Deer Farming

Deer Farming

Dear Farming

Deer farming has been well established for a century or more in the Far East. However, it is a new enterprise elsewhere which during recent years has been increasingly accepted as an economically promising industry. New species have been successfully tried and farming techniques are becoming more sophisticated. Many deer farms are, however, improperly run because either the owners or managers are not up-to-date with deer husbandry methods, or they lack relevant knowledge of the biology of the species concerned. The deer family (Cervidae) has almost a world-wide distribution, having been introduced into Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and some other, smaller islands. They do not occur in Africa south of the Sahara. The normal dentition of all deer is either 32 or 34 teeth. Canines are present in the lower jaw of all species and in the upper jaw of red deer, wapiti and musk deer. Grinding teeth consist of three molars and three premolars, top and bottom, on each side of the jaw. All deer have six incisors and two lower canines at birth, which are milk teeth. All deer are four-toed; the two middle toes make up a cloven hoof. The stomach is four-chambered and ruminating. A gall bladder is absent, except in musk deer. All deer possess facial glands situated in front of the eye which discharge a strong-smelling secretion.

Deer At ASI, NARC

By “deer farming” is meant the husband ring of deer populations for the production of deer meat and by-products - including hides, velvet, antlers and musk, - on a commercial basis. Although deer farming is not aimed at the protection of endangered species, nevertheless among the 27 deer species and subspecies which are considered threatened by extinction, there are two which have been maintained on farms, namely the Himalayan musk deer and the Formosa sika. In other words, deer farming can and does play a role in wildlife conservation.
 

In future, deer farms could play an important role in rural land use planning, because they can be established as economically viable units on land that is presently marginal to conventional live-stock farming operations or other types of land use. This is one reason why deer farming could be relevant in developing countries, where the development of this industry seems feasible.
 

Keeping in view this scenario, PARC has taken a lead to introduce deer farming in Pakistan. It has started a small scale Deer Farm at NARC to study feeding, breeding and other behavioral parameters of keeping different deer species in captivity. Necessary facilities and other infrastructure has been established and a few deer have been shifted to the Farm. This effort is anticipated to open new vistas of deer research and development in the country for meat hides, velvet, antlers and musk production.

 

Control of Foot & Mouth Diseases

Control of Foot & Mouth Diseases

Progressive Control of Foot & Mouth Disease through vaccine production in Pakistan
Pakistan is endowed with a large livestock population. The national herd (2009-2010) consists of 33.0 m cattle, 29.9 m buffaloes, 27.4 m sheep, 58.3 m goats and 1.0 m camels. Productivity of livestock in Pakistan is generally low. One of the main reasons of low productivity is frequent occurrence of infectious diseases particularly FMD. FMD was reported in animals in pre-partition India and disease has been seen since independence in Pakistan. The disease was usually seen as a mild febrile infection with mild lesions in cattle and buffaloes with a seasonal pattern (usually wheat harvest time or change of weather) up to early 1970s. Now the disease is endemic and wide spread in Pakistan and occurs through out the year. FMD is currently the most common infectious disease of livestock in the country.
 

Participatory Disease Search studies carried out for the confirmation of Rinderpest eradication in 2002-2005 showed wide spread prevalence of FMD in the country. Prevalence rate in different districts of Punjab ranged from 10 to 54 %, in Sindh from 12.1 % to 33.8 %, in NWFP from 19.4 % to 37.3 %, in Balochistan from 2.5 % to 70.0 %, in Azad Jammu & Kashmir 6.6 % to 30.7 % and in Islamabad Capital Territory 25.5 %. Another study reported average prevalence rate of FMD as 25.1 % in Punjab, 24.6 % in Sindh, 18.2 % in NWFP, 17.6 % in Balochistan, 12.3 % in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and 10.2 % in Northern Areas. FMD study in 12 villages of Chichawatni (district Sahiwal) reported higher morbidity and mortality losses in buffaloes and young stock. Morbidity and mortality rates in these villages were 53.2% and 15.3 % in cattle and 61.7% and 20.8 % in buffaloes, respectively.
 

