B Jha
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100
MM Hossain
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100
PC Baishnab
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100
PK Mandal
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100
MR Islam
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100
Socio-economic status, Duck farming, Haor,
Biswanath and Balagonj upazila of Sylhet
Variety and Species
Two upazilas in the region of Sylhet to be specific: Biswanath and Balagonj were chosen purposively because of comparatively higher concentration of duck farms in these areas. Another reason was that no study of this kind was done previously in this area. A Total of 60 farmers constituted the sample of the study. The primary information was gathered by questionnaire and talking with the farmers in the study region. Information were gathered both from primary and secondary sources. The secondary information sources constituted related writings, books, journals, articles, thesis, and websites. The data were collected during September to November 2014, subsequently processed and analyzed according to the objectives of the study. Estimation of socio-economic profile of the duck farmers and management practices followed in duck farms are depicted beneath: Age of a respondent was measured regarding year from birth to time of taking interview. Age of a farmer was categorized into three group young (up to 35 years), middle-aged (36-50 years) and old (above 50 years). Education is defined as a process of bringing desirable change into the behavior of human being. It was measured in terms of one’s year of schooling. One score was given for passing each level in an educational institution. According to the level of education the farmers were classified into four categories namely: Illiterate, can sign only, primary, secondary and HSC or above.
The family size was measured by the aggregate number of individuals in the group of a farmer. The family members included the farmer him/herself, wife and husband, children and other dependent members who live and eat together. On the basis of the number of family members, the respondent farmers were classified into three categories namely: small, medium and large. Occupation is a methods or courses by which a man procures some cash for his job. The respondent under scrutiny has different occupations other than duck cultivating exercises. These are duck farming, agriculture, service and, business. The conjugal status of the respondent farmers was four sorts to be specific: married, unmarried, divorced and others (widow, abundant etc.). Training acquires a positive change working effectiveness of human life. Training got was measured by the aggregate number of day went to by the respondent in different training programs throughout his life arranged by any organization. On the basis of training attended, the respondent farmers were classified into four categories namely: No training, short training, moderate training and long training. Type of house: Total housing type was three: (1) Tin and wood (2) Straw and bamboo (3) Bamboo and (4) Soil and others. Floor space for ducks: The standard floor space for ducks is 1.5–2.0 square feet. On the basis of standard floor space the respondents were classified into two categories namely: sufficient and insufficient. Ventilation: Ventilation is of two types. One is sufficient and another is insufficient. Depending on ventilation facilities the farm houses were classified into two categories namely: sufficient and insufficient ventilation. Sources of feed: There were two types of feed used in duck farm. These were-(1) natural (scavenging) and (2) supplemented feed. Amount of feed: Amount of feed supply in duck farm is of two sorts. One is adequate and another is inadequate. Use of feed ingredients: There were four types of feed ingredients used in the sample duck farm of the study area namely: (1) mixed feed, (2) paddy and wheat and (3) rice polish and wheat bran (4) rice and broken rice There were mainly three types of duck breed in the study area. These were: Deshi, Khaki Campbell and Zinding. Duck house Cleaning: The respondent farmers were asked whether they clean their poultry house every now and again or not. The reactions were of three sorts--(1) regular cleaning, (2) irregular cleaning and (3) not at all. Diseased ducks disposal: The respondent farmers were asked whether they separate diseased duck or not. The responses were two types namely-(1) yes and (2) no. Disposal of dead ducks: In the study area the process of disposal of dead duck is of two types namely: buried and thrown away. Duck farmers idea about duck disease: The respondent was asked whether they have idea about duck disease or not. The answers were two types namely: clear idea and partial idea. Vaccination schedule in duck farm: The respondent was asked whether they follow regular vaccination program in their duck farm or not. The answers were two types namely: regular, irregular and not at all. Veterinary services of disease outbreak: The respondents were asked which type of veterinary services they take during the outbreak of disease in their duck farm. The types of treatments were - (1) veterinary doctor, (2) village doctor and (3) no veterinary services. Knowledge of duck farming: The knowledge of duck farming of an individual farmer refers to the level of awareness, understanding and skill of various aspects of duck farm practices. It was measured by registering a duck farming knowledge score taking into account a few inquiries on different aspects of duck farming. The inquiries included things on recollecting, comprehension, applying, investigating, assessing and making. A score of 2 (two) was allocated for an issue of remembering and understanding, Questions for rest four measurements were allotted a score of 3 (three). Everything contains 5 questions. Full checks was given for agreeable answer from the respondents; half or two- third stamp for incomplete right answer and zero imprint for wrong or no answer. Along these lines the aggregate score was measured which could be shifted from 0 to 80. Zero shows no learning while 80 demonstrates most elevated information about duck farming. Depending upon obtained score of information the member farmers were grouped into three classes specifically: low, medium and high level of learning. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, range, standard deviation and ranking were used to describe the indicators of the study. Where specified, the data were analyzed for statistical significance using Chi-square test in SPSS 17.0.
International Journal of Natural Sciences (2015), 5(2) 73-79
Journal