Breeding policy for livestock and poultry for NE India

TC Tolenkhomba, Prava Mayengbam, Saidur Rahman *

The livestock and poultry currently available in North East are the result of haphazard breeding within and between various breeds/varieties. The improved pure breeds were introduced for crossbreeding, resulting in a higher yield and improved performances.

But these breeds/crossbreeds have been developed without following any systematic and scientific breeding programme which results in inbreeding problems and poor performances overtime even under optimum feeding condition.

Due to unplanned breeding practice in rural areas indigenous non-descript breeds/varieties of the region is declining. The bulk of indigenous germplasm are with poor growth rate and productivity but they have some genetically inherited good traits like dark coat colour, good mothering ability, early maturity, tolerance and resistance to parasites and diseases and low nutrient requirement.

Moreover, the milk, meat and eggs of these indigenous germplasm is preferred by local population. Thus, conservation of this indigenous breeds is important looking to the importance of these germplasms in the region.

Definition

Breed: A group of animals related by descent and similar in most characters like general appearance, features, size, configuration, etc. are said to belong to a ‘BREED’. Indigenous germplasm: Any or all the animals classified under the term, livestock or poultry, that has been inherently in existence indigenous within the State and reared as domestic livestock or poultry by the people of the State.

Suitable breeds of livestock and poultry for North East region:
Cattle (i) Jersey cross: Jersey crosses are produced by upgrading/cross breeding the non-descript/Indigenous breeds of cows with Jersey breed semen. Jersey crosses are most suitable dairy animals for North Eastern States of the country. They are medium sized, have better heat tolerance than other exotic crosses and well adapted to our climate. Depending on the milk production potential of our indigenous cows, the Jersey crosses may show 2 to 3 fold increase in milk yield in the first generation.

(ii) Holstein cross: The HF crosses are more suitable for temperate climatic regions like hilly areas as they are less tolerant to heat. Less resistance to tropical diseases than Jersey crosses. Although the milk yield is higher in HF crosses the fat percent is less.

(iii) Indigenous cattle: Most of the indigenous cattle population of North East are nondescript type except Siri (Sikkim), Tho-tho (Nagaland) and Lakhimi (Assam). They are mainly reared for draught and meat.

Pig:

(i) Large White Yorkshire (LWY): It is a native breed of UK imported to India from UK, New Zealand, and Australia. It is large in size with a long and slightly dished face. Body is covered with fine white hairs, free from curls. Skin is pink in colour and free from wrinkles with long and moderately fine coat. It has the capacity to thrive well under different climatic conditions that is why it is extensively used for crossbreeding and breed upgradation.

(ii) Hampshire: This breed has been developed in the USA and is now one of the world’s most important breeds. The Hampshire is a black Hog with a white band around the body at the shoulder including the front legs and feet. The head, tail, legs and back are black. Hampshire sows are very prolific, have extra longevity, and make good mothers.

They have been used extensively in crossbreeding because of their good carcass quality-popular for their lean, meaty carcasses. They were noted and criticized for their large size, but admired for their prolificacy, hardy, vigour, foraging ability and outstanding carcass qualities. Sows give birth to a large litter of 10 piglets with 1 kg birth weight, but some sows have been known to have litters of up to 16 piglets. A boar weigh 230 kg to 340 kg and sows around 200 to 290 kg.

(iii) Large White Yorkshire cross: LWY breed is frequently crossed with local variety to generate a composite breed called improved breed by the process called upgradation to produce a good blend of superior exotic germ plasm. LWY crosses have good mothering ability and good prolificacy with average litter size of 7 numbers which increases following subsequent farrowing.

(iv) Hampshire cross local: They are black in colour with the typical white belt covering the shoulder portion including the forelimbs extending till the pastern. It is most preferred by the locals and are very popular in the region. It attains puberty at 8 months of age. Sows exhibit strong maternal instinct with exceptional nursing ability. Average litter size at first farrowing is 6 which increases in the range of 7-12 during subsequent farrowing. The adult live weight of local Hampshire crosses is 140 kg for breeding boars and 120 for that of sows.

(v) Indigenous pig: This part of the country is inhabited by several descript breeds of pig viz. Doom (Asam), Niang Megha (Meghalaya), Teny Vo (Nagaland), Mali (Tripura) and Zovawk (Zovawk). These are small size native pigs found in the region. They have good mothering ability, tolerance and resistance to parasites and diseases and low nutrient requirement. The meat of local pig is in high demand due to lean meat.

There is a gradual decrease in the population of these local pigs due to heightened interest of farmers towards fast growing crossbred pigs. So, conservation of this breed with proper strategy is gravely important.

Chicken: The North Eastern region is considered as one of the original areas in Asia for the development of modern poultry from the red jungle fowl, which is still found in the forest of North East India.

