Use of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in animal husbandry practices in India: Increasing Fertility in Livestock Increasing milk production Retention of placenta Repeat breeding First aid for calves Sheep and goat rearing Fish farming Dairying Duck rearing Curing disease Poultry farming

2. Onions Mixed with Salt
 One kg of onions (Allium sepa) mixed with salt is given to animals on monthly
basis for increasing fertility. It was found that livestock owners also used garlic
along with onions for this purpose.
The Animal is made to Work in Fields
 The animal is made to work in fields as farmers believe that there can be extra fat
present in ovaries that can sometimes turn to be the possible cause of decreased
fertility or late coming of estrous.
Mixture of Fenugreek and Almonds
 20 grams of fenugreek/ methi (Trigonella foenumgraecum) seeds and 10 grams
of almonds are boiled in 1kg of milk, and is fed to the animal.
Green Bhang (Cannabis sativa)
 Green bhang (Cannabis sativa) leaves were grinded and fed to animal for timely
estrus.

3. Mixture of Soybean, Cowpea and Wheat Flour
 This ITK is mainly practiced in cattle and buffalo in which 50
grams of each soybean (Glycine max), cowpea (Vigna unguculata)
and wheat (Triticum aestivum) are properly mixed and given to
animal either with the normal concentrate feeds or in form of
solution after boiling these ingredients in water.
Extracted Solution of Powdered Chora (Anglica glauca)
 50 gram dried roots of chora (Anglica glauca) are boiled in 2-3
liters of water and the extract obtained is given to animal on daily
basis to increase the milk production of the animal.

4. Jaggery, Soybean, Turmeric and Sugar Solution
 Half kg jaggery (Gur), half kg of soybean, 50 grams of turmeric
(Curcuma longa) and 10 grams of sugar are boiled in 5-6 liters of
water. This solution is given twice a day to affected animal. Some
livestock owners also use black gram along with soybean.
Mixture of Ganhar (Amarenthus gagenticus) and Maize Flour
 50 grams rhizome of the ganhar (Amarenthus gangenticus) are
grinded first then are mixed with the maize (Zea maize) flour. This
mixture is given to animal as bolus or a chapatti (bread) is made
from this mixture is given to animal after parturition.

5. Henna (Lawsonia inermis)
50 grams of powdered Henna (Lawsonia inermis) are mixed with water and
fed to the dam after artificial insemination (A.I) or natural service.
Use of Alum / Fitkiri
Alum /fitkiri is first heated until it melts and then settles down after that it is
fed to animal twice a day.
Preference to Natural Service Instead of A.I
If the animal does not conceive even after repeated artificial inseminations
(A.I.) the farmers prefer to breed their animal with a local bull or natural
service is done.

6. Deworming in Cattles: The calves must be provided with correct deworm tablets.
From one and half months followed by one to two months deworming is necessary
for calves.
Required herbal medicines:
 Cumin 15 g Basil leaves- 1 hand full
 Mustard 10g Neem leaf -1 hand full
 Tumeric-5g Pseudo stem juice-100g
 Garlic 5 Nos. Bitter Gourd- 50 g
 Pepper -5 Nos. Jaggery-150g
Treatment: (oral)
 Cumin, mustard and pepper are ground later the other ingredients are added
along with jaggery and ground well. Tiny pellets are made, coated with salt (salt
needed – 100 g) and rubbed at in the of the tongue of the calf. The entire pellets
must be fed at one time.

7. Enteritis:
 Loose stool along with foul-smelling are the symptoms of the disease. The dung will be stuck on the
tail and hind legs. Dehydration occurs and the calf resembles to be week.
Herbal medicines and products needed for a one calf:
Mixture 1
 Poppy15 g Pepper -5 Nos.
 Tumeric 5g Fenugreek- 15
 Tumeric-5g Pepper-5 Nos.
 Asafetida 5 g Cumin-10
Mixture 2
 Onion (small) 10 Nos.
 Garlic -6 Nos.
 Tamarind- 200 g
 Jaggery (black)- 250 g
 The following items should be grind well.
Treatment: (oral)
 Mix these two compounds and make into small pellets, and coat it with salt (salt needed – 100 g). Rub
the pellets on the tongue of the calf and feed all the pellets at one time itself.

