THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO
THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO
THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO
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Tethering, soiling, communal pasture and grazing was<br />
practiced by all farmers. Salt was the only source of<br />
mineral supplement provided by 60% of the farmers. Only<br />
37% provided housing to their carabaos. Pre- and postweaning<br />
mortalities totaled 19%. Calving interval of 69%<br />
of the caracows was at least 2 years, with many<br />
“machoras”. Hoof and mouth disease and liverfluke infection<br />
were the most prevalent, however, 38% of the farmers<br />
reported they never had a sick carabao. Carabulls were<br />
castrated at an average of 3.3 years. Slit method was the<br />
most preferred, however, in Isabela and Cagayan pounding<br />
and “binurbor” method of castration was still very common.<br />
Ninety-nine percent of the farmers used natural breeding.<br />
The mean age of caraheifers at first breeding was 3.8<br />
years. Eighty-two percent of the carabaos trained for<br />
work were females. Training carabaos for work, then<br />
selling it, was much more profitable than what some farmers<br />
were earning. The mean age at which carabaos were<br />
bought by farmers was 6.5 years and the mean age<br />
carabaos were sold was 12.2 years. Only 27% of the<br />
farmers slaughtered their carabaos while the rest sold it<br />
alive. Seventy percent of the farmers did not believe in<br />
the influence of color, cowlicks, horn shape, forms and<br />
marking and tail length of carabaos on their performance<br />
and in luck of the owner. Sixty three percent of the draft<br />
carabaos raised by farmers were males and 37% females;<br />
94% of which were native and only 6% were crossbred.<br />
The mean age, weight, heartgirth, body length 1, body length<br />
2 and height of male draft carabaos are 9.3 years; 470.5 kg;<br />
192.0; 123.5; 183.0 and 131.3 cm, respectively, while female<br />
draft carabaos are 9.0 years; 402.6 kg; 183.4; 115.2; 173.9<br />
and 125.4 cm, respectively. Carabaos were raised primarily<br />
for draft purposes. All the farmers insisted that “life will be<br />
very difficult without a carabao”, while 66% said “it will be<br />
very expensive to farm without a carabao”. Seventyseven<br />
percent of the farmers used carabao power in all their<br />
farming activities while none used all-machine in their farm.<br />
There were very few carabulls and the few ones available<br />
were the poorest type which is now used for breeding. A<br />
program to castrate all undesirable carabulls and select<br />
caracows calving program to castrate all undesirable<br />
carabulls and select caracows calving yearly to be mated<br />
by selected indigenous or imported carabulls is imperative.<br />
Researches should be designed to improve the level of<br />
living of majority of the farmers and eventually orient carabao<br />
production and technology for export.<br />
Keywords: carabao raising, management practices,<br />
physical characteristics, reproductive performance<br />
*Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 18 th Annual<br />
Convention of the Philippine Society of Animal Science.<br />
Nov. 13-14, 1981. Philippine International Convention<br />
FEEDING AND NUTRITION<br />
Center, Manila. Also in Phil. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 1982. v.<br />
8 (1 and 2). p. 48-49.<br />
F-30<br />
INTAKE AND DIGESTIBILITY OF RICE STRAW WITH<br />
AND WITHOUT CORN-UREA SUPPLEMENTATION*<br />
M. D. T. Hidalgo, Former Undergraduate Student, Department of Animal<br />
Science, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños<br />
L. P. Palo, Assistant Professor, Dairy Training and Research Institute,<br />
College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños<br />
A series of digestion trials was conducted to evaluate the<br />
feeding value of rice straw with and without corn-urea<br />
supplementation using cattle and carabao. There was an<br />
increase in the dry matter and total digestible nutrients<br />
(TDN) intakes of the animals upon supplementation with<br />
corn-urea. Carabaos had consistently higher digestion<br />
coefficients than cattle in all the trials. Addition of corn-urea<br />
resulted in a significant (P