Control measures adopted:

The department being sensitive to the losses that occurred during the previous year's took appropriate measures during 2011 and the flocks in the risk areas were given strategic drenching of oxyclozanide and closantal during the months of September and October and then Triclabandazole @ 10mg/kg body wt. every three weeks during November and December in the high risk villages where deaths due to the disease had previously occurred. Flocks in the area were also given MCC vaccine. Farmers were also sensitised and advised to improve the plan of nutrition during winter months and both morbidity and mortality drastically reduced during the season.

ASSESSMENT OF GROWTH IN PURCHASED RAMS OF DISTRICT SRINAGAR

Dr. Andleeb Rafiq   

Technical Officer

District Sheep Husbandry Office, Srinagar

District Srinagar, which is spread over an area of 293 sq. kms is about 80% urbanized with very little agriculture and allied activities. Out of a total of 136 villages in the peripheries, sheep rearing is practiced in about 110 villages with farmers having average holding of 30-40 sheep. Sheep have multi-faceted utility including meat, wool, skin, manure, and to some extent milk & transport and thus helps it to play an important role in the agrarian economy. District Srinagar has an important history as the cross breeding programme in the state has started from the Zakura area of Srinagar and this area has always been rich in sheep farming and some prominent sheep farmers have been from this area. The cross breed sheep population in the district is almost 100% percent and the Departmental activities including further upgradation of the flocks in terms of mutton and wool growth are continuing. Since the flocks in Srinagar are quite superior in terms of productivity than the rams from the Departmental farms, the Department as its one of the most important programmes provides the flocks with good quality rams for genetic improvement and up gradation of the flocks. The Department has in absence of any foreign importation of rams in the recent past and least likely to be in near future, developed a policy of introducing "elite" or the best amongst the best Rams obtained from the local gene pool into the flocks. These elite rams with phenotypic characteristics of quick growth without compromising on the wool quality are identified, selected and purchased from local sheep farmers on encouraging and good remunerative prices and kept under local conditions with the flocks.
In District Srinagar, the purchase and use of such rams started during December, 2009 when 12 rams were purchased upto March, 2010 under Centrally Sponsored scheme RKVY. Out of the 12 Rams, 8 were Milk tooth (age group of 11-14 months) and 4 Ram were two teeth (age group of 18-21 months).
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of purchase was:
Mean body weight of MT Rams =40.8 kgs
Maximum body weight =49 kgs
Minimum body weight =36 kgs
Mean body weight of 2T Rams =46.66 kgs
Maximum body weight =49 kgs
Minimum body weight =43 Kgs
 
During the month of November 2010, 26 more rams were purchased under another Centrally Sponsored Scheme, SWIS and were put in the field for breeding. 12 rams purchased were milk tooth (MT) and rest 14 rams were two teeth (2T), age group of 18-22 months.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of purchase:
Mean body weight of 12 MT Rams =36.8 kgs
Maximum body weight = 43 kgs
Minimum body weight = 33 kgs
Mean body weight of 14 2T Rams = 47.90 kgs
Maximum body weight = 64 kgs
Minimum body weight = 41 kgs

Furthermore, during the month of October 2011, 15 more rams were purchased under RKVY and 5 rams under SWIS and again put in the field for the purpose of breeding. 6 rams purchased were MT, 5 rams were 2T, and out of the remaining 4 rams, 2 were 4T and 1 ram was 6T.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of purchase:
Mean body weight of 6 MT Rams =55.25 kgs
Maximum body weight =67 kgs
Minimum body weight =40 kgs
Mean body weight of 14 2T Rams =60 kgs
Maximum body weight =63 kgs
Minimum body weight =58 kgs

In September 2012, 9 rams were purchased again under RKVY; out of which 1 ram was MT and rest 8 rams were 2T.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of purchase:
Body weight of one MT Ram =50 kgs
Mean body weight of 8 2T Rams =51.75 kgs
Maximum body weight =57 kgs
Minimum body weight =50 kgs

All the purchased animals were kept with the local flocks in field conditions doing unrestricted breeding, shifted to high land pastures mostly in the Sonamarg sector during summer months and adjusted with breeders during winter months of 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The farmers during winter months feed the livestock with fodder mostly straws and hay, tree toppings and concentrates mostly wheat bran and rice bran in very little quantities.
The body weight (in kgs) of all these rams was recorded in the following intervals for the assessment of growth and the statistics as under:
 

OBSERVATIONS ON GROWTH OF RAMS FOR A PERIOD 24 MONTHS

OBSERVATIONS OF GROWTH OF RAMS FOR A PERIOD OF 12 MONTHS

OVERALL OBSERVATIONS

The data reveals that the overall body weight has shown an increasing trend in both the categories of rams i.e. rams purchased as milk tooth as well as those purchased as two teeth. The body weight recording in Milk tooth rams for a period of 36 months has shown an overall gain of +8.2 kgs and with substantial increase of 6 kgs in maximum body weight and a 8 kgs gain in the minimum body weight. Similarly, recordings of 23-24 months period have shown an overall gain of +7.07 kgs in the body weight in Milk tooth rams with maximum body weight showing a gain of 2 kgs and the minimum body weight showing an increase of 6 kgs, indicating a satisfactory growth pattern of these rams. In case of 11-12 months recording of body weight, there was a growth of 1.17 kgs in Milk tooth rams with a negative gain in the maximum body weight and an increase of 2 kgs in the minimum body weight.

In case of 2T rams, over the period of 36 months, there has been a growth of 1.34 kgs with maximum body weight showing an increase of 1 kg and minimum body weight showing an increase of 4 kgs in weight. In a period of 23-24 months, a growth of 2.28 kgs was recorded with a gain of 6 kgs in maximum body weight and a gain of 2 kgs in the minimum body weight. However, in 11-12 month period, there was a negative growth of 1.35 kgs with a decrease of 9 kgs in the maximum body weight and an increase of 3 kgs in the minimum body weight. The decreases could possibly be attributed to breeding stress as these mature rams were continuously in the flocks during breeding season.

Further, the raw data also revealed that the mortality was more in two teeth rams as compared to the milk tooth rams.

CONCLUSION:

It appears from the study that the animals purchased as MT have grown better during 1st, 2nd and the 3rd year of their purchase as compared to those purchased as 2T during these years. It also appears from the study that animals purchased with less body weight have shown more increase in body weight during the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd year of their purchase probably due to reason that heavier rams might have undergone stress due to more breeding.