8. Poison bite:
 Bites of poisonous species viz., scorpion, wasp, bumblebee, Centipede,
and small snakes causes rashes, swelling, stomach bloat skin, dripping
of saliva from the mouth, suffocation the body swelling, stomach bloat,
are the symptoms found in sheep.
Herbal and medicinal products needed:
 Siriyanakai leaves 15 Nos. Betelvine 5 Nos.
 Pepper – 10 Nos. Pseudo stem juice-100g
 Cumin seeds – 15 g Salt-15 gram
 Onion -10 Nos. Jaggery-100g
Treatment:
 Little cumin, and pepper is ground and mixed with other ingredients. To
it 100 grams jaggery is added along with other products and made into
small pellets and rubbed in on the tongue and fed once.

9.  The droppings of sheep and goat contain higher nutrients than
farmyard manure and compost. On an average, the manure contains
3 percent N, 1 per cent P2O5 and 2 per cent K2O.
 It is applied to the field in two ways:
 The sweeping of sheep or goat sheds are placed in pits for
decomposition and it is applied later to the field. The nutrients
present in the urine are wasted in this method.
 The second method is sheep penning, wherein sheep and goats
are kept overnight in the field and urine and fecal matter added to
the soil is incorporated to a shallow depth by working blade harrow
or cultivator.

10.  To reduce the water pH: use of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) and Tamarind
(Tamarindus indica) steam and braches. 8-10 numbers of 1.5-3 m branches
are immersed per bigha (33 decimal) of pond depending on water pH.
 To control some protozoan diseases and increase the water pH: use of
Banana stem, Banana stems are cut into small pieces and immersed in the
water.
 To control White Feces Syndrome in shrimp: use of Thankuni (Centella
asiatica) leaf. Fresh thankuni leaf is mixed with the shrimp feed at 30-40
leaves per kg feed.
 To make the fishes hardy (disease resistant) and reduce the mortality
rate: use of Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) oil cake. Mahua oil cake is
packed in gunny bags at 10-15kg and immersed in two corners of a
stocking pond (per bigha/ 33 decimal).

11.  To attract fish during angling: use of Ekangi (Kaempferia galanga L.)
rhizome and Jayatri (Myristica fragrans) flower. Ekangi rhizomes
and Jayatri flowers are sundried followed by moderate heating in the
hot plate and ground into powders for incorporation through the feed.
 To attract fish due to its aroma and to make the fishing effective: use
of Garlic (Allium sativum) and Fenugreek (Trigonella
foenumgraecum) seeds. 1kg of semi-dried garlic is mixed with 250 g
of roasted and ground fenugreek seeds. This mixture is then applied
before one hour of fishing.

12.  Animals were fed with plants containing a high level of salt, thus
the ticks fell off.
 Before leaving the enclosure in the morning, women and children
collect ticks from the animals and throw these ticks into a fire
burning near the entrance to the enclosure
 Shady trees were avoided in case of ticks infestation
 Tick eradication by burning the infested pasture was widely used.
 There are two main systems or methods of treating diseases viz.,
Magic-Religious healing, mostly done by reading the Koran. This is
in accordance with the findings of Padmakumar (1998).

