Advance Feeding Practice and Synchronous Factors of Cattle Fattening Under Small Scale Farming System During the Eid-al-Adha in Comilla District, Bangladesh

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to investigate the use of pharmaceuticals products, advance feed and synchronous factors associated with cattle fattening programs small scale rural farmers at three Upazila (Burichang, Bramnpara and Sadr-Dakhin) in Comilla district of Bangladesh through the field survey. Data were collected from randomly selected farmers (N=100) have been involved in small scale fattening, through personal interview during the period from July to September, 2016. Parameters studied were factors associated with cattle fattening, most available drugs, advanced feeding practiced and problems of cattle fattening. In this study, 52% farmers use separate house and 72% use confined rearing system for cattle fattening. About 92% farmers had bulls and 70% with an average of 1-3 animals for fattening. Fattening for a period of 3 months and 6 months were reported by 72% and 17% farmers respectively, and 46% farmer use Deshi cattle (non descriptive) for fattening. About 86% farmer dewormed their cattle before fattening and 76% farmer practiced vaccination; however, only 31% farmers took help from veterinarian for treatment of their cattle. Digestive and metabolic stimulants were used by 78% and 61% farmers, whereas 24% farmers use steroid, but 96% farmers did not use any hormones for fattening. Urea molasses straw (UMS) and molasses treated straw (MTS) were used by 15% and 41% farmers; conversely 98% farmers used concentrated feed whereas 76% farmers used cooked rice for fattening. The main problem in adopting cattle fattening was price fluctuation of cattle (14.60%) during marketing and high cost of feed (13.65%). The results of this study will be useful for farmers and researchers to identify the overall problems and abuse of different groups of drugs especially steroid in small scale cattle fattening practices in Bangladesh.