FEEDING SYSTEM OF LARGE RUMINANTS IN RURAL BANGLADESH

In order to explore feeding practices of large ruminants and methods followed in the rural areas, an exploratory survey was made during the period from January 1988 to January 1989 in eight different agro-ecological areas of Bangladesh in relation to the existing seasons and farmers' categories. The study shows what feeding practices varied (p<0.01) from area to area and season to season but not with the farmers' category. Considering the overall picture of feeding practices existing in the country, it can be observed that bigger proportion of farmers practiced stall feeding and tethering ($38.4{\pm}35.1$) followed by stall fed ($34.3{\pm}35.2$) and grazing or tethering ($17.3{\pm}26.7$). The figure with wider deviations indicates that farmers in the rural areas did not follow a smooth feeding practice, the system is rather a complex, heterogenous and a mere consequence of existing land use system. The results of feeding methods of by-product concentrates indicate that it also varied (p<0.01) from area to area but however, not with seasons and farmers' category. It is observed that bigger proportion of farmers fed concentrates to their animals mixed with water ($74.1{\pm}30.3$) followed by mixed with roughage and water ($10.3{\pm}13.3$) or fed alone ($5.6{\pm}14.2$). The method like feeding practice is also complex and heterogenous in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Hence, it is needed to develop a strategic feeding system and method identifying the problems associated with those.