kenya livestock breeders organization 2012

Information Booklet

KENYA LIVESTOCK BREEDERS

ORGANIZATION2012

Kenya Livestock Breeders Organizatio is the national pedi-gree service for purebred and non-purebred livestock in Ke-nya. We are a private non-profit organization that has been serving the Kenyas livestock industry continuously since its formation in 1920. The organization was formaly called East Africa Stud Book (EASB). And was corporated under the Animal Pedigree Act, which is federal legislation that regulates the keeping of all animal pedigree records in East Africa. The various breed associations are also incorporated under the same Act, and any association so incorporated may become a member of KLBO. There are approximately five member societies for which records are being maintained. In addition, KLBO administers, its registration roles in East Africa as well.

KLBO was formed on 12th March 1994. However, it’s in-stitutional framework is over half a century old . Kenya Stud Book history dates back to May 1920 when the Royal Agricultural Society Started the East African Stud Book in Nairobi. At this time white Settlers Farmers were directly importing breeding animals. On formation, the Stud Book was mandated to:-

1. Maintain pedigree register for the progenies of the imported livestock.

2. Maintain the up-grading scheme for the crosses bred through crossing the indigenous animals and the ex-otic breeds.

3. Issue registration certificates for the animals regis-tered.

The Milk Recording Program started by the Royal Agricul-tural Society of Kenya Way back in 1939 as the East Africa Milk Records. In 1959 it was transferred to the Kenya Dairy Board because RASK were no longer able to finance it. At it’s initial set up, Kenya Dairy Board was owned by farmers who financed it through cess payment.

With the collapse of the East Africa Community in 1968 the East Africa Milk Records changed its name to Kenya Milk Records. KMR was financed by Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) until the cess ceased to be transferred from Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) to the KDB in 1984.

Over the years both the milk recording and the livestock registration schemes have witnessed periods of severe operational handicaps. In actual fact at one time the Ke-nya Dairy Board and the Departments of Veterinary and Livestock Production had been in charge of these schemes. During this time the schemes were financially constrained, not well coordinated and unable to deliver effective servic-es. Hence, in 1994 farmers out of the realization that regis-tration and performance recording are key prerequisites for any breeding program, they decided to group the services of the two schemes together under one committee “Kenya Livestock Breeders Committee”. From then to date, de-spite problems occasioned by severe financial constraints farmers are running a self sustaining organization financed through income generated from services rendered and very minimal government intervention in form of a small an-nual grant.

Since then KMR was funded by Ministry grants, subscrip-tions, grant from World Food Programme ( Dairy Devel-opment Committee) until 1998 when Kenya Dairy Board handed KMR to the Kenya Livestock Breeders Committee which changed its name to Dairy Recording Service of Ke-nya (DRSK).

Page 1 Introduction

KLBO Mandate.

Page 3 Kenya Stud Book

Page 4 Dairy Recording Services of Kenya

Page 5 Record Keeping

Page 6 Breed Societies

Introduction

Contents

Kenyan Stud Book History

Kenya Livestock Breeder Organization, 20121

KLBO MandateThe KLBO is a farmer’s body formed under the auspices of the Agricultural Society of Kenya with a specialized function of promoting and coordinat-ing livestock breeding in Kenya.

1. Livestock Registration.

Livestock registration through the Ke-nya Stud Book and maintenance of a central database for all registered stock.

Through registration the scheme also runs an upgrading scheme, which con-tributes to value addition.

2. Performance recording

The data collected on production be-comes an important basis for selection on-farm

At the national level the data is impor-tant for sire evaluation through prog-eny testing and in contract mating for acquisition of outstanding sires. Hence the data is availed to the Central Artifi-cial Insemination Station and the Live-stock Recording Center.

3. Extension Services

With the scaling down of the exten-sion services previously offered by the government and quasi-governmental organization the KLBO has stepped in to empower farmers with the necessary skills for livestock husbandry.

Kenya Stud Book

This is the livestock registration center with a major objective of recording and maintaining accurate and authentic an-cestral and identification information of animals with due regard to dates of birth and extended pedigree details.