(i) Vanaraja : It is coloured dual-purpose chicken variety developed by the Project Directorate on Poultry in Hyderabad, India. Vanaraja is aimed at rural communities where it can be reared in backyards on natural, scavenged food with minimal supplementation.

(ii) Giriraja : Giriraja is a breed of chicken developed by Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, and fishery Sciences University in Bangalore, India. Giriraja variety is good both in terms of laying eggs and meat. This bird is suitable for backyard poetry farming in the region.

(iii) Grampriya: It is a multi-coloured egg purpose chicken variety developed at Project Directorate on Poultry in Hyderabad, India for free range and rural backyard rearing. The bird has better adaptability in adverse conditions and better immunocompetence.

(iv) Indigenous pig: The region has several registered breeds viz. Miri (Assam), Doathirgir (Assam), Kaunayen (Manipur) and Naked neck frizzle fowl breeds. There are others non-descript varieties reared in the region under backyard system.

Breeding Policy

For genetic improvement of livestock and poultry, breeding policy should be designed with following objectives:
i) Genetic improvement through selective breeding.
ii) Characterization and Conservation of indigenous germplasm.
iii) Genetic upgradation of local germplasm upto the desired level of exotic inheritance.
iv) Expansion and strengthening of Breeding Infrastructure and support mechanism to propagate elite germplasm through A.I.
v) To establish Regional Semen station for maintaining the semen of the chosen breed (s) or cross bred.

Breeding policy:

1. Indigenous germplasm, where no crossbreeding shall be applied, the germplasm of this breed shall be established and preserved.
2. Nucleus breeding farm for such germplasm shall be established.
3. Elite animals should be collected from farmers field/State Farm to the Nucleus herd.
4. Pedigreed animals need to be propagated only to interested/progressive farmers who want to rear indigenous germplasm. However, Govt. should ensure necessary incentive and scientific nutritional and managemental practices to these farmers. For this, rate of piglet and pork of indigenous pigs may be fixed at higher values by the govt.
5. Artificial Insemina-tions should be delivered through Private Inseminator who is to be trained.

A. Cross breeding: Cross breeding may be propagated through selective exotic breeds.

B. Breeding with exotic germplasm:

1. Import of germplasm of suitable breeds from sources which are free from scheduled diseases.
2. Import of live animals may be considered at regular intervals at a first primary strategy with import of Semen as a secondary option, in improving and upgrading Herd quality.
3. A suitable strategy for breed-specific nucleus herd improvement may be developed for subsequent programmes.

Breeding Plan: (a reference to pig breeding)

(A) Nucleus Farm:

1. Nucleus farm should be of pure exotic breed, well-developed crossbred or pure indigenous breed.
2. Crossbred animas of desired level of exotic inheritance should be maintained. In case of nucleus herd of pure animals, mixing/crossing of germplasm must be restricted.
3. Minimum 30 breed able sows unit should be maintained with a sex ratio 1:3 and thus 10 sires (2 sires from each 5 unrelated sire lines) need to be maintained by each of the unit.
4. Selection of male animals should be based on weaning weight (best 25%) and 8 month body weight (best 5%), based on two stage sequential selection. Selection of female animals should be based on dam’s litter size at birth (>7) and weaning weight (best 25%) and number of functional tests (at least 6 pairs of functional tests). However, these can be changed as per performance of local crossbred animals.

5. Centralized date recording system should be initiated. Generation wise genetic evaluation may be carried out to estimate the response to selection. The overall genetic gain due to selection, selection differential and heritability should also be calculated.

6. Inbreeding should be avoided. Replacement of boars need to be done at regular interval of 2 years of productive herd life. Sire exchange programme among the farms will also be helpful to reduce the inbreeding effect. Culled male animals should be castrated before selling to avoid indiscriminate breeding.

7. Three numbers of farrowing per sow need to be recorded. Three farrowing per sow should be completed in 2 years.
8. Weightage of selection need to be given on litter size and weight at birth and weaning.
9. Besides routine productive, reproductive, adap- tive and carcass traits lifetime production traits should also be recorded.

(B) Multiplier and Farmers’ Farm: Breeding plan for multiplier and farmers’ field should be a separate one from that of nucleus farm. They are only to make inter-se-mating among the developed pure bred or crossbred animals. No indiscriminate crossbreeding is allowed at farmers’ field.

(C) Mating system: All the breeding propagation activity should follow Artificial Insemination (AI) practice. To achieve the target the State level multiplier farm must have a training centre for the local farmers including modest facility/laboratory for semen collection, evaluation and preservation.

The breeding Policy should aim at improving production system under changing agro-climatic scenario by improved scientific method off production. It will also target at improving socio-economically weak communities including women folk in terms of sustainable livelihood security. It is also expected to meet the current demand supply gap of milk, meat and egg in the states and opening new entrepreneurship.


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