Studies on the Farmer’s Innovative Technologies for Livestock Production in Bangladesh.
Abstract
The present study was undertaken to investigate the innovative technologies used by farmers for livestock production in Bangladesh. A field survey was conducted on farmers’s innovative techniques on livestock in the Sirajganj, Jashore, and Bandarban districts. For that survey, a total of 220 farmers who traditionally used innovative technologies in the study area were considered. The information was collected by using an interview schedule. Agriculture was the main occupation of the farmers in the study areas, namely Shahjadpur, Sirajganj (70%), Jashore Sadar (67%), and Naikhongchari, Bandarban (60%). In Jashore, Bandarban, and Sirajganj, the cattle possessions were 5.30±1.10, 3.20±0.97, and 11.96±2.11 no./family, respectively. In the case of small ruminants, the average number of goats was 11.20±3.11, 6.32±1.10, and 5.76±1.30, whereas sheep were 3.84±0.68, 3.21±0.97, and 1.77±0.56 no./family in Jashore, Bandarban, and Sirajganj, respectively. According to the general information provided by the farmers, small-scale livestock production systems exist in the study area. The study tries to highlight the list of farmers’s innovative technologies that were used for livestock production. Among the identified innovative technologies, it was found that 63.33%, 23.33%, 10%, and 3.34% were utilised by farmers in the districts of Jashore, Bandarban, Sirajganj & Bandarban, and Sirajganj & Jashore, respectively.
Phenotypic Variabilities in Strain and Sex of Two-Broiler Chickens at Different Ages.
Abstract
Owing to the growing number of animal breed development centers around the world and the profitability of their production, comparative studies to evaluate superior strain and sex performance in breeders became an important endeavour for researchers. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of strain and sex on body weight and linear body morphometric traits of 2-broiler chickens during the starter and finisher phases. Arbor-Acre and Cobb-500 chicks (n=192) were raised under controlled conditions and monitored over a 56-day period. Weekly measurements of body weight and linear body traits were recorded. Data subjected to multivariate analysis using the SPSS package revealed that strain significantly (p<0.05) influenced growth, with Arbor-Acre broilers exhibiting superior body weight performance, particularly during the starter phase, weighing 799.50g compared to 669.11g for Cobb-500. This result implied that selecting for improved growth performance during the starter phase (week four) was an important consideration for breeding farms. However, the sex and age factors, as well as the linear body traits in both strains, yielded similar economic results at 8 weeks. Male broilers consistently outperformed their female counterparts in body morphometric traits during both phases. The sex-based differences observed in this study varied across developmental stages, emphasizing the importance of sexual dimorphism in broiler management. These findings recommended that strain and sex were important factors to consider in optimizing broiler production, providing critical insights for broiler breeders and farmers to enhance production efficiency through strategic selection of strains, sex, and other environmental factors.
