Journal of Animal Research

To comprehend the current dairy management practices followed by dairy farmers, a field study was carried out in the Northern region of Bihar. The study was conducted in three districts of Northern Bihar, namely Madhepura, Supaul, and Darbhanga. Two blocks from each district were randomly selected, and from each block, two villages were randomly selected, making a total of twelve villages. A total of 180 dairy farmers were randomly selected from twelve villages that provided the data. According to the study, the majority of respondents (68.33%) used artificial insemination for breeding, and most of the respondents (40%) sought the help of a local veterinary service provider to inseminate their animals. The major reproductive issue was repeat breeding. The majority (56.11%) of the respondents got their animals vaccinated for FMD, 54.44 per cent for HS and BQ, and 7.22 per cent for Brucellosis. A majority (79.65%) of respondents got their animals vaccinated from the para-vets, whereas 20.35 per cent respondents got their animals vaccinated through an NGO. Around 66.11 percent of respondents said that “Mastitis” had affected their animals, and the majority of respondents (51.66%) sought the help of para-vets for the treatment of sick animals. The average quantity of feed and fodder provided to animals was lower as compared to scientific feeding practices. Farmers must be made aware of better animal management practices in general and better animal breeding, feeding, and health management practices in particular, and the extension infrastructure in the study region needs to be developed.