Control of FMD is not only necessary for reducing economic losses due to the disease, but is also vital for increasing livestock productivity. It has direct relationship to the poverty reduction particularly in the rural areas (where poverty is relatively more) as FMD affected animals either do not produce milk or have low production, so directly affecting daily income of the millions of poor and smallholder producers. FMD control can also open up new avenues of export as it is a trans-boundary disease restricting export of livestock products from the country.
 

The development goal of this initiative is to improve livestock productivity through control of FMD for increasing economic growth and reducing poverty particularly in rural areas. The initiative/project specifically addresses the issue of progressive control FMD in the country. The main objectives of the project include:

1. Development and implementation of a national strategy for progressive control of FMD
2. Strengthening of the FMD disease surveillance and diagnosis in the country
3. Availability of a quality FMD vaccine at a reasonable cost through establishment of a modern FMD vaccine production facility
4. Reduction in the prevalence of FMD outbreaks in Pakistan.

Negotiations are in progress for collaboration with Argentina for public private partnership. Argentina has good vaccine production ability and is a leading FMD vaccine manufacturer. A US team of two technical experts based at NVL is also studying current FMD status and would submit its recommendations to American Embassy for funding a project on FMD vaccine production in Pakistan.

FEED MILLS

FEED MILLS

Revival of the functioning of PARC Feed Mills at Naudero and ASI, NARC, Islamabad

Feed Technology Units at Naudero and ASI NARC are engaged in commercial activity for producing livestock feed products and validating its economic worth. Different feed types produced and sold to the farmers include cattle feed, bull feed, sheep and goats feed, fattening feed and multi-nutrient blocks. Clients are from interior Sindh and Islamabad, Pothohar, Murree, Kamalia and Peshawar. During one year of commercial activity that started last year after revival of the Feed Mill, approximately 247 tons of feed was produced at ASI, NARC. The Feed Mills are run as public service on ‘no profit and no loss’ basis for the benefit of livestock farming community.

PARC feed is 30% cheaper, produces 15% more milk and reduces calving interval by 4 months. Its production and marketing started in 1989. This successful technology development led to more than 45 livestock feed mills in the public and private sectors in the country with technical backstopping of PARC.

Culture and Ornamental Fish

Culture and Ornamental Fish

Animal Sciences

Culture and Breeding of Ornamental Fishes (Guppies, Goldfishes and Koi Carp) and Feed Development for Their different Developmental Stages

Aquarium keeping is though the most popular hobby with millions of enthusiasts world wide, however recent advances in fish husbandry and aquarium equipments have further facilitated the hobby. Ornamental fish production is an important component of the aquaculture industry in several nations. The estimated value of ornamental fish and invertebrates imported into different countries worldwide is approximately 278 million US$. Pet industry surveys have estimated the aquarium industry worth over 1,000 million US$.

In this initiative, studies will be carried out on fresh water ornamental species such as Guppies (Peocillia reticulata), gold fish (Carassius spp.) and Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Koi). These fishes are selected on the basis of colour and wide range of environmental adaptation. No work in this regard has been done on the culture and breeding of ornamental fishes in Pakistan. Considerable amount of foreign exchange is being spent on the import of the ornamental fish in the country. The success of ornamental fish culture in the country will not only meet the local demand but will also provide the opportunity to raise foreign exchange for country.

Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife is an important natural resource of our country. At present Wildlife and their habitat all over the country have been adversely affected due to human population explosion, advent of industrial and technological innovation, agricultural expansion, over-grazing by livestock, land erosion by wind and water, fuel wood cutting and indiscriminate hunting and poaching.

Pakistan has some of the world’s rarest wild animals and bird’s species but these are now in danger of extinction due to exploitation and loss of natural habitats. Biodiversity conservation is a component of sub-sector of natural resource conservation that has been accorded high priority in five year plans.

