PRESENT STATUS OF SMALL HOLDER DAIRY FARMS IN DINAJPUR DISTRICT

Abstract

The present study was assigned to determine the present status including general information, feeding, breeding, housing, milking, health management, factors related with milk production and problems faced by dairy farmers and overall make recommendation for the development of small scale dairy farms. The empirical data were collected by using pretested questionnaire. The study was conducted at 5 Upazilla’s in Dinajpur District for six months on hundred small dairy owners. Higher percentage of farm owner education was found High school level (29%). It was observed that 19 percent farm owner’s were illiterate and rest were educated. Among the total farmer's only 38 percent choose dairy as main business and rest 62 percent are engaged with side business. The 94 percent farmers had herd size of 3-5 cows and 71 percent farmers reared their cows in semi-intensive system. Hygienic management of houses are done only by 43 percent farmers and rest 57 percent farmers did not manage their cows shed hygienically. It was observed that 17 percent farmers did not use any protein and fat sources in the ration but 100 percent farmers used different types of carbohydrate concentrate feeds, grass, straw and tree leaves as feeds. Most of the farmers 76 percent used vitamin and mineral as supplement and only 10 percent farmers used treated roughage. Only 52 percent farmers maintain the udder management hygienically and washed udder before milking. Only 40 percent farmers used artificial insemination, 16 percent used natural breeding and 44 percent used both natural and Al. Daily average milk yield/cow was 4.27+0.40 and 1.78+0.25 liters for a crossbred and indigenous dairy cow, respectively and the milk production was significantly (p<0.01) higher in cross bred than the indigenous cows. Milk production was significantly (p<0.05) higher in adult age and moderate parity (6.31+2.39 liter daily per cow) than young adult and few parity (5.25+1.98 liter daily per cow) and old age and many parity (5.90+2.41 liter daily per cow). Milk production was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the farms that milked cows twice daily (2.05+1.06 liter daily per cow) than the farms that milked cows once (1.05+0.47 liter daily per cow). Milk production was also higher in that farm that gave concentrate twice or more (2.09+0.21 liter daily per cow) than those farms feed concentrate once daily (0.95+0.15 liter daily per cow). Incase of small dairy farming, the farms were facing a lot of problems such as scarcity of feeds and fodder, high price of concentrate and lack of technical knowledge. Although the dairy cow owners face problems, the study observed that there were potentials particularly for the small dairy farmers.