A comparative study on production parameters of cattle on small holdings in hill and plain region of Bangladesh

Abstract

An observational study was carried out to compare production parameters of cattle on smallholding in hill and plain land of Bangladesh, Data was collected from smallholder cattle farmers of three upazilas- Khagrachari (68 cattle), Pirojpur (79 cattle), Matlob (86 cattle). The result revealed that average herd size was 4 cattle both in hill tract and plain land. In hill tracts there were 7.5 indigenous cattle against 1 cross bred cattle whereas in plain lands the ratio was 0.69 indigenous cattle: 1 cross bred cattle. Mean birth weight of calf in hill and plain land was 10.20kg and 11.40kg, respectively (P=0.0469). Mean body condition score was 3.2 in hill tract and 3.09 in plain land (P=0.0236). The mean daily milk yield was significantly (P=0.0001) higher in plain land (4.97 liter) compared to hill tract (2.39 liter). Average lactation length in hill tract and plain area was 6.9 months and 7.6 months respectively. Mean lactation yield was significantly (P=0.0003) higher in plain lands (795.93 liter) than that of hill tract (2.98.08 liter). Milk production of indigenous cattle and cross bred cattle of hill tract was 1.5 liter and 6.5 liter, respectively. On the other hand, milk production in plain land from indigenous cattle and cross bred cattle was 2.5 liter and 7.5 liter respectively. The production parameters for cattle on smallholdings were better in plain land compared to hill tract.