Kenya Stud Book initialy called East Africa Stud Book was started in 1921 and was responsible of keeping a pedi-gree register of livestock in East Africa

This is the livestock registration center with a major objective of recording and maintaining accurate and authentic an-cestral and identification information of animals with due regard to dates of birth and extended pedigree details.

Functions of the Kenya Stud Book are:

1. Setting up livestock registration rules in liaison with the breed so-cieties:- Breeds standards of excel-lence as secretaries to numerous breed societies.

2. Registration and issuance of certifi-cates for both Grade and pedigree stock.

3. Publishing of Volumes on annual ba-sis for all registered pedigree and grade stock in the country.

4. • Promotionofproperanimaliden-tification.

5. • Effecting livestock transfers andissuance of export certificates.

6. • RunningtheUp-gradingscheme.

Dairy Recording Services of Kenya

This is the country’s Milk recording center. Here Systematic measurement and recording of daily milk yields of dairy stock plus the systematic sam-pling of the milk for quality analysis all of which is summarized in form of reports at the end of a lactation period.

Initially called Kenya Milk Records was formed in 1970 and was being maged by the government under the Kenya Dairy Board.

Functions of the Dairy Recording Ser-vice of Kenya (DRSK).

To collect and collate lactation data from registered farms.To prepare lac-tation certificates for registered herds. To process herd average reports.

To maintain and avail relevant produc-tion data to the Bull Purchasing Com-mittee for purposes of the Contract mating scheme.

Three Main Roles of KLBO


Kenya Stud Book

Pool Class

The cow lacks any identifiable charac-teristics particular to any specific breed.

Foundation Class

Refers to a Cow typical of a particular breed by inspection and clearly identifi-able but with very scanty details on its ancestry or none at all.

Procedure for Livestock Registration

1. Interested individuals or enter-prises fill in the Kenya Stud Book joining form-giving details on their breed of livestock kept, con-tacts, physical locality, and they also apply for a herd prefix (the name by which the pedigree herd is known by).

2. On approval of the herd prefix, specific letters are issued to the prospective breeder together with the livestock registration forms.

3. The breeder fills in application for livestock registration form for each animal to be registered and liaises with the Kenya Stud Book or the breed Society on inspection of the stock.

He then forwards the duly filled appli-cation for livestock registration form to KSB for issuance of registration certifi-cate.

A minimal fee is paid for each animal registered depending on the class, breed and sex.

To register and Milk record livestock, farmers have to pay a minimal fee that varies depending on the various catego-ries of registration.

Other charges include;

•Afeeforproducingalactationcertifi-cate and any other production or perfor-mance reports requested by the farmer.

•Afeechargedfortransferoflivestockwhether local or export.

The Upgrading Scheme


Animal Registration

Intermediate Class

This is a female progeny of a Foundation animal sired by a registered pedigree sire with proof of service.

Appendix Class

A female progeny of an intermediate animal that is officially milk recorded. This is automatic with proof of service with a pedigree-registered sire.

Pedigree Class

A progeny of an appendix or pedigree cow that is officially milk recorded sired by a registered pedigree sire with proof of service and conforming to all laid down breed standards.

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DRSK

This is the country’s Milk recording cen-ter. Here Systematic measurement and recording of daily milk yields of dairy stock plus the systematic sampling of the milk for quality analysis all of which is summarized in form of reports at the end of a lactation period. cow lacks any identifiable characteristics particular to any specific breed.

iv. Consistency in breeding and milk recording guarantees ownership of pedigree without necessarily spending a fortune.

v. Chance to benefit from the contract mating and progeny testing schemes.

vi. Marketing opportunities- through entry to the Kenya Stud Book Volume, Exhibitions during the Agricultural So-ciety of Kenya Shows, Kenya stud Book office and Bulls at the Central Artificial Insemination Station.

Nationally:

i. Important for national Dairy Cattle Breeding Program

ii. Important as resource materials for researchbyResearchInstitutions,Uni-versities and for national planning pur-poses.

iii. For the national livestock breeding program. Efficiency leads to increased production and hence improvement in national food security.

