Assessment of Feeding Practices of Milch Cows in Kutch District of

Abstract

The survey was conducted in three talukas viz. Mundra, Mandavi and Nakhatrana of Kutchh district, Gujarat to record the present feeding practices followed by the farmers. Multistage Random Sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Two villages were selected from Mandvi taluka named Bag and Bidata, one from Mundra named Lakhpur and one from Nakhatrana named Nirona which were geographically located apart in direction and truly represented the animal husbandry practices of the taluka. In each village, 10 farmers who own dairy animals producing 6-8 kg or more milk per day per animal were selected. The selected farmers were interviewed on the basis of questionnaire developed.

Most of the dairy animal owners keep their animals under stall-fed conditions either at home or at farm within a limited area and also allow free grazing to these animals in fields. The quantity of concentrate (kg/day) fed to cows in different taluka ranged between 4.14 to 5.61 kg/day. The maximum of 5.61 kg/day was recorded in village Nirona. The feeding of green fodders to cows in different talukas ranged between 10.22 and 16.55 kg/day. In villages green fodder feeding to the cows was more than 10 kg /day but less than 17 kg /day. The dry roughage feeding to cows was maximum of 16.11 kg/day. The dry roughage feeding ranged between 8.23 and 16.11 9 kg/day)in cows.  The dry roughage offered to the cows in village Lakhpar, Bag, Bidada and Nirona was recorded as 8.23, 9.55 6.72 and 16.11 kg/day, respectively. In cows surveyed, the concentrate to roughage ratio ranged between 22.68:77.32 and 30.69:69.31. The concentrate feed like cotton seed cake and wheat bran were mixture given separately at the time of milking.

The cows produced daily milk yield  on an average 11.24 to  14.12 kg whole milk and 12.71 to 15.48 kg 4 % FCM. DCP Intake as % of requirement in the cows in entire Kutch district ranged between 99.22 to 115.19 %. The cows of different talukas did not differ significantly. However, the same differed significantly (P≤ 0.01) between villages within talukas. The cows underfed with respect to DCP were 23.57 and 38.23% in village Lakhpar and Bidata, respectively. In villages Lakhpar, Bag, Bidata and Nirona 20.69, 31.76, 16.92 and 30.46% of cows were moderately underfed.

The overall average TDN intake in the cows in the villages ranged between 99.15 and 109.10 of requirement (ICAR, 1998). When the percentage of cows underfed, moderately underfed, adequately fed, moderately overfed and overfed on a scale of 90 to 125 (intake as % of requirement) was worked out, 23.57 and 38.23% of cows in village Lakhpar and Bidada were found to be underfed. In the same villages respectively 20.69 and 16.92% of cows were moderately underfed. In village Bidada 9.26% of cows were overfed. On the basis of this study, it can be concluded that majority of all the milch cows of the areas surveyed in the Kachchh district were being adequately fed in terms of energy and proteins