GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR SUCCESSFUL DAIRY  FARMING IN INDIA-A GRASSROOT LEVEL APPROACH

GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR SUCCESSFUL DAIRY  FARMING IN INDIA

Dr. Pushpendra Singh Rathore

Introduction

India is the largest milk producing country in the world and contributes more than 20% in world milk production. Annual milk production of India stands at 187.7 million tonnes (2019) and per capita availability of milk is 394g/day (2019). Dairy farming provides substantial supplementary income for rural livelihoods. Management is the key factor for success of any business and in dairy farming, the role of management is very important. The management practices constitute more than 70% percent of total cost incurred on milk production in dairy business.

 

Livestock  Management  Practices

Herd management practices in animal handling, sanitation, nutrition, milking procedures, and housing play major role in predisposing the individual animal as well as herds to diseases. Feeding, housing, rearing and health management plays a very significant role in realizing the full potential of dairy animals. This will ultimately help not only in identification of intervention points but also in optimizing the production of dairy animals.

These management practices can be enlisted as follows:

• Housing & Manure Management
• Fodder Production Management
• Nutrition Management
• Young ones Management
• Health Management
• Fertility Management
• Milk Production and Marketing Management
• General Hygiene and Biosecurity Management
• Dairy Farm Recording

 

Housing & Manure Management:-

Many of the farm management aspects such as feeding, breeding, milk production, disease control etc. are invariably influenced by the type of housing the farmer has for the dairy animals. Provision of proper housing is helpful in reducing the stress and also provides comfortable and hygienic conditions, which reduces the incidence of disease, reduces the parasitic load and provides good environment for optimum milk production.

Good practices may include–

• The focus should be on well-designed dairy animals housing, constructed with available local materials, with good air ventilation & lighting, well placed feeding troughs, walkways and resting stalls, comfortable lying surfaces and non-slip walking surfaces, etc.
• Shed should be constructed in East West direction and animals are tied in North south direction. This will protect the animals from sunrays , excessive heat, unwanted weather and air flow will be optimum.
• Animal needs a soft bedding, which is kept clean and non-slippery.
• There are two types of housing system commonly in use for dairy animals: loose housing and closed housing. In loose housing, animals are usually kept in an open paddock in groups of 40 to 50 throughout the day and night, except during milking and for some other specific purposes like treatment and breeding, when the animals are required to be tied. This housing system generally provides a continuous manger along with covered standing space, an open paddock which is enclosed by a brick wall or railing and a common water trough. Separate housing structures, including calf pens, milking byres, calving pens, bull pens etc., are normally required for this system. This system is ideal for areas of low rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana Rajasthan, Western U.P. and parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In other places this system can be used with modifications to protect animals from excessive rain. Such houses are cheap to construct, congenial to efficient management, not prone to fire hazards, and help promote clean milk production.
• In closed (tie) housing, the animals are tied in one place, and milking and other routine operations are carried out at this place. This system provides greater protection during winter, but the construction cost is high and the system compromises the welfare of the animals. It is not recommended as animals should not be tied continuously.
• The farm needs to have well integrated manure collection and discharge/use mechanism. Manure is a natural fertilizer and source of energy. Hence, it needs to be managed well. Succulent fodder can be raised utilizing’ this otherwise wasted resource. The imbalances in nutrition can thus be resolved with the adequate supply of roughages.

 

Fodder Production Management:-

It includes all agronomic practices for fodder production, conservation, storage and feed supply. It includes selection of forage species, harvesting and feeding at proper stage, making sure the year round availability.

Good practices may include–

• Select the seeds of high yielding varieties or hybrids of fodder crops.
• Choose suitable crop rotation.
• Short duration fodder crops can be selected.
• Use legume as an inter-crop or as mixed crop with a non-legume crop to enhance the nutritional value of fodder and improve soil fertility. Cereal forages (Maize, Sorghum etc.) can also be used along with legumes.
• Plant perennial grasses like hybrid napier bajra/guinea grass in about 15 to 20 per cent of the cultivated area to get green fodder round the year.
• Plant tree fodders on farm boundaries to get green fodder during the lean period.
• Harvest the fodder at correct stage.
• Adopt modern practices like hay or silage making to overcome the problems raised in scarcity period.
• Use chaff-cutter to minimize the fodder wastage.

