Beef cattle production in Bangladesh - a review
2003
Baset, M.A. (Veterinary Coll., Sylhet (Bangladesh)) | Rahman, M.M. | Islam, M.S. | Ara, A. | Kabir, A.S.M.
A large number of farmers involved in bull fattening just before 3 or 4 months of Eid-ul-Azha (Muslim festival), when they sell the animals with profitable prices. Cattle fattening for beef production have become an important business of the small farmers in Bangladesh. In few areas of Bangladesh a small scale commercial beef fattening program has already been started. Straw is the important crop residue; contribute the major portion of the fibrous part of the diet of the beef cattle. Rice straw is the basal feed for ruminants with low nutritive value and low digestibility. Farmers use rice straw of traditional varieties, green grass, sugarcane tops, wheat and rice bran, molasses, pulse bran and locally available resources such as pumpkin, carrot, banana, vegetable by products, rice gruel, boiled rice bran, oil cakes etc for beef fattening. The chemical treatment of straw is the most effective and economic method to improving the quality. Straw is mainly treated with urea and molasses and in some cases chemical treatment also done by the farmers. Urea molasses straw treatment in beef cattle resulted higher body weight, dressing percentage and also in better carcass quality than untreated straw. The acute shortage of feeds and fodder has long been identified as a serious constraint to optimum livestock production in Bangladesh. The nutritional factor is considered a major constraint to livestock productivity. Traditional grazing field is scarce except in some pockets in Pabna and Sylhet districts. Farmers used three years old cattle for beef fattening and maximum growth rate between 1.1 to 1.4 years of age. Cattle fattening period is 4.5 months in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by National Agricultural Research Centre