Bangladesh, a country of 147,570 Km estimated as 160 million in 2015. Livestock that includes cattle, buffalo, goat and sheep and poultry such as, chicken, ducks and pigeons are important to her food and agriculture. Their tot according to Agricultural Census (2008) is 25.67, 0.54, 16.3, 1.29, 97.8, 39.43 and 7.48 respectively, of the total population of the above animals and poultry, respectively; and the rest is kept by the Non-Farm households. The Non 82.6%, 79.9%, 82.2%, 80.2%, and 70.3%, respectively, and this shows that livestock and poultry; in addition to the production of milk, meat and eggs; support livelihood improvement of the land poor farmer in the country. However, the database of animal sourced foods (AS different regions, their consumptions, wet marketing and the extent of value additions, availability of feeds and fodder, and health problems in addition to regional planning for mitigation of climate pollution of animal origin are utmost concerns for doubling of livestock and poultry production and productivity by 2030.

The genetic variation and differentiation among different populations of sheep in Bangladesh were studied by using 18 microsatellite markers. A total of 140 samples-37 from Bangladesh Central (BGC), 40 from Bangladesh East (BGE), 39 from Bangladesh North (BGN) and 24 from Garole (GAR) were genotyped. The allele number per locus ranged from 2 to 10. The average number of alleles per population was 5.50 + 1.72, 5.33 + 2.00, 6.39 + 2.06 and 4.72 + 1.71 for BGC, BGE, BGN and GAR respectively. Heterozygosity was found in the range from 0.5084+0.0187 (BGE) to 0.5810+0.0237 (GAR). The genetic distance (D A ) between BGN and GAR was the highest (0.1071) and that between BGC and BGN was the lowest (0.0664). In the phylogenetic dendrogram, BGC and BGN grouped in the same cluster, while BGE and GAR formed another two separate clusters. The results indicate that all four sheep populations had rich genetic diversity and the Garole sheep (GAR) is considered as an independent breed in Bangladesh.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTb) is endemic in Bangladesh but the true prevalence has not yet been reported. Our objectives for this study were to determine the true prevalence and identify risk factors for bTb at the animal- and herd-level in Bangladesh. A total of 510 cows were randomly selected during January 2018 to December 2018. Caudal fold (CFT) and comparative cervical tuberculin tests (CCT) were serially interpreted. Animal- and herd-level risk factor data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. The hierarchical true prevalence of bTb was estimated within a Bayesian framework. The herd- and animal-level risk factors were identified using mixed effects logistic regression. The apparent prevalence of bTb was 20.6% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 17.3; 24.3] based on CFT. The animal-level true prevalence of bTb was 21.9 (13.0; 32.4). The herd-level true prevalence in different regions varied from 41.9% to 88.8%. The region-level true prevalence was 49.9 (13.8; 91.2). There is a 100% certainty that herds from Bhaluka and Mymensingh Sadar upazilas are not free from bTb. The odds of bTb were 3.9 times (1.2; 12.6) higher in herds having more than four cows than those with ≤ 4 cows. On the other hand, the risk of bTb was 3.3 times higher (1.0; 10.5) in non-grazing cows than grazing cows. Crossbred cows were 2.9 times (1.5; 5.9) more likely to be infected with bTb than indigenous cows. The risk of bTb in animals with cough was 2.3 times (1.2; 4.3) higher than those without cough. Crossbred, non-grazing cows with cough should be targeted for bTb surveillance. Herds of the Mymensingh, Sadar and Bhaluka regions should be emphasized for bTb control programs. Estimation of Bayesian hierarchical true prevalence facilitates identification of areas with higher prevalence and can be used to indicate regions that where true prevalence exceeds a pre-specified critical threshold.

The study was conducted to study the effects of genotype and age of hen and hatching season on hatchability of egg. Hatching eggs were collected from hens having three genotypes viz. White Leghorn (WLH), Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Fayoumi covering three age groups (28 to 40, 41 to 60 and 61 weeks & above) at winter, monsoon and summer seasons. The study revealed that the highest (P<0.05) average hatchability was observed in winter (78.62%) followed by monsoon (76.70%) and summer (75.79%). Among different genotypes the highest (P<0.001) hatchability was found in Fayoumi (78.34%) followed by White Leghorn (76.48%) and Rhode Island Red (74.59%). Considering the age of hen, highest (P<0.05) hatchability was found in the age group between 41 to 60 weeks (77.99%) followed by 61 weeks and above (76.49%) and 28 to 40 weeks (75.71%) of age. From the findings it can be concluded that the winter season was suitable for hatching of eggs and the performance of Fayoumi hen was better in terms of hatchability of egg. On the other hand, the age of hen between 41 to 60 weeks was better for producing hatching eggs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v37i1.9863 BJAS 2008; 37(1): 17-22