BREEDING PRACTICES AND MILK PRODUCTION PERFORMANCES OF BUFFALO AT RURAL VILLAGES IN BANGLADESH

A total of 100 buffalo keepers were enumerated at the villages of Noakhali district in Bangladesh to explore knowledge about breeding practices and milk production performance of buffalo. Data were collected using a pre-structured questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 14.0. Most of the buffalo keepers were educated. Herd size was 3 to 330 buffaloes per farmers. Buffaloes grazed for 8 to 12 hours per day and at night took shelter under open sky (91%). Buffaloes of all farmers were grazing on Uri and Bermuda grass in the grazing land. Nearly all (98%) farmers were vaccinating and de-worming of their buffaloes but Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) were the most prevalent diseases. All farmers were keeping Deshi buffalo. The mean age at sexual maturity was 37.49±0.29 months. Lack of breeder buffalo bulls (86%) and buffalo semen (5%) were reported. Most (98%) of the farmers did not take care about in breeding during insemination of buffalo cows. Milk production was 2.29±0.56 liters per cow per day. Live body weight of buffalo cows was 219.64±2.70 kg but the same was 46.67±1.61kg for calves. Body length, circumference and height of the cow were 181.69±0.84 cm, 144.22±0.85 cm and 126.03±1.01 cm, respectively. Milk production was negatively correlated with age and different body measurements of calves. Natural uncontrolled breeding system exercised. Intervention with meritorious dairy buffalo breed and farmers training to aware about inbreeding problems might be helpful to improve buffalo breed for milk production and farmers might be benefited by this way in Bangladesh.