Introduction

In Pakistan, the livestock population mainly comprises of cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats for meeting out milk and meat requirements, while camels, horses, mules and asses for traction and transportation. Livestock is reared mostly in small herds as an essential part of small farming systems and also by landless population of rural areas indirectly associated with crop farming for substantiating their livelihood. Over the time, however, the number of medium / large sized herds are also increasing particularly to meet out the milk / meat requirements of urban areas. 
The Government has, inter alia, identified the livestock sector as an engine for poverty alleviation in rural areas and thus has increased emphasis for investment in livestock production. It is considered that livestock are viable enterprises for increasing incomes of the poor by offering them job opportunity as well as enhancing their dietary levels.
The demand for milk and meat is increasing day by day due to increase in population of the country. As such the policy makers have bent upon for the development of livestock sector for improving supply of animal products i.e. milk, meat, eggs, etc. These efforts require updated statistics on all the relevant dimensions to streamline the development schemes / projects activities by all concerned. Therefore, on the directive of Government of Pakistan the Agricultural Census Organization planned to gather required data throughout the country by conducting three surveys namely:

  1. Milk Production Survey,
  2. Survey on Animals Slaughtered, and;
  3. Commercial Poultry Survey. 

Objectives

The surveys on milk production, animals slaughtered and commercial poultry were designed to provide data on district, province and country levels with following objectives:

  1. To estimate average daily milk yield per in-milk cow, buffalo and goat (only that goat whose milk was being used by human beings).
  2. To provide data on different parameters of milk production i.e. breed, age, number of calving, stage of lactation, age of animal at 1st calving, lactation
  3. length and dry period duration.
  4. To estimate the number of animals slaughtered for commercial purposes by butchers both inside and outside private slaughter houses as well as recognized slaughter houses and non-commercial slaughtering by individual households during a year.
  5. To present data on number of commercial poultry by type of farming, rearing capacity, present flock position, sales, mortality, etc. during a year. 

List of Tables

1. Average Yield of Milk per Animal per day and Total Milk Production per day (in litres)
2. Average Yield of Milk per Cow per Day by Age and by Breed
3. Average Yield of Milk per Buffalo per Day by Age and by Breed
4. Average Yield of Milk per Goat per Day by Age and by Breed
5. Average Yield of Milk per Cow per Day by Number of Calvings and by Breed
6. Average Yield of Milk per Buffalo per Day by Number of Calvings and by Breed
7. Average Yield of Milk per Cow per Day at Different Stages of Lactation and by Breed
8. Average Yield of Milk per Buffalo per Day at Different Stages of Lactation and by Breed
9. Distribution of Animals by Quantity of Milk Yield on the Day of Enumeration
10. Distribution of Cows by Age at First Calving and by Breed
11. Distribution of Buffaloes by Age at First Calving and by Breed
12. Distribution of Cows by Length of Last Lactation and by Breed
13. Distribution of Buffaloes by Length of Last Lactation and by Breed
14. Proportion of Cows by Length of Dry Period before Calving and by Breed
15. Proportion of Buffaloes by Length of Dry Period before Calving and by Breed
16. Households Reporting and Number of Animals Slaughtered During the Year Preceding the Day of Enumeration (March 2005 to February 2006)
17. Number of Commercial Poultry Farms and Number of Birds by Size of Flock
18. Layer Farms by Size of Flock
19. Broiler Farms by Size of Flock
20. Broiler Parent Stock Farms by Size of Flock
21. Layer Parent Stock Farms by Size of Flock
22. Quail Farms by Size of Flock
23. Poultry Farmers Opinion about the Quality of Poultry Feed and Availability of Vaccines by Size of Flock
24. Poultry Farmers Reporting Difficulties in Poultry Farming by Size of Flock
25. Poultry Farms by Type and by Size of Farm