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For Successful livestock production a great deal of
Knowledge is required in animal physiology, breeding, genetics, nutrition,
management and animal's welfare in livestock enterprises of small farmers,
marginal farmers and landless agricultural laborers who own majority of
livestock in the country. Prevalence of so many infectious and metabolic
diseases requires professional veterinary treatment and care.
India's agriculture continues to be dominated by the belief that its base is
crop production and its importance is beyond dispute because food grains
fulfill the first basic need for sustenance of the countrys population.
Having achieved a level of sufficiency in cereal production, the base of
farming needs to be further broadened to enhance the quality of the daily
diet as represented by animal protein for which the major source is milk and
meat.
Though India ranks first in the world milk production, a total of 104
million tones, mainly due to vast number of low milk producing cattle and
buffaloes. Per capita availability of milk has been estimated at 250g in
2008. Therefore improved animal production has an enormous potential to
improve the socio-economic status of the economically weaker section of
society through livestock enterprises like poultry, piggery, goat, sheep and
rabbit keeping etc.
Department of Animal Husbandry
The department of Animal Husbandry is the oldest department of this
Institute since 1910. The establishment of the department as was a result of
their two little children. Dr. Higginbottom bought a cow and did the milking
for his children. Within a few weeks, their friends in the neighborhood also
wanted good milk for their children. He brought a second cow. Thus they were
reminded of India's need for clean unadulterated milk and at the site of
little children would exclaim, oh! How India needs agricultural and dairy
education. January 1, 1924 stands out as an important landmark in the
history of Dairy training in India as on this day admission for the first
batch of Indian Diploma in Dairying was conducted at Allahabad and Bangalore
centers. In1960 and 1964 the course was bifurcated and given recognition for
IDD (DT) and IDD (DH); respectively.
In 1969, a course leading to M.Sc. Animal Husbandry was started and first
batch of it came out in 1971 with 5 successful students. In 1979, M.Sc.
Animal Husbandry course was replaced by M.Sc. Animal science and later on
Doctoral program in relevant fields of Animal Science also came into
existence.
The School with its very well defined purpose, aims to the emergence of
Dairying as a full fledged agricultural business for enhancing profitability
in dairy farming through judicious breeding, animal nutrition, livestock
management ,animal breeding and proper health cover for generating mass
employment particularly in rural area.From July 2000 postgraduate programmes
in Animal Science was stopped and four new specialized programmes viz. LPM,
Animal Genetics and Breeding and Poultry production, were started after the
Institute got the status of Deemed-to-be-University. Later as per demand of
students M.Sc in Animal Husbandry was restarted from July 2008,
Department of Livestock Production Management/Animal husbandry
Mans' association with livestock dates back to several thousand years.
Depiction of cattle on the seals recovered from Mohan-jo-daro is the
recorded evidence of this association in Indus valley civilization dating
back to about 5 thousand years in the sub- continent and they played a
significant role in the socio- economic fabric of the society. Animals
continue to play that role even today. Human population growth, increasing
urbanization and rising incomes are fueling a massive increase in demand for
food of animal origin (milk, meat, eggs) in developing countries. Globally,
livestock sector is growing faster (6 to 8%) than any other sector (crop
production -2.3%) and by 2020 the livestock sector is predicted to become
the most important agricultural sector in terms of added value. As a result
M.Sc. Livestock Production Management was started after 15.03.2000 when the
Institute got the status of Deemed University.
Department of Animal Nutrition
The department of Animal nutrition is also one of the oldest departments
being a part of Animal husbandry. The department has its well defined aim to
the emergence of dairying as a full fledged business for enhancing profit in
dairy farming by carrying out better and scientific feeding and thereby
reducing the cost of production which is 60-70 per cent of the total cost.
