Scientific breeding and management of sheep – Farmers knowledge

The present study was an attempt to assess the knowledge levels of sheep farmers about scientific breeding and management practices in Haryana. A total of 160 sheep farmers were randomly selected from five districts of Haryana state and the data were collected using a structured schedule. The study revealed that majority of farmers possessed high to medium knowledge about breeding and management practices. The results varied considerably across different farmers’ categories. Poor knowledge was noticed about mating system, optimum time for tupping, heat detection, castration, dipping time, floor space requirements and frequency of deworming. Factors like age, education, annual income, extension contact, mass media exposure, economic motivation, innovation and change proneness were significantly (P<0.001) associated with the knowledge scores of farmers, while caste, family size and credit facility were significantly associated at 5% level of significance. Based on flock size, the large category farmers exhibited significantly different knowledge behaviour. It was also contended that there is a need for focused studies before revisiting the belief thatknowledgesharingis plentifulatthe peerlevel amongsheep farmers.