The rearing system of Black Bengal Goat and their farmers in West Bengal , India

Bengal Goat is a precious germplasm of West Bengal. Mostly the women (91.3%) of the farming families in West Bengal rear goat. Goat rearing is a subsidiary income source to rural poor along with agriculture. In majority of cases the flock size ranges from 1 to 4 (56%). Male female ratio in adult flock is observed as 1:8 in field condition. The animals are mostly housed along with residential housing (67.1%); houses are mostly kachha type (82.63%) with earthen floor (86.47%) and straw roof (91.33%). All most all the farmers used to graze their goats for feeding. Ponds water is the major source for drinking water (58.14%) of goats. Black Bengal Goats have natural resistant power to many diseases but are vulnerable to cold, water logging situation, diarrhoea, ecto and entro parasitic infestation and respiratory diseases. Under field condition mortality rate is 9.63%.


Bangladesh.
In West Bengal small marginal and landless rural India has a vast reserve of goat with around 15% farmers traditionally rear goat.They generally follow nd of world population (807million) to rank 2 in the the extensive management system, primarily with World (FAO STAT, 2005).The state of West Bengal poor natural vegetation and crop stubbles, without any ranks first (15.07 million) in India (123 million) supplementation.By virtue of their higher fecundity (Annual Report, 2007-08, Govt. of West Bengal) and and better productivity, goat assured income to the possesses a valuable genetic resource of dwarf Goats, rural population with low input cost in diverse agroknown as Black Bengal Goat (Syn.Bengal Goat).climatic conditions.Evidence from population structure and novel In consideration to the above, a study was lineages in Indian goats suggested domestication conducted to evaluate the social status of the Bengal started 10,000 years ago (Manjunath B. et.al) Floor is found to be earthen kachcha, brick finished or backward community (OBC).cemented in 86.47%, 11.20% and 2.33% cases B. Sex: Women play major role (91.3%) in the rearing respectively.In 91.33% goat houses, paddy straws are of adult as well as young kids.However, the male used as the roofing material.In 7.2% houses earthen members of the family used to sell or market the tiles and in 0.84 % houses tin and other materials were animals.Almost 100% role is being played by the up to age of 12 month, the ratio of male to female goats C. Grazing: The Bengal Goats collect their feeding is almost 1:1.But the proportion of males sharply requirements by grazing and foraging on natural declined after 1 year of age and it was only 1:88.Most vegetation in pasture land and even in river banks of of the castrated male goats are sold at the age of 9 to 12 costal region.From the survey data it was found that months.100% of the goats were reared through grazing.Of this C. Disease Prevalence and Mortality: Black 96.6% farmers allow grazing their goats from morning Bengal Goats reared in free ranged condition are to noon.Very few farmers allow animals to graze usually not suffered from major disease problem for separately in morning and afternoon with a sort rest at their high disease resilience capability.The breed is noon.During critical period, 2% of the farmers mainly vulnerable to rain water and water logging conditions.use mineral mixture and concentrate feed along with Incidences of various clinical manifestations like tree leaves and tree tops.diarrhoea, fever, respiratory distress, ectoparasitic D. Tethering: About 39.77% of small flock holders infestation, alopecia are common in the breed.Their use to rear goats by tethering where facilities for occurrences are presented in Table -5.grazing are limited.This simple device has made Mortality under field condition following possible of keeping goats out-of-doors and at the same extensive or semi intensive management system is time on a limited area.

III. Flock Information
around 9.63%.This result is comparable with the A. Flock Size: Bengal goats are non-migratory in findings of All India Coordinated Research Project on nature.They are reared in small flocks following Goat Improvement, Black Bengal Field Unit where partial or extensive grazing management system.mortality ranges from 4.98 to 10.72% (Annual Report, Intensifi-cation of cash crop production minimized the 2009-10, AICRP on Goat Improvement).The availability of green production resulting in reduction resistance of animal against various diseases varies of flock size under individual holding.Majority of the differently.This depends on their resistant patterns;

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The Goat rearers and their native rearing practices in rural goats of hircus species reached undivided Indian part of West Bengal.This will support in development subcontinent from the Western Asia by North Western of strategic improvement policies and necessary and North Eastern routes between 7500-7000 B.C. facilities for future betterment of the farmers.However, history of origin of the Bengal breed (Syn.Black Bengal Goat) is inadequate.It is believed that Material and Methods this breed is domesticated with early human A total of 3000 families and 8750 Black Bengal colonizers to its breeding tract.The early goats must goats were surveyed in different districts of West have undergone a long adaptation to local ecology and Bengal with following geographical locations.have taken the present shape of Bengal Goat.
Main occupation, and Annual feeding of goats.However, child members play certain income are collected by participatory method.Module role (20%) in grazing and kid rearing.Breeding of the -II is designed to collect data on System of Goat does are mostly arrange by male member (65%), while rearing by gathering information on system of parturition was attended by the female members.housing, grazing, drinking, tethering and sale pattern.C. Educational Status: Maximum goat farmers are The last Module (module-III) is designed to collect illiterate in both sexes.The educational status has been classified in Table -1.Male (66.28%) farmers are more information of goat flock and data pertaining to flock literate than the female (52.39%) farmers.size, Male to female ratio, morbidity & mortality and D. Main Occupation: Goat farming is much popular annual production trends in terms of litter size, sale amongst the landless, small & marginal farmers age and sale weight were collected and the Results husbandry.E. Annual Income: As depicted in Table -1I.

are presented in Table -1.
Analysis of the data revealed that the goat II.
than Rs.20 thousands per year.A. Caste:

Table - 1. Socio Economics of Black Bengal Goat Farmers.
The rearing system of Black Bengal Goat and their farmers in West Bengal, India Goats are among the most efficient domestic animals in the use of water just nextPoor landless or marginal farmers use to rear goat on the basis of sharing of kids (50:50) with other to Camel.Pond water as the source of drinking water farmers.Men often migrate for work while women for goats is found to be very common (59.13%) and in and children take care of this small docile breed.only 23.23 % cases farmers used water from well and used.Regarding location of housing, 67.1% farmers goat farmers maintained a flock size of 1 to 4 goats keep their goats within their own house, 32.9% (56%).Of course, quite a good number of farmers also farmers use separate house adjacent to that of the maintained the flock varying from 5 to 8 goats (33%).However, flock sizes of more than 8 goats are very farmer house.limited(11%)(Table-3).B. Drinking Water: B. Male to female ratio: It is observed that (Table -4) 17.64% from tube well.

Table - 2. Goat housing and feeding system this
The rearing system of Black Bengal Goat and their farmers in West Bengal, India can be quantified in terms of recovery rate create the necessary facilities of improved practices in observed as 42.6% and 77.7% for up to 1 month age goat keeping.The adoption of a specific practice is not and 1 to 8 months age respectively.Above 8 month age the result of a single decision to act but series of actions recovery rate is found to be 65.5%.andmeaningfuldecisions, which can only be taken after judging the present scenario and there lies theConclusionimportance of the present study.In West Bengal about 72% of the population