The department has well equipped laboratory for P.G. and Ph.D. program named
as animal Nutrition and Physiology lab. The laboratory consists of modern
equipments namely Spectrophotometer, Densitometer, Bomb Calorimeter,
Digestion apparatus, Kjeldhal apparatus, muffle furnace, digital ph.meter ,
Soxhlet apparatus, chromatogram, high speed centrifuge, Gerber Centrifuge,
distilled water plants, hot air ovens, incubator, auto-clave water bath
units, electrophoresis unit electronic balances, microscopes, small animal
experimental cages, well equipped culture room and well equipped dairy farm
for digestion trial experiments. The students of P.G. and Ph.D. programmes
have accessibility to all above equipments for their practical and research
purpose. It is a matter of pride that department has produced many
scientists (ARS)) working in I.C.A.R. institutions. The alumni of the
department are key positions in dairy industries, feed industries, poultry
industries, hatcheries, Universities and government services.
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding
As the demand for milk and meat is increasing owing to increase in
population and individual income, the only solution to increase the milk and
meat production is to scientifically control the population of animals and
upgrade them for better quality and more quantity of milk and meat per
animal.
A sound breeding program is an essential part of the total animal production
system. Traits of economic importance in livestock farming shows continuous
variation, thus the production capacity of livestock population can greatly
be changed through planned selective breeding.
Keeping this in view, M.Sc. Animal Genetics and Breeding course as
specialized post graduate program was started from July 2000.
Department of Poultry Production
Poultry has influenced man's civilization in many ways. Egg and meat of
birds are being consumed since pre-historic times. In India, scientific
poultry keeping was first initiated and advocated by Christian missionaries.
They introduced small flocks of improved breeds from their countries. The
performance of these birds was certainly better than desi fowls and this
made possible to establish several model poultry farms in the country.
Poultry is now a very important and widespread agricultural industry in
India. Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agriculture
today. While the production of agricultural crops has been rising at a rate
of 1.5 to 2 per cent per annum that of eggs and broilers has been rising at
a rate of 8-10 per cent. As a result, India is now the world's third
producer of eggs and fifth largest producer of chicken. Poultry industry can
provide jobs and income to all categories of people. It can be adopted as
whole time business on large scale and fits well in mixed and diversified
farming system to provide additional income to farmers. In the context of
faster growth, commercialization and expansion of poultry industry in India,
a separate course of M.Sc. in Poultry Production was introduced after 15th
March, 2000.
Lab Facilities
The School has four laboratories for its five PG programmes namely Animal
Husbandry, Animal Nutrition & Physiology, Livestock production management,
Animal Genetics Breeding and Poultry Production. Dairy Husbandry diploma and
B. Sc Agriculture students which consists of modern dairy building for dairy
practice and class rooms, godown, two barns, three silos, a herd of dairy
cows (Red Sindhi, Crossbreds of Sindhi, Jersey, Brown Swiss and Holstein and
Friesian), flock of sheep and goats, dippling vat., debeaker, defeathering
machine, well equipped slaughter house, freezing unit, breeding tools,
veterinary clinic, casting ring, feed plant, five poultry pens. Students of
PG and Ph.D have accessibility to modern digestion app., spectrophotometer,
tensitometer, vacuum pump, digital pH meter, muffle-furnace, distilled water
plants, soxhlet app., bomb calorimeter, chromatograms, high speed
centrifuge, egg incubators, hot air ovens, autoclaves, well equipped culture
room, small animals experimental cages, microscopes, electronic balances,
microtomes, gerber centrifuger, A.I equipments etc.
Research Activities
It is a matter of pride that data on systematic crossbreeding experiments of
Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry faculty of the University were used
by ICAR for national index on livestock improvement. Applied research work
is carried out in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry to match the needs
of dairy, goats, sheep, swine and poultry farmers related to their
production and management, nutrition and Physiology, reproduction & Genetics
and breeding. Thrust area of applied research work include cross-selective
programme for dairy animals in India and development of two new cross-breeds
namely JERSIND and BROWNSIND (having exotic inheritance betwen 3/8 to 5/8),
economical raising of pigs, goats, sheep and poultry with various feeding
techniques, feed supplementation and formulations to support faster growth
rate and higher production, development of technology for safe and quality
raw milk production, grazing studies with variable livestock density,
management of animal waste by products, characterization and evaluation of
indigenous cattle and appropriate shelter management for improving
productive and reproductive performance of farm animals.
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