Prevalence of Indigestible Rumen Foreign Bodies in Sheep and Goats at Dagoretti and Kiserian Abattoirs, Kenya

Abstract

The study was carried out on small ruminants slaughtered at the Dagoretti and Kiserian abattoirs in Nairobi and Kajiado Counties, from April to June 2013. The objective was to determine the prevalence and types of indigestible foreign bodies in the rumen of sheep and goats and potential risk factors associated with their occurrence. A total of 1,040 sheep and goats, 520 from each abattoir were examined after selection by systematic random sampling. The sheep were 666 and the goats were 374. Of these, 112 (10.8%) had indigestible foreign bodies in the rumen. Of those with foreign bodies, 67 (10.1%) were sheep and 45 (12%) were goats. A slightly higher prevalence was found in females (12.0%) than males (10.1 %) in both animal species. Prevalence of rumen foreign bodies was higher (17.7%) in 2-3 year old sheep and goats than other age groups. The foreign bodies recovered were plastic bags (72.3%), fruit seeds (8.0%), nylon ropes (4.5%), metals wires (4.5%), clothing (1.8%), stone pebbles (0.9%) and mixture of materials (8.0%). The weight of the foreign bodies recovered from the rumen varied from 0.91g to 2.10kg. Age and body condition were found to be significantly (P<0.05) associated with the occurrence of foreign bodies while breed, sex and location had no association (P>0.05). A prevalence of 10.8% foreign bodies in sheep and goats is due to environmental pollution at the origin of the animals that may adversely affect the overall productivity and production of sheep and goats in Kenya.