INVESTIGATIONS INTO TRADITIONALLY MANAGED DJALLONKE SHEEP PRODUCTION IN THE HUMID AND SUBHUMID ZONES OF ASANTE, GHANA .2. REPRODUCTIVE EVENTS AND PROLIFICACY

Sheep is the only trypanotolerant small ruminant livestock without any religous taboo that is kept in every settlement in the country. Most sheep are owned by small-scale farmers, as they are a dependable sourc e of food and a ready producer of extra income. Accordingly, the study region is endowed with a variety of grasses, sedges and shrubs (zero- input) providing important sources of nutrients for the livestock, how ever the potential of this flora has not been fully exploited. Large v olumes of frozen meat are imported to feed the people of the country w ho suffers acute and chronic protein deficiency; therefore, considerab le sums of hard currency are spent to make up for this vast shortfall. Very few studies exist (CAPPS et al. 1979; ASARE and WILSON 1985) on sheep husbandary under small-holder farming over 12 months. Against th is background, the studies were aimed at assembling data on productive and reproductive traits as a basis for estimating flocks' performance and to unravel the interplay of the factors which compel the adoption of the present rather defective sheep-production system. The results should help in identifying the strong points and weaknesses of the var ious factors which should contribute to the recommendations for optimi zing the farmers' productivity.