 

Nutrition Management:-

Insufficient feeding of dairy cattle/buffaloes results in substandard growth, delayed maturity, poor conception and less production. Feed is major variable cost that has direct influence on the quantity and cost of milk production, it requires careful management. The more nutrition we can provide inside the forages, the less concentrate we need to add, the cheaper the diet.

 

Good practices may include–

• New ration should always be introduced gradually. Nutritional requirements vary with the stage of Hence, feeding regime should vary accordingly.
• Make sure the diet contains appropriate proportion of Concentrates and roughage. Always look to supplement minerals from available sources.
• After calving it may be beneficial to feed laxative feed such as cooked wheat (Daliya) or wheat bran for the first few days. Feeding management during early postpartum should focus on attaining higher peak milk production and better persistency. This could be achieved by feeding the animal with higher energy diets and by maximizing dry matter intake. After peak milk production, feeding should be based on the level of milk production.
• A combination of leguminous and non-leguminous fodders is best to meet the maintenance and production requirement of a cow or buffalo.
• The ratio of leguminous and non-leguminous fodders may be maintained at 50:50. Moderate levels of milk can be sustained on a suitable combination of green and dry fodders supplemented with concentrates.
• When feeding a mixture of straw and green fodders, it is desirable to mix 1 kg of straw with every 4-5 kg of chaffed (chopped) green fodder for each 100 kg body weight. The feed intake of moderate yielding lactating cows is about 3 to 3.5kg dry matter per 100 kg body weight.
• Dry matter intake in high yielding animals can be 4% of body weight or higher. For optimum results the protein content of the total ration should be adjusted to 13-14%.
• Leguminous fodder (like berseem, lucerne) contains about 12-14% crude protein, non-leguminous fodder (like maize, sorghum, oats, grasses) contains about 7-8% protein. Wheat and paddy straws contain only 3-4% crude protein. The crude protein content of the concentrate mixture should be selected to provide an appropriate protein level in the total ration.
• Roughage must be chaffed. However, very fine chaffing should be avoided, as it is likely to affect the regurgitation process adversely.
• The grain portion of concentrates should be crushed, otherwise part of it may pass through undigested in the faeces.
• It is desirable to moisten the concentrate mixture and mix it with straw before feeding.
• Plentiful clean drinking water must be provided to milk cows at all times.
• Feeding green fodder improves health, fertility, milk production and is highly digestible and palatable.

 

Young ones Management:-

Sufficient young stock reduces the need for purchase of new stock of animals, thereby reducing the risk of contracting diseases and thereby improving the profitability and sustainability.

Good practices may include–

• Calves must be born under hygienic conditions. Mortality of calves (up to 1month) should be kept below 5% by proper practices including adequate feeding.
• Calving animal must be provided with a clean dry area.
• Clean nostrils and mouth which helps the calf breathe better and help prevent future breathing problems. Allow the mother to lick the calf clean which promotes circulation within the calf’s body and prepares the calf to stand up and walk.
• Cut the navel leaving two to three inches from the stalk, squeeze out the contents, dip the navel in tincture of iodine and tie it off using clean thread to prevent local infection. Care should be repeated until the navel has dried out. It is important for prevention of navel-ill, joint-ill and calf scour.
• A new born calf should be given 2 litres of colostrum within the first 2 hours of birth and 1-2 litres (based on size) within 12 hours of birth.
• For calves separated from their mothers, feed whole milk/milk replacer twice or preferably thrice a day in amounts sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements. A standard allowance is 10% of body weight up to 56 days, 20% up to 65 days and 40% up to 75 days, after which whole milk can be discontinued.
• Start training the calf to take concentrate and roughage after one week of age. Solid food stimulates rumen development. In the pen, clean water must be available at all times.
• Disbudding (removal of horn buds) should be avoided if possible. If it is necessary, it should preferably be done within a week and not later than two weeks after birth by a veterinary surgeon/trained person using a hot iron/electric dehorner under anaesthesia and with pain control afterwards.
• Dehorning (removal of horns later in life after they are fully formed) is traumatic and should not be practiced except on veterinary advice.
• If castration is necessary, it should preferably be done within a week and not later than two months after birth. Pain relief should be applied.
• Take adequate precautionary measures to prevent navel-ill, diarrhoea (scours) and respiratory infection (pneumonia) in calves which are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in calves.
• As the calf may start nibbling solid feed in the second week of life, good quality green fodder may be offered early in life. In addition, concentrate mixture at the rate of 1 kg per 100 kg of body weight can be offered from the first month.
• De-worming should be done within 10-14 days of age subsequently on a monthly basis up to the 6th month. When the animal is 3 months old, contact the veterinarian for vaccination.
• Calf should have a separate pens and should constructed with good natural ventilation against heat stress and also protection from any severe cold weather conditions. Permanent identification of each calf (with an ear tag) and good record keeping will always benefit the farmer in the long run.
• Heifers A heifer is a female animal from one year of age up to first calving. On most dairy farms 20%-25% of the cows are replaced every year with freshly calved heifers, so proper nutrition and management are necessary to provide healthy and genetically superior herd. Weaned heifers require a balanced diet of quality roughages and concentrates. The feeding varies with the age of the calf. Well-reared heifers will show signs of heat early. Under Indian conditions the goal should be to have heifers that calve at an average of about 30 months in crossbreds, 36 months in indigenous cows as well as in buffaloes.

