Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted in order to gather data on animal production and health of traditional cattle farmers in the Monze district of Zambia. After stratifying areas by grazing patterns, a two-stage cluster sampling method was used to randomly select areas and farms. The survey started from February and ended in June 1998 and a total of eight areas and 125 farms were included in the study. An average cattle herd size was 24, cows having the highest proportion (48 %), followed by oxen (18 %), calves (18 %), heifers (14 %) and bulls (3 %) . Twenty-two percent of farmers took their cattle to the Kafue Flats for grazing in the dry season. About 70 % attempted to control ticks. The average general and calf mortality rates were both 32 %. Corridor disease could be the main reason for such high mortality rates. General fertility, offtake and intake rates on average were 57 %, 13 % and 2 %, respectively.
