for sale at a profit at the first opportunity. The calving rate was 68%, the mean age at first calving was four years and four months and the mean intercalving interval was 20 months. The highest mortality was recorded in the period from birth to one year of age and averaged 17% in all the data. In large commercial herds, an additional age group with high mortality was the two- to three-year-old females in which up to 9% mortality was recorded. Most of the male camels were sold for meat at around one year of age and only 4.3% males remained in the herds.http://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/REMVT/article/view/9727DromadaireConduite d'élevageProduction animaleÉcologieArabie Saoudite |
| spellingShingle | B. Abbas A. A. Al Qarawi A. Al Hawas Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality Revue d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux Dromadaire Conduite d'élevage Production animale Écologie Arabie Saoudite |
| title | Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality |
| title_full | Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality |
| title_fullStr | Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality |
| title_short | Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality |
| title_sort | survey on camel husbandry in qassim region saudi arabia herding strategies productivity and mortality |
| topic | Dromadaire Conduite d'élevage Production animale Écologie Arabie Saoudite |
| url | http://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/REMVT/article/view/9727 |
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