Cattle fattening is the process of improving the health condition of the food animals, mostly en and bulls in a scientific way by ensuring their proper health care, providing quality feed, controlling fatal diseases through vaccination, using anthelmintics for de-worming and finally maintaining hygiene of those chosen for fattening. All these are part of efforts to increase meat production to supplement our protein need. It has become a viable option over the last few years to solve the unemployment problem of the people of urban and peri-urban areas in our country. Thus it has ensured the financial and socio-economic support of our poor people.
People are implementing fattening programmes round the year, but they do it more extensively 4-6 months before the holy Eid-ul-Azha with a view to getting more money by making an adequate number of quality beef cattle available in the market. Some people are doing this business with a very small number of cattle and some with far more in a farming system.
To make the fattening process more profitable, emphasis should be laid upon building scientific cattle sheds, selection of cattle for fattening, supplying quality feed (urea, molasses, straw and other processed feed). More emphasis should be placed on choosing animals for fattening. The age of the animal should be within two to three years, preference should be given to cross-bred oxen free from apparently visible diseases. The selected animals for fattening should be treated with ideal anthelmintics to keep them free from worm infestation. There are some diseases that may cause sudden death. That should be controlled using vaccines. Proper care and feeding can make the fattening programme more and more profitable. Sometimes a mix of some vitamins and minerals can be added to the feed to ensure quality meat and good health of animals.
Unfortunately in our country people can buy some harmful chemicals and medicines (hormones, steroids etc.) from the local pharmacies without prescription of doctors for the purpose of fattening their cattle. We should keep in mind that we cannot allow them to use these harmful chemicals and medicines for fattening and simultaneously we should be in favour of our innocent farmers to support their ethical business.
The Department of Livestock Services is closely monitoring the situation and making allout efforts to restrict the use of harmful chemicals and medicines. The "Fish Feed and Animal Feed Act 2010" strictly prohibits the use of steroids, hormones and other harmful chemicals in animal feeds as growth promoters. People's awareness can play a vital role in applying a scientific method to fattening cattle. It is the need of the hour to arrange seminars and symposiums and take necessary measures for broadcasting them so that the people are aware and can help save our livestock industry by applying the scientific method to cattle fattening.
Dr Md Maqsudul Hassan Howlader is the veterinary officer at the Central Veterinary Hospital (CVH) in the city
Cattle fattening
Md Maqsudul Hassan Howlader | Published: September 10, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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