| dc.description | Bangladesh is an agricultural least developing country. Livestock is one of the major
components of its agricultural output which plays a vital role in national economy. In 2013,
the contribution of livestock sub-sector to the GDP was 2.95%, which was estimated about
17.3% GDP to agriculture (DLS, 2014). About 36% of the total animal protein comes from
the livestock products in our every day life and 25% peoples are directly engaged in livestock
sector, and 50% peoples are partly associated with livestock production (DLS, 2014). | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The present investigation was undertaken to study the morphometric, productive and
reproductive characteristics of Dwarf cattle available in Dinajpur District. The data obtained
from 200 Dwarf cattle of different categories (yearling bull, adult bull, heifer, cow, male calf
and female calf). A wide variety of coat colors among the cattle of the selected areas were
found. Out of 200 cattle 54.5, 13.5, 12.0, 20.0 and 4.0% were red, black, white and brown
coat color, respectively. The body is small, compact and less fleshy. The head length and
width ranges from 20.9, 9.21 cm in male calves and 39.6, 15.9 cm in adult bulls. The ear
length and width ranges from 11.5, 7.29 cm in male calves to 17.7, 10.6 cm in adult bulls.
The horn length and diameter were 3.25, 8.67 cm in yearling bulls and 5.74, 8.21 cm in cows.
The neck length and width were 19.4, 20.6 cm in male calves to 40.9, 37.6 cm in adult bulls.
The body lengths were 49.8 cm in male calves and 89.7 cm in cows. The wither height were
63.1 cm in male calves and 92.2 cm in cows. The heart girth were 67.4 cm in male calves and
120.3 cm in cows. The fore leg and hind leg length were 37.8, 41.7 cm in female calves to
56.3, 60.5 cm in cows. The tail length and diameter were 35.8, 7.83 cm in female calves to
79.2, 12.7 cm in adult bulls. The average teat length and diameter was 3.25, 4.88 cm in
heifers and 4.37, 5.20 cm in cows. The distance between fore teats and rear teats were 5.88,
4.0 cm in heifers and 5.71, 4.28 cm in cows. The length and width of testis was 15.7, 11.1 cm
in yearling bulls and 16.6, 11.6 cm in adult bulls. The average weight of testis was 104.1 g in
yearling bulls and 110.6 g in adult bulls. The live weight were 21.7 kg in male calves and
120.8 kg in cows. The daily milk yield of Dwarf cows was 1.70 liters per day. The lactation
length, gestation length, calving interval, dry period and post partum heat period were 240.0,
275.8, 408.6, 190 and 110.6 days, respectively. The age at first heat was 19.1 month and
service per conception was 1.62. The most important feature about Dwarf cattle was its
adaptability to harsh environment of Dinajpur District. It could survive in high and cold
temperature of North Bengal. The cattle were highly disease resistant. The Dwarf cattle in
Dinajpur District are comparatively smaller in size than most of the recognized breeds or
types of cattle, however coat color showed sizeable variation. The data generated for Dwarf
cattle in Dinajpur District would be useful to characterize them. | en_US |
