Vol. 10, Special Issue 9s (2021)

Author(s):
Safeer Alam, Jasvinder Kaur, Shafiqul Islam, Mubashir Ali Rather, Nusrat N Khan and S Shahnaz

Abstract:
Study on management practices followed by the sheep farmers during winter season in Kashmir valley revealed that sheep were completely stall fed. Most of the farmers were middle aged and illiterate keeping sheep in varying flock size ranging from 5 to 150 heads. The majority of sheep farmers were traditionally associated with agriculture as the main occupation (51.75%). Dry fodder was the main source of roughage fed to the sheep during winter (100%). Concentrate feeding was followed by all the farmers (100%). Fortification of feed and fodder was not practiced by the sheep farmers. Majority of sheep flocks were housed in pucca sheds (52.63%). Random flock mating using both superior and inferior rams without any data recording and castration of low quality rams was a regular practice. Vaccination against major prevalent contagious diseases and deworming against endo and ecto parasitic diseases were regularly followed by all farmers under supervision of Sheep Husbandry Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government. It can be concluded that sheep farming in Kashmir is the secondary source of livelihood earning constrained by long and harsh winters along with high costs of feeds and fodders mainly practiced by illiterate, middle aged and poor people.