Survey of existing rural feeding practices and nutrient availability to lactating buffaloes in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

In Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, farmers are following traditional feeding practices. Dairy animals are mostly fed on straw based ration. Due to non- availability of balanced ration to dairy animals, productive performance is not up to the level of the satisfaction. Keeping this in view the survey of existing feeding practices in lactating buffaloes was done in the 10 villages around College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Mhow. Eight to twelve farmers from each village were selected randomly and information about herd strength, available feedstuffs, use of mineral-vitamin supplements, daily feed offered and residue left were collected in a questionnaire. Milk yield of individual animal was also recorded. Quantities of feed offered/ residue left and milk yield were verified randomly by weighing through portable digital balance. Milk samples were collected and analysed for fat content, randomly. Body weight of animals was determined from body measurements. The representative sample of each feed ingredient was collected and analyzed for proximate principles, Ca and P. The carotene was calculated from reported values of feedstuffs. Then nutrient (DCP, TDN, Ca, P and Carotene) supply was calculated and compared with standard requirements to work out nutrient excess/deficit. It has been observed that five types of feeding patterns were followed by farmers, out of 104 dairy farmers visited having 347 buffaloes. Animals were fed in stalls two times a day. The available feedstuffs were straws (wheat/ gram/masoor/soybean) uncultivated natural local grass, MP chari, maize fodder, cotton seed cake (un-decorticated), wheat bran and compounded feed. Majority of farmers were feeding mixture of straws (wheat straw + gram straw) + local grasses + cotton seed cake + wheat bran. Very few farmers were supplementing mineral mixture and salt. No farmer is supplementing vitamins. Studies on nutrient availability in different feeding patterns indicated that DCP was excess (4.91 to 28.52%), while TDN (3.28 to 10.93%), phosphorous (18.17 to 43.73%) and carotene (17.90 to 57.54%) were deficient in all five feeding patterns. Calcium was deficient in pattern I (4.16%), II (54.83%) and III (17.16%) and excess in feeding pattern IV (8.03%) and pattern V (65.66%). Ca : P ratios in rations of buffaloes under different feeding pattern ranged between 1.25:1 to 3.55:1 against optimum ratio 1.56 : 1. It was concluded that DCP was moderately high and TDN was marginally deficient while phosphorous and carotene were moderate to highly deficient in the rations of lactating buffaloes of the region. Calcium was deficient in feeding pattern I, II and III and adequate in pattern IV while excess in pattern V.