THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO

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