Feeding and Housing Management Practices of Dairy Animals Followed by Dairy Farmers of North Bihar

Author: Subhash Kumar Saurav, Ritu Chakravarty, Pushpendra Yadav, Saurabh Pandey, Shubham Mishra and Vani Chandran

Download PDF

Abstract

A field study was conducted to get the first hand information about the existing dairy farming practices followed by the dairy farmers of North Bihar. The information about feeding and housing management practices was collected using a semi structured interview schedule from 180 respondents having at least 5 year experience in dairy farming and at least one animal in milk. Group stall feeding, common salt feeding were done by the majority of the respondents, and 79 per cent of the dairy farmers self-cultivated the green fodder. Only 23.89 per cent of the respondents fed mineral mixture to the lactating animals. In the housing management, the majority of the respondents had kaccha animal houses, had kaccha floors, and arranged smoke in the vicinity of animals to protect them from mosquitoes and flies. Majority of animal houses had good ventilation, optimum size, thatched roof and drainage channel was not there in majority of the animal houses. It was observed that the dairy farmers were unaware of the importance of concentrate mixture, balanced feeding, and proper housing management practices. In view of this fact, the study contributed in awareness of farmers regarding the importance of proper feeding and housing practices.

Keywords

North Bihar, dairy animals, dairy farming, feeding, housing management

Conclusion

The present study revealed that dairy farmers were unaware of the importance of concentrate mixtures, and balanced feeding, and dairy animals were fed twice on average. Group stall feeding was the most common method of feeding. The majority of respondents fed common salt to their dairy animals. Wheat straw was the most common dry fodder, and animals were watered twice by the majority of the respondents. The majority of the respondents provided kaccha houses and kaccha floors to the animals in the shed. The arrangement of smoke for the protection of animals from mosquitoes and flies was done by the majority of the respondents. Good ventilation, the optimal size of animal houses, and proper light provision were provided by the majority of the respondents. Extension efforts in the study area need to be strengthened to increase awareness among farmers regarding improved animal feeding practices and animal housing management.

References

-

How to cite this article

Subhash Kumar Saurav, Ritu Chakravarty, Pushpendra Yadav, Saurabh Pandey, Shubham Mishra and Vani Chandran (2023). Feeding and Housing Management Practices of Dairy Animals Followed by Dairy Farmers of North Bihar. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(1): 69-74.