 

Health Management:-

It is very important to ensure the optimal care and well-being of dairy animal and to reduce losses in productivity caused by disease and mismanagement. It is important to regularly monitor animal’s health condition and detect health problems before they become economically significant.

The most effective routine procedures which can be used are:

• Increase the amount of feed available during the cooler period of the day, early morning or late evening.
• Shades, fans, fog misters and sprinklers can be used to alleviate heat stress of high producing cows
• Feeding of antioxidants (vitamin A, & E Zinc etc ) reduce heat stress and prevent mastitis.
• Bedding should be provided to protect them from cold floor.
• Regular vaccination programme and screening of herd against diseases.
• Promote resistance in animals that might be exposed to potentially infectious agents through good nutrition and active immunization.
• Regular deworming programme and other measures to control external and internal parasites.
• Maintenance of health, production and reproduction records of all animals in the herd.
• Mastitis control programme: mastitis is one of the major causes of economic losses in crossbred dairy herds in India.
• Regular examination of cows with breeding or calving problems.
• Planned programme of calf health care.
• Isolation of diseased animal.
• Quarantine of purchased animal.

 

Fertility Management:-

Good fertility management helps in sustainability, efficiency and profitability of dairy farm. Good fertility management means dairy animal must come in heat at right time and get in-calving mode as quickly as possible.

Good practices may include–

• Identifying which animals are on heat and accordingly the nutritive requirement for reproduction should be adequately supplied.
• Accurate record on the reproductive status of each cattle/buffalo is essential for efficient fertility management. Milking cows need to be well fed to rebreed.
• Best practices may include observation of standing heat (Cow standing to be mounted, Vulvar discharge, Vulvar lips thickening)
• “Morning-Evening” rule for breeding, if a cattle/buffalo comes in standing heat in the morning, than insemination can be planned in the evening , if a cattle/buffalo comes in standing heat in the evening than insemination can be planned  for next morning.

 

Milk Production and Marketing Management:-

Attention to hygiene will ensure high quality milk produced from healthy animals this will leads to economical gain to dairy farmers.

Good practices may include–

• The milking area should be cleaned after every milking, using fresh water and a mild disinfecting solution so that it is dry before the next milking.
• In hand milking, the danger of contamination coming from the milker is higher as compared with machine milking. The milker should therefore be free from contagious diseases Nails should be well trimmed. One should wear clean clothes and should wash her/his hands with soap.
• Managing the hygiene of milking equipment and utensils for clean milk production.
• Washing udder, teats and flank of the animal with clean water preferably disinfectant. Wiping with a clean cloth. Pre-dipping of at least three-quarters of each teat with a sanitizing solution such as 0.5% iodine should be done for a period of 30 seconds before milking, which ensures thorough sanitization of teats and improves milk quality. After pre-dipping the teats should be dried with a single use cloth.
• Checking for mastitis Foremilk the cows by drawing one or two streams of milk carefully from each teat into a strip cup. The first milk drawn is always higher in leukocytes and bacteria and should be discarded. Also, this practice of removing 1 or 2 streams of milk is a quick screening test for abnormal milk. Milk containing flakes, strings, blood or other signs of abnormality probably indicates mastitis and should be discarded. Care must be taken that the milk is not fore-stripped on the floor, as this can be a source of infection for other animals and workers.
• Clean milk production prevents milk spoilage in short period and increase the quality and shelf life of the milk and its products.
• Keep the milk refrigerated or in a cool place after milking. Milk should be delivered to the market as soon as possible.