As explained above populations of most of our wildlife species have become very rare and most of them are listed as endangered. In addition to habitat degradation and ruthless haunting and poaching, improper management has been an important factor in taking these species to their present status. Lack of scientific data about the biology and ecology of these species from their natural habitat and captivity is a major constraint in their scientific management. In order to conserve and manage valuable wildlife species, in nature and in captivity, data on biology, ecology and behavior of wildlife species is needed but it is very difficult to record the exact observations of some wildlife species due to their peculiar shy-habits in their inaccessible natural habitat and it remains the main hurdle in their management in natural habitat as well as in captivity i.e. in wildlife safaris, reserves, sanctuaries and wildlife parks.

Back Yard Poultry Breeding & Culture

Back Yard Poultry Breeding & Culture

Animal Sciences

DIVERSIFICATION IN RURAL POULTRY CAN BRING MORE INCOME FOR THE VILLAGE FARMERS
In Pakistan, poultry production in rural areas is predominantly based on a free-range system utilizing indigenous domestic bird. This is a family business that plays an important role in the social life of the villagers. The birds are not only raised just to have something to eat but are also an important source of income particularly for rural women. In spite of tremendous progress in commercial / industrial poultry production for last 40 years in Pakistan, rural poultry continues to play an important role in the country’s economy. There are more than 76 million rural poultry birds which contribute 32 % of the egg production and 15 % to the meat production in the country. The rural poultry bids are practically raised under organic farming conditions and their meat and eggs fetch much higher prices than the ones from industrial poultry.

The families at villages normally make a cage with the material available locally and raise their chickens in the village, or at the fields where a few field-houses are clustered together. Most of the villagers like to put the cage at the side of the house. The number of chickens raised varies from family to family, some raise many and some raise only a few. The approximate flock size maintained by a household in rural areas is 15 birds per family with a higher number of adult birds. At night the adult and young chickens are put together in cages. Early in the morning, the chickens are let out, some rice, grains, kitchen waste or flour is offered to them to peck. The birds remain out side the house throughout the day where they spend their day in scavenging for the food. Usually it’s the mother of the household that looks after the chickens.

Currently, there are few local breeds like Aseel, Naked Neck and Desi are available for the backyard poultry in Pakistan. These breeds have achieved potential to survive under the harsh village condition through a long selection process. These birds have been a part of the rural culture for centuries. During the last 35-40 years in Pakistan tremendous improvement has been made in the poultry industry and highly productive birds have been imported for boosting production, yet no attention has been given to our backyard poultry which is still a significant source of egg production in the country. Rural poultry possesses the bright prospects for future development in view of easy and abundant availability of all the requisite inputs such as land, labor and feed resources in rural areas and lower cost of production as compared to commercial poultry. Our local bird is an excellent adapted bird under the rural backyard system.

Aseel Poultry Breed kept as parental flock for cross breeding experiment
 

Indigenous breeds of rural birds are resistant to diseases as compared to exotic breeds but production is round 60-70 eggs per year. In order to increase the number of eggs under the existing system, different poultry strains were introduced in Pakistan. These exotic breeds are more susceptible to diseases. The need of the day is to evolve high productive breeds with disease resistance. Effective health coverage, housing facilities and introduction of highly productive chicken will improve backyard chicken production in rural areas of Pakistan. Moreover, raising chickens, ducks, turkeys and quails can increase the income potential of the rural communities. Keeping in view the above facts, Poultry Program started a multidimensional project for poverty alleviation and empowering poor village farmers by introducing non-conventional meat resources like quails, ducks and turkeys as well as providing a new synthetic chicken breed that can live as scavenger bird in backyard rearing system.

Chicks as result of cross breeding of white leghorn hen with Aseel males

Currently experimentation with a new breed of chicken for rural areas is being undertaken. These crossbred chicken have been successful and we are able to produce and sell high yielding chicks, which are expected to be best adjusted birds under the scavenger’s conditions at rural and remote areas. Up till now, we are able to produce & sell more than 2000 chicks of this high yielding breed. The production & selling of these high yielding chicks in continued and we are selling more than 200 chicks every week. Moreover, we will scientifically generate the data up to F2 generation. The breed of chicken, thus developed, will be further multiplied and distributed in rural areas of Pakistan. Rural women will be trained on back yard poultry production and provided with the seed stock for poverty alleviation and empowering woman in rural areas.