Milk Recording


Milk Recordng

Procedure for Milk Recording

i. Fill in DRSK joining form.

ii. Fill in the individual cow entry form for each lactating cow where the farm-ers give the cow’s identification, ances-try records of the animal, parity (calving number) and date of calving.

iii. The form is then submitted to the DRSK office.

The farmer also submits milk yield de-tails for each cow on:

•The5thdayaftercalving.

•The 14th day p.m. and 15th day a.m.of every month including all details of events happening within the month in the monthly milk sheet.

•Thedrydateandthelastdaymilkyield.

In addition to milk recording the farmer undertakes butterfat testing. At least 4 times in a lactation. The tests should be well spread out at intervals of at least 2 months.

The Butterfat test service is offered free of charge the Ministry of livestock Pro-duction through the six Butterfat test laboratories.

(Dairy Recording Services of Kenya)

The butterfat laboratories are in Mt-wapa, Kabete, Karatina, Nakuru, Kitale and Maseno.

Reports/ Lactation Certificates

A certificate is issued at the end of the lactation, while herd average and life-time production certificates are issued on request. The certificate as a report shows the days the animal has been on milk, calving interval, quantity of milk produced, and butterfat content in kg and %.

Advantages of Livestock Registration and Milk Recording

At the farm:

i. At the farm milk record reports guide the farmers on monitoring the perfor-mance of the farm managers.

ii. They form the base in making man-agement decisions e.g. - selection, cull-ing, claims, feeding, breeding.

iii. Value addition-registered and re-corded stock fetch better price com-pared to unregistered ones. (Registered Ksh 65,000-180,000/= while unregis-tered Ksh. 10.000-25.000/=).

Milk Recording In Goats Starts at KLBO

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Animals in the farm should have iden-tification marks that would easily assist one or distinguish the animals in the herd. It is recommended that the ani-mals be identified with a method that is in line with the Kenya Stud Book Rules on Identification. The method of identi-fication should be either

i). Ear Tattoo. This method is common with small stocks like sheep, goats and pigs. Mainly the animals should have a light skin for the dye to remain visible. The method can be applied on calves of large stocks with light skin color. On maturity the tattoo should be supported with a ear tag, ear notch or brand.

ii). Ear Notching. The method can be used for all breeds. It is recommended that farmers’ anticipation to use the notched should do it in the standard way.

iii). Photos or Sketches. This should show the right side the head and the left side. The method can be used for all breeds.


Cow Identification

iv). Branding. A farmer ca do either freeze branding or iron branding. Iron branding is common ranches while some dairy breeders use freeze brand-ing. Freeze branding is clear when ap-plied on the dark skin of Friesian cattle.

v).Ear Tags. The method is common with dairy cattle, goats and sheep. Ear tags come in different Sizes, colors and materials. For small stocks, one can use metal clips or small ear tags. Farmers should be ready to replace the tags once the animal loses them.

Since Ear tags are common with dairy producers, the information put on the tag should be standard. The tag could only have one number that is the refer-ence number or name of the said animal in the farm record.

The tag if possible should give the Name of the cow, the Identification Num-ber, date of birth, the sire and the dam. The identification Number should give three important items,

a). Year of birth, b). Farm Prefix letters c). the number at birth as follows.

09MN01 from this number; - (09) is the year of Birth 2009 (MN) Makongi Farm prefix Letters and (01) first calf born in the said year.

A farm without the herd prefix can re-place the prefix letters by / or –

When tagging the first heifer Makogi lelmet born on 12 January 2008 by a sire: Madaraka Tinderet Sabaki and dam: Makogi Patricia. One should use the front and the back side of the ear tag as shown.

Information to be displayed on Tag’s front and back side

i). The cows details on the front.

It should have the Farm’s Name at the top, the Cow Name, Identification Number, date of birth, The KSB Reg-istration Number, the breed, the cow’s parent’s pedigree.

ii). Service Records summary.

It is recommended that the service re-cords be maintained on the front side if the cow card. This should show the date of service, the bull used on service, date when confirmed in-calf, expected date to calf, Actual date of calving, sex of the calf, Identification Number of calf and any necessary remarks. The service record should always be maintained up-date. It should also be in line with the AI certificates issued.

