Title: HOUSING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOLLOWED BY BUFFALO KEEPERS

Authors: V. K. Patel, D. V. Parmar and K. J. Ankuya

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: housing, management practices, buffalo keepers, north Gujarat

Volume: 40

Issue: 2

Year: December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2025.40.2.0027

Abstract: A field study was undertaken to find out the housing management practices followed by buffalo owners of north Gujarat region. Four districts Banaskantha, Mehsana, Patan and Sabarkantha were purposively selected. Three talukas from each district and three villages from each taluka were selected. Ten respondents from each village were selected and interviewed with the help of structured interview schedule. The present study revealed that majority of buffalo keepers (58.33%) were provided pucca type of housing to their animals. The chi-square value between districts was 19.55(p<0.01). About 80.00 percent of animal sheds were separate from dwelling but nearby to their dwelling. Majority buffalo owners (90.00%) followed single raw housing system. About 88.06 and 94.72 percent respondents had adequate light and ventilation, respectively in their dairy farm. About 49.44 percent of respondents had earthen floor, 60.56 percent had slope towards back and more than half (53.06%) of the respondents used galvanized irons sheet roof in their animal shed. Facility of manger was observed in most of dairy farm (69.44%). The majority of respondents (65.00%) kept animal shed clean. It was noticed that 67.22 percent of the respondents had protected their buffaloes from extreme weather. About 80.28 percent had manure pit at distant location and 87.22 percent of respondents followed heap type manure storage system. Type of floor, type of roof, and provision of a manger differed significantly between districts at the 1% level, whereas practices to protect animals from extreme weather and the location of the manure pit were significant at the 5% level.