Housing Management Practices and Microclimate of Cattle Shed in Cauvery Delta Region of Tamil Nadu

Background: In India, most of the farmers are shifting towards organized dairy cattle farming system from paddy cultivation and extensive system of rearing due to scarcity of water resources and intense variance in climatic conditions. Hence, the present study provided valuable information about the existing dairy cattle housing in Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu. Methods: The study on existing management practices of dairy cattle was conducted randomly among 90 farmers of Cauvery delta region, Tamil Nadu. A structured interview schedule was developed and pre-tested and the data on existing management practices were collected with the help of a pre-tested interview schedule. The data were collected by personal interview of the respondents individually at their animal house. The information on dairy production system and management practices were collected and the micro climate of different dairy cattle shed were recorded and analyzed. Result: In Cauvery delta region, the majority of farmers (48.89%) engaged in rearing crossbred dairy cattle were in the middle age group and educated. Further, animal husbandry is either the primary (25.56%) or secondary (74.44%) profession of the farmers. From the study, it is understood that more than 70 per cent of farmers housed their dairy cattle in loose type of housing, adjacent to their home with east-west orientation. The most common roofing pattern adopted for their cattle sheds is gable type (54.45%), with a roofing material of galvanized iron sheet (30.00%). The black globe humidity index (BGHI) and heat load index (HLI) calculated for dairy cattle shed with different roofing structures showed significant difference (P less than 0.05) between thatched and tiled shed.