13.  Under the practical treatment, the most common treatment is the scarification
and bloodletting in order to free the animal from spoiled blood and using red-
hot plates on animal body to burn disease spot.
 Indication of this type of therapy is lameness, the rheumatic complex, skin
diseases and infectious diseases of the alimentary and respiratory tract.
 Rajan and Sethuraman (1997) reported that indigenous disease control
measures are carried out through herd management viz:
• Herd dispersion is used to reduce the risk of infecting all animals belonging
to one household.
• Choosing animal for breeding was based on the health of the animal
• Prevention of contact between healthy and ill animals
• Diseases prevention can cause herdsmen and his herds to move.
• Pastoralist avoids regions where insect or cattle rearers use medication
without proper care and therefore complications arise.
• There may also be over-dosage, false applications and wrong treatment

14. o Broody hens are widely used for hatching eggs. Now-a-days
artificial incubators owned by the egg vendors/traders are being
extensively used by the duck farmers to fetch the required
ducklings. Candling of egg is done on the seventh day of
incubation using torchlight in the darkroom. The infertile eggs
are removed. On 28th day, the ducklings are removed from the
incubator/hens and reared separately. The Hatching percentage
is 60-70 %,2005).
o It is also learnt from this study that the high percentage of
infertility more often was due to wider male female ratio.

15.  The ducklings will be brooded in a country method by using
pneumatic tyre used for tractors. Three days old ducklings will
be transported in a locally made bamboo baskets to sell them
locally through cycles.
 Among the ducks, the common disease conditions noticed were
gasping for breath, swelling of joints etc. The farmers used
decoction made of roots of paragrass, omum, vasambu (Acorus
calamus) and Poduthalai leaves (Lipia nodifloara). This is in
accordance with the findings of Gajendran and Karthickeyan
(2011)

16. 1) Wound :
 Halud (turmeric) grounded and applied topically.
 Paste is made from root, bark of jam and applied topically on wound.
 Latex of akanda is applied topically.
 Powder is made by grinding seeds of custard apple and applied topically
on the worm-infested wound.
 Jiyeti plant is to be burnt and ash of jiyeti is mixed with coconut oil and
applied over it.

17. 2) Bloat :
 10g of Aswatha, 10g Ada and 10g salt were mixed and fed to animal daily once 7 days.
 A mixture is prepared from burnt tobacco, burnt maize and cockroach faeces applied on
belly.
 250g made from bitlaban, grounded sulphur, molasses, black pepper and glue and then
fed to the cattle.
 100ml sap extracted from leaves of kadam is drenched to the cattle for 2-3 days.
3) Diarrhea :
 50 ml of common guava leaves is fed, especially for goats.
 100g and 50g pelakachas fruit is collected and smoked and then fed to the cattle.
 Juice of pineapple leave is mixed with water and then is to be drenched 100 ml daily for
2-3 days.
 Pulp of 100g old ripened tamarind is fed to animal for 2-3 days.
 50ml juice obtained from bark if sal tree and then it is to be drenched.

18. 4) Anoestrus :
 12 piece of banana along with 400g sugar are to be fed for 2 days.
 100g of Asoka tree bark is grounded and fed to the cattle.
 7 pieces of chicken egg per day is to be fed for 7 days.
 Mixture is made with extract of bark of Aswatha and gruel and is to be fed for 10-15
days
5) Arthritis :
 Hot fomentation is given with Akanda leaves along with ghee.
 Roots of Thorn apple, bonkul tree and garlic are mixed and grounded. Paste is made and
applied on affected part.
 Some people use warm iron in affected part
6) Cough and cold :
 Efflorescence of tulsi and basak leaves are mixed and extract is taken and mixed with
ghee ginger and molasses and fed to the cattle.
 Paste is made from ghee, black pepper, ginger and garlic then it is divided into 2 parts.
One is fed to animal and other part is topically applied over head and neck.

19.  Majority of the poultry owners were rearing the birds in
backyard/free-range system but they made necessary arrangement for
night shelter of the birds to protect them from predators .
 Majority of the poultry owners constructed separated house for birds,
whereas, only few farmers reported that birds shared the same house
with the owner.
 Most of the backyard poultry owners stop broodiness in the hen by
taking her off the nest and dunking her lower half (underside) into a
bucket of cool water until her feathers are wet.

20.  Other cruel methods include plucking its feather from its
body and pierce the same in the nose and tying the hen in a
tree upside down.
 About 100 grams of tulsi is sufficient for treating 1000
birds.