 

General Hygiene and Biosecurity Management:-

Biosecurity procedures are basically meant to control and avoid the introduction of new infectious agents into the farm as well as to keep the spread of any disease in check among animals of herd.

Good practices may include—

• The farm should be enclosed by fences, canals, ditches or natural vegetation to limit the entry of disease carrying animals.
• New animals should be checked for tuberculosis, Johne’s disease and brucellosis etc.
• Persons suffering from an illness or being a carrier of a disease which could contaminate the milk, must not carry out milking or handle milk.
• Strictly control the entry of personnel and maintain an appropriate hygiene barrier around the farm, e.g. foot baths at entry/exit points and boots/shoes for visitors on larger units.
• All personnel should have clean hands; wear clean clothing and carryout clean practices. Adequate hand washing facilities and a hygienic method of hand drying should be available close to the milking area.
• Milking person should be free from infectious diseases.
• Dead animals should be removed immediately and disposed of in a sanitary/scientific manner, to avoid the risk of spreading infection.

 

Dairy Farm Recording:-

Record keeping is a necessary element of good dairy management. They provide up to date information for decision making at different level and aspects of the farm. Helps in overall better supervision and management  of herd. Assists in determining the income and expenditure (economics) of dairy farm and are quite useful in estimating the cost of milk production.

Records may include–

• Animal Identification/history record – To evaluate overall herd reproduction and determining the age of heifers at first heat. Provides information to compare genetic lines.
• Breeding Record – It will help the farmer to improve his/her breeding management by knowing when a cow should deliver a calf; highlighting poor insemination or bull services; establishing breeding dates and feeding programs; identifying calf, sire and dams.
• Milk Production record– Accounting of milk production from an individual cow and a herd. It also helps in determining the type of feeding strategy to follow.
• Feeding record – These includes type of feed, quantity of feed, purchased feed price, quantity of feed in take (average and total quantity)
• Young stock record – It includes calf number, sex of the calf, sire number, dam number, birth weight, weaning weight, weight at calving, age at weaning, age at first service, age at first calving etc.
• Financial record – It is very important in providing the farmer with information concerning the profitability of his/her farm. It include dairy farm asset, income/revenue, expenditure and sales records.

By following good management practices, dairy farming can cater to the financial stability needs of vast array of both rural and urban milk producing farmers thereby effectively catering to the ever growing milk demand of larger populations.

Different types of Key performance Indicators can be analyzed to evaluate the efficiency and profitability of dairy farm:

• Conception Rate
• Average age at first calving
• Average calving interval
• Average age at first service / heat
• Average milk production per cow per day
• Average lactation length per cow
• Farm total milk production per day/month/year
• Feed cost to total farm expenditure
• Gross/Net income

 

Conclusion

Dairy farming is a decision-intensive enterprise on a daily basis that requires holistic approach to maintain a profitable system that is influenced and governed by different factors such as consumers, environmental impacts, and product quality. Effective management of a dairy farm circles around individual animal apart from herd management, since the production unit in the dairy is the individual animal itself.

 

References:

www.dahd.nic.in

Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, DAHD&F, GoI (2019).

Handbook of Good husbandry practices, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), 2018-19.

FAO and IDF. 2011. Guide to good dairy farming practice. Animal Production and Health Guidelines. No. 8. Rome.

 

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                                                                                              Dr. Pushpendra Singh Rathore

 

M.V.Sc (Veterinary Microbiology), MBA (MANAGE)

Veterinary Officer, Dept. of Animal Husbandry, Gov. of Raj.

Mob No: 7427857231; Email Id : pushpvet@gmail.com