Across sectional study was conducted from December 2014 to April 2015 in Dodota and Hitosa woredas and in Colba and Gelan tanneries with the objectives of assessing hide and skin defects. The study was carried out through questionnaire survey and observational study. About 49% of the respondents care for the hide and skin and 75% of them in both woreda uses muddy floor house for their animals to shelter at night. In addition 99% of the respondents from both woreda, replied that, there were no extension services on pre and post slaughter hide and skin quality management. Moreover there is no slaughtering facility in Hitosa woreda. The hide and skin observational study revealed none of hide and skins were free from the defects. The major defects observed on raw hide at collection centers were corduroying (74.1%), flay cut (73.3%), gouge mark (67.4%), dirt (43.3%) and in raw sheep skin higher prevalence of flay cut (31.4%) followed by dirt (26.5%), corduroying (17.5%) and gouge mark (16.8%). Whereas, a higher prevalence of dirt (20.8%) was observed in goat skins followed by flay cut (16.4%), corduroying (14.1%), and remained flesh on skin (10.7%). The prevalence of lice, poor pattern, flay cut, dirt and bruising were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in sheep than goat skins while flesh remnants and poor substance were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in goat than sheep skin. The major defects at the wet blue stage hide were flay cut (59.1%), gouge mark (42.2%), and putrefaction (35.2%). In sheep pickled skin there was higher prevalence of cockle /ekeke (36.9%), gouge mark (28.3%) and scratch (27.0%). Moreover, on wet blue goat skin the result revealed a high prevalence of cockle / ekeke (48.1%), veininess (44.6%) and crack (41.9%). The prevalence of cockle /ekeke, veininess, scar, corduroying, crack, gouge mark, poor pattern and brand mark were significantly higher (P