DRY MATTER CONTENT OF FODDER RESOURCES USED BY DAIRY FARMERS’ GROUP IN WEST-CENTRAL BHUTAN

Abstract

The study objective was to evaluate nutrient and Dry Matter (DM) content of available fodder resources utilized by Dairy Farmers’ Groups(DFG) in the west-central region. Two DFGs were randomly selected from each district in the region. Samples of available fodders were collected from DFGs. The available fodder resources, including local grasses, improved pasture and the fodder trees were listed. The samples were collected in early spring during the month of March and April in 2017 when fodder plants were flushing and tender. Hundred and ten fodder samples were collected and dried in the laboratory for DM analysis. Secondary data were collected from farmers. The results indicated that farmers used maximum of 41.61% fodder trees as source of fodder to feed their dairy cattle. The mean DM content of available fodder differed significantly. The maximum DM content of 27.68% was in tree fodders and minimum DM content of 19.60% in improved pasture. Overall, the Dry Matter Intake (DMI) of dairy cattle was 8.46 kg, which indicated that the requirement is within the range required by a dairy cow in the region, taking into consideration the average live weight of cattle as 300 kg. The findings of this study on the available fodder resources and the DMI of dairy cattle in the west-central region revealed that there are adequate fodder resources available to meet the DM requirement of dairy cattle.