Caracterização dos sistemas de produção de ovinos e caprinos na microrregião de Castanhal, Pará

Abstract

This work aimed to characterize the production systems of sheep and goats in the microregion of Castanhal -Pará. Between March 2014 and May 2015, 60 sheep and goat breeding properties were visited in themicroregion of Castanhal -PA. Epidemiological questionnaires were applied to obtain data related to the productive, nutritional, health, and reproductive management of the herd, infrastructure, and management of rural properties. Extensive rearing, with continuous grazing, was the most registered type of management and with mineral supplementation only in 46.6% of the interviewed properties. In 93.4% of the farms, the breeder was kept together with the females the whole year, while in only 3.4%, they usedbreeding seasons, and in 3.4%, they did controlled breeding. The diseases reported as the most frequent were: gastrointestinal parasites (90%), foot disorders (80%), lamb mortality (48.4%), caseous lymphadenitis (31.7%), mastitis (25%), and allergic dermatitis (20%). Abortions (10%), respiratory problems (6.7%), nervous disorders (8.4%), keratoconjunctivitis (13.4%), and contagious ecthymawere also reported (13.4%). Cattle breeding was the most registered activity among the studied properties and sheep breeding was a secondary activity. In 88.3% of the properties, the animals selected for slaughter or breeding were not commercialized. The results of this work demonstrated that the level of organization of small ruminant rearing in the studied region was precarious. There were no management techniques and no technical assistance, with high mortality rates, mainly due to gastrointestinal parasites and feet problems.