Departmental Farms
There are 13 farms functioning under the department that includes eight livestock farms, three sheep farms, one poultry farm and one fodder seed production farm.
Objective of the departmental farms
- To disseminate best animal husbandry practices for increasing the production and productivity of livestock in the State.
- To serve as demonstration units for creating awareness among farmers about modern farming practices and fodder development
- Production of disease free, high genetic merit frozen semen straws including sex sorted semen.
- To sell genetically superior livestock to the farmers.
- To impart training to the farmers on best management practices
- To impart refresher training to Veterinarians and para veterinarians
Other significant activities
Female calf born through AI with Sex sorted semen
Production of sex sorted semen at District Livestock Farm, Udhagamandalam
With mechanisation of Agriculture, utility of male bovines has reduced. Farmers are not willing to maintain bullocks for agriculture or any other draft work and hence, male calves born at farmer’s house have become a liability. Also, farmers often let the male calves loose resulting in increase of stray animal population and public menace.
Advantages:
- Only female calves can be produced (with more than 85% accuracy).
- Increase in milk production
- Stray cattle population can be reduced
- Increased availability of replacement heifers and increasing herd size.
- Better utilization of feed and fodder resources by reducing the competition from unproductive males.
- Economic loss due to birth of male calves can be minimised.
Sex sorted semen lab at District Livestock farm, Udhagamandalam
Embryo transfer technology/In-Vitro Fertilization technology ( IVF) lab at District Livestock Farm
In-Vitro Fertilization technology (IVF) is a technology used to multiply superior bovine germplasm for increasing the availability of High genetic merit bulls and heifers.
Conservation of Native breeds
Native Cattle Breeds of Tamil Nadu are conserved in the departmental livestock farms Viz., Kangeyam, Bargur, Pulikulam at District Livestock Farm, Hosur and Umbalachery Breed at Livestock Farm, Korukkai. Other indigenous breeds viz., Red Sindhi is conserved at DLF, Hosur, Tharparkar and Sahiwal breeds at DLF, Chettinad and Sahiwal breed at DLF, Abishegapatti.
