Black Bengal Field Unit, Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi-Jharkhand

Principal Investigator:

Dr. L.B. Singh, Professor (AG&B)

Activity assigned and targets fixed for each activity during the period

Apart from implemention of technical programme the unit was assigned the duty of field performance recoding at four clusters established at Deoghar, East Singhbhum, Ranchi and Lohardaga districts.

Activity carried out during the period

This is one of the unique two units under AICRP on Goat Improvement having adopted farmers under Tribal Sub Plan. Due to this unit, the tribal farmers are being benefitted and their capacity is enhanced. The Unit is to do genetic improvement of tribal area Black Bengal goats through section based on performance recording. Work done and achievements are discussed below.

1. A new village Tiko having 194 does in Lohardaga district was adopted in October 2013.  Thus this unit is now working in all four centres namely Palajori (Deoghar district), Beko (East Singhbhum district), Chamguru (Ranchi district) and Tiko (Lohardaga district) having around 1042 does in coverage areas.
2.  21 elite bucks and 8 does on the basis of growth and multiple births were selected and purchased to establish the elite Black Bengal seed at the university farm. Out of these purchased bucks 8 bucks distributed at new centre i.e. Tiko village of Lohardaga district for breeding and improvement purposes.
3.   Selection differential was estimated to be 4.02 kg in males at 9-month of age than the previous year estimated as 3.39 kg.
4. The mortality in adult goats and kids were reduced up to 93.07% in the farmer’s flock. 
5. Health measure was under taken as vaccination (PPR, ET, Goat Pox), dipping, drenching and treatment of sick animals in the coverage areas as required.
6. Goat feed prepared by our university and Mineral mixture were distributed among the farmers which encouraged the farmers to keep the elite and large flock size of Black Bengal goats. 
7. Two training programmes on goat husbandry was organized at Goat farm of Ranchi Veterinary College, BAU, in which 26 goat farmers from different four centres participated and benefited by learning by doing on scientific goat rearing.                                                                                                   

Detailed Achievements

All India Coordinated Research Project on Goat breeding for meat production of was started at Ranchi Veterinary College, Ranchi during Vth five year plan in November, 1976 as Chotanagpur unit. This unit is again started in XI Five Year Plan in the year 2009. Black Bengal is the only recognized breed of goat found in Jharkhand. A total of 29 buck (on the basis if growth and multiple birth) were selected from three different centers and distributed among the farmers for breeding and improvement purposes. The selected bucks have been exchanged from one centre to others to avoid inbreeding.

Flock Statistics

Table 1: Flock Statistics of Black Bengal Goats at Different Centres
(01.04.2013 to 31.03.2014)

Body Weight

            The overall means of body weights recorded at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12th month of age were 1.21±0.03, 5.86±0.04, 8.90±0.06, 11.22±0.07 and 13.40±0.08 kg, respectively. Significant effect of sex was observed on body weights at all stage except birth weight in Black Bengal kids. Seasons of birth were significant effect on body weights at all stages.  Kids born during winter season were significantly heavier (1.25±0.03 kg) at birth than those born during summer (1.19±0.04 kg) and mansoon (1.16±0.04 kg).  This could be probably due to availability of better quality of green fodder during post monsoon and winter season to does in gestation as majority of winter kidding occurred in the month of February (Table 2).

Table 2: Body weight at different stage of growth (2013-14)

Table 2: Body weight (kg) of kids at various stages of growth at different centers

Reproduction

The reproductive performance of Black Bengal goats is shown in Table 3. The overall reproductive parameters of Black Bengal goats viz. age at first mating, body weight at first mating, age at first kidding, weight at first kidding, service period, kidding interval and gestation period were 270.43 ± 1.84 days, 10.48 ± 0.64 kg, 420.92 ± 1.19 days, 11.58 ± 0.35 kg, 68.21 ± 2.06 days, 217.72 ±2.41 days and 146.27 ± 0.81 days , respectively.
 Table 3: Reproductive Parameters of Black Bengal Goats (2013-14)

Distribution of Bucks

A total of 29 buck (on the basis of growth and multiple birth) were selected from three different centres and distributed among the farmers for breeding and improvement purposes. The selected bucks have been exchanged from one centre to others to avoid inbreeding. The selection differential for body weight at 9 month of age was 4.02 kg (Table 4).

Table 4: Selection differential of selected males at 9 Month of age (2013-14)

Disease Prevalence

Health management of Black Bengal goats in the form of prophylactic and curative measure was provided to the animals in selected villages of Jamshedpur, Deoghar and Ranchi districts. The detail of prophylactic treatments has been summarized in Table 5.
Table 5: Prophylactic Measures in Black Bengal Goats

Human Resource Development

            A training programme on scientific goat husbandry was organized on 19-21 November, 2013 at Instructional Small Ruminant Farm, Ranchi Veterinary College.  26 farmers from all three centres participated in the training programme.  In this two days training programme farmers were educated for scientific breeding, feeding and management aspects. They are also being trained for first aid para-vet aspect to take care of their animals.

Gaps/constraints/shortfalls/excess and reasons thereof, if any

Nil

PC’s evaluation: Very Good (A) Good (B) poor (C)

------------------Very Good (A) -----------------

Future programme identifying the activities, timeline and targets for each of the activity

Performance recoding will be carried out at four clusters established at Deoghar, East Singhbhum, Ranchi and Lohardaga districts.

Remarks

The unit has been doing good work in tribal area in Jharkhand state.