Seasonality of cattle feed sources in Pabna, Bangladesh

Cattle feed sources were studied at village level in Pabna district, Bangladesh. A large quantity of feed was offered. In the monsoon the average amount of DM fed to a mature animal of 210 kg was 7.1 kg d-1, consisting of about equal amounts of straw, weeds and leaves. In winter animals grazed for an average of 3.7 hd-1 and were supplemented with 3.9 kg DM d-1 (two-thirds straw). In summer they were offered 5.4 kg DM d-1 (one-third straw and two-thirds weeds and leaves) and they grazed for 0.5 h d-1. The major limiting constraint on cattle production is the quality of the feed offered, particularly in the monsoon period when animals cannot graze. In future, feed quality will become even more of a problem because grazing lands are gradually disappearing.