Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in the fi elds of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry is the practical knowledge that has evolved from the experiences of farmers who have used their skills to solve some of their difficulties in their local environments utilizing locally accessible materials. The present study aims to document and validate the indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) procedures used by dairy farmers in northern Bihar. The study was conducted in three districts of northern Bihar. A total of 180 dairy farmers were interviewed for the data collection. The documented ITK from the dairy farmers was exposed to 25 randomly selected experts including veterinary professionals and veterinary scientists for the validation of the ITK. From the study area, various ITKs were documented and most of them were found to be scientifically valid by the veterinary professionals and scientists, which could be further assessed, documented, and propagated for the benefit of the farming community. There is a threat to the extinction of indigenous technical knowledge in animal husbandry, which is popular throughout rural India. Documenting these practices and determining their applicability is crucial. Many of the indigenous technical knowledge are on the verge of extinction, so there is an urgent need to record and preserve them. This will be helpful to create environmentally benign, site-specific, commercially successful, and socially acceptable technologies.

Keyword: Animal husbandry; Dairy; Indigenous technical knowledge; North Bihar.