Cow Card

The farm should maintain simple herds register. It is recommended that the register should show a list of all animals in the farm their Date of birth, the Ke-nya Stud Book Number, sire, dam date when they leave the herd and reason for disposal. Heifer calves born in the farm and animals bought in the herd should be added to the list immediately they enter the herd.

Herd/Stock Register

Such a tag though simple will help the farmers on making immediate decision even without referring to other records book at the farm office. The insemina-tor on the other hand can use the in-formation on the tag to decide not to inbreed the cow.

The information is also important for the new buyer of the animal as it will help him maintain the cow’s identifica-tion both at the farm and on recording its offspring with the KLBO.

Breeding RecordsLivestock breeders are required to retain the insemination certificate (receipt is-sued by the inseminator) and the semen straw after any insemination is carried out in the farm. The inseminator’s cer-tificate should contain the following:-

1. Name of the service provider,

2. Date of service,

3. Owner of the cow being served,

4. Name of the cow, its date of birth, breed and the cows sire if known.

5. The bull used for the service (com-mon short name and it’s cord)

6. Expected calving date (date dew to calve).

7. In case an animal repeats a service this should be recorded

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Record Keeping

Aryshire Cattle Breeder s Society of Kenya

Main objective, To breed a medium to high milk producing cow with relative High levels of protein and Butter fat.

Breed Societies


Identify breed Characteristics.

Identify measurable /Quantifiable traits for improvement.

Set Rules and Standards for recording.

Agree on the procedure for recording.

Agree on the criteria for evaluation.

Collect Data.

Evaluate and access the genetic gain.

Breed Societies Guidelines

What are they?1. Specialist and Focused groups

of farmers meant to improve un identified breed of Livestock.

2. Their Main Objective is to Genet-ically Improve the next Genera-tion of the Species.

3. Improvement mainly on Production(milk, Butterfat, pro-tein, wool and meat), Performance (race and power for Horses and Donkeys)

Formation of Breed Societies1. Farmers identify certain Econom-

ic /Aesthetic traits in a Livestock Breed.

2. The trait must be genetically transmitted to the off-springs.

3. The trait must be measurable or quantifiable

4. Trait must have some economic value to the farm.

Breed Societies in Kenya

Boran Cattle Breeders Society of Kenya

Main objective, To breed boran cattle for quality meat

Kenya Holstein Cattle Breeders Society

With a main objective of breeding a High Milk producer.

Guernsey Cattle Breeders Society of Kenya

Breed Cow Producing High Protein and characteristic butterfat in Milk

Jersey Cattle Breeders Society of Kenya

Objective Breed cow producing milk with high Butter fat and protein

Role of Breed Societies1. Organize and encourage farmers

keeping a given breed of livestock into a breed Society.

2. Come up with the breeding rules and Standards of Excellency for the breed.

3. Identify and train their inspec-tors.and Liaise with KLBO for the Registration and recording.

4. To promote the popularity of the breed.

5. To Organize the society’s events like field days. and To Prepare Show catalogues Classes.

6. Identify and follow up on cattle Judging during shows.

7. Follow up with Breed data Evalu-ations in KLBO and LRC

8. Genetic Control. Actively get involved in recruitment of next Generation of bulls at KAGRIK (former CAIS).

9. Hold Annual General Meeting for its Members.

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KENYA LIVESTOCK BREEDERS ORGANIZATION

Our VisionOur vision is to be the best Livestock Registration and Recording cen-ter and bring Livestock registration and recording attain International

standards of excellence.

Our MissionOur mission is to improve Livestock breeding through effective and ef-ficient Livestock Registration and Recording and help farmers, Institu-tions and entrepreneurs reach an international market with our exper-

tise in recording and registration.

‘Owned by farmers, working for farmers’

Kenya Livestock Breeders Organization

P.O Box 478, 20100

Nakuru, Kenya

Phone: +254 51- 2216996, +254 702 251 249

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.klbo.co.ke

kenya livestock breeders organization 2012

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