Study on the on-Farm Post-Natal Nutritional Status of Red Chittagong Cows in Selected Breeding Habitat of Satkania Upazila of Chittagong District of Bangladesh

The aim of the on farm feeding trials was to investigate the post-natal nutritional status of Red Chittagong (RC) cows. Farmers who had at least one post-natal RC cow were involved in this study. A total of ten farmers were randomly selected. The study was carried out in Satkania Upazila of Chittagong district of Bangladesh for a period of six months from July 2010 to December 2010. Immediately after calving ten post-natal RC cows from each of 10 farmers between 2 and 3 parities were selected in this experiment. The offered feeds and leftover feeds were weighted and recorded daily. The cows and calves were weighed individually at weekly interval by using portable digital weighing balance and recorded. The milking was done by hand milking. The milk yield of ten cows was measured immediately after milking and recorded regularly. The milk yield in morning and afternoon were considered as daily milk yield in kg. The average total dry matter, metabolizable energy and crude protein intake were 3.53 kg, 27.56 MJ and 281 g per cow per day, respectively, whereas, the average total DM, ME and CP requirements were 5.11 kg, 39.88 MJ and 465g, per cow per day, respectively. The requirement was higher than the intake. The DM, ME and CP were deficit by 1.58 kg, 12.32 MJ and 184 g per cow per day, respectively. The average daily live weight loss of cows was 12 g. The average daily milk yield of RC cows was 2.45 kg. The milk fat was 4.15 g per 100g milk. The nutritional status of post-natal Red Chittagong cows was negative balance. Consequently, their production performances are affected. Therefore, the farmers feeding system is urgent to improve.