Quail farming offers another potential avenue for rural areas. PARC is raising quails and expanding its stock to introduce this low capital input, cheap to maintain and quick turn over venture into rural areas. Selection of superior laying quails (about 250 eggs per year) has been made. These quails are very hardy, once they pass the brooding stage. Their reproductive cycle is short, they only needs 17 days of incubation and approximately 40 days to reach sexual maturity. We are not only maintaining breeder flock of quails, but also supplying to interested farmers for further breeding and commercial rearing. 

Quails selected at experiment station

Turkey farming is very popular throughout temperate parts of the world because industrialized farming has made it very cheap for the amount of meat it produces. The domesticated turkey is a large poultry bird. The modern domesticated turkey descends from the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), one of the two species of turkey (genus Meleagris). The optimum body weight of adult male and adult female turkey at the marketing age of 16th week is 7.26 kg and 5.53kg. Turkey farming does not only provide animal protein for the general public, it can serve as a sustainable mean of income generation for rural farmers in Pakistan. Currently, the production and economic parameters of turkey for raising under the rural areas of Pakistan as free range birds are being studied.

Turkeys being raised at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
 

Tremendous improvement has been made in the poultry industry during the last 35-40 years in Pakistan. Many world renowned poultry breeders are producing and supplying grand-parent and parent stock for commercial layer as well as for the broiler farming in the world. Our poultry industry, mostly depends on these commercial lines. Ever since the existence of this industry in Pakistan no attention has been given to our backyard poultry. Our local bird is an excellent adapted bird under the rural backyard system. Desi birds lay around 60-70 eggs per year. In order to increase the number of eggs under the existing system, different strains were introduced in Pakistan. However, due to lack of any selection program the introduced breeds could not perform optimally. Moreover, this haphazard crossbreeding had almost depleted the local desi chicken. Currently, there are few local breeds like Aseel, Naked Neck and Desi (Non-Descriptive) are available for the backyard poultry. Out of these Aseel seems to be best used for developing a dual purpose backyard poultry breed. Aseel is the most established breed with definite characters having adult weight 5-6 lbs. It is the heaviest, hardiest and best suited among the local breeds.

 

Keeping in view the above facts, a cross breeding project was started in July 2009. White Leghorn Female will be crossed with Aseel, RIR and Fayoumi males. The progeny will be distributed to the villagers for backyard poultry production and complete data will be recorded. The first four weeks egg production will not be used for the hatching purpose so that the size of eggs becomes normal. From 5th week the eggs will be collected for 7 consecutive days and set in the incubator. The chicks produced will be brooded up to 3 weeks at the poultry production program & then will be sold to the villagers for rearing & egg laying at backyard. Complete data will be recorded for body weight, age at maturity, egg production etc. Villagers will also be trained to vaccinate their birds regularly against N.D. & Fowl Pox. They will also be taught about the role of light in egg laying birds & how to use to light to maximize the egg production. Data will be utilized to assess the performance of the various crosses. The most successful cross will be utilized for further cross breeding.

Diary Product

Diary Product

Dairy Product Diversification

With a limited estimate about 42 billion liters of milk is being produced annually in Pakistan. The industry is processing I billion liters of this produce into value added products which is hardly 2.5 % of the total. The dairy products are key items in the diet of the people in Pakistan and are established source of nutrients of high biological value. The common dairy products include yogurt, ghee, lassi, butter, cheese, ice cream, sweet meats etc. The products are produced by inefficient technologies which are generally traditional or semi-traditional that lack hygiene and is inconsistent in other quality aspects. Moreover, their products have to compete with the products marketed by multi-nationals. As the demand for safer and hygienic products is increasing due to increased consumer awareness the problems of small processors need to be addressed as 90% of total milk produce is being handled by these small entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, they do not have access to trainings and often find difficulties in getting the right kind of information. The new NARC initiative can help on these lines to serve as a focal point of small processing and to provide training opportunity to boost up small dairy business in the country.