Good Management Practices for Successful Dairy farming in India
Dairy farming from being a traditional family-run business, today has grown hugely to an organized dairy industry with technological specializations in every part of the process. We have seen tremendous growth in dairy farming equipment that helps modern dairy farms to manage thousands of dairy cows and buffaloes. This huge boost in the industry has created a lot of farming jobs for the people. But many of the dairy farms still manage and run organic dairy farms mostly in villages and supply the milk to get processed by large companies and finally sell to the retail outlets. Anyone opting to go in for dairy farming must have a genuine love for the welfare of cows and buffaloes as dairying require long hours of tiring and harsh work without there being any holiday. Further to be a successful dairy farmer one must have good knowledge about all aspects of scientific management of dairy animals as well as management of the dairy business. The selection, breeding, feeding, management, housing and healthcare requirements of high grade crossbred cows and genetically superior buffaloes are different in many respects from our traditional methods of cattle rearing. The best approach is to create and run a sustainable dairy farm that gives maximum profits to the farm and also takes care of the effects of dairy farms on environments and animals for a longer period.
Space/Shelter Requirements of Dairy Farming Animals:
All the animals require shelter for protection and comfort. They can perform better under favourable environmental conditions. The housing of animals need initial capital to the extent the dairy farmers can afford. The animals are to be protected from high and low temperature, strong sunlight, heavy rainfall, high humidity, frost, snowfall, strong winds, ectoparasite, and endoparasites. The comfortable temperature range for dairy breeds of cattle, buffaloes, and goats is 15°C to 27°C. Climatic stress occurs when the temperature goes 50C below or above this range. High humidity combined with high temperature causes more stress to animals in tropics. Rainfall in cold climate also causes stress in the temperate zone. Strong winds further aggravate the conditions both in tropics and temperate climate. Several techniques are available to provide relief from hot weather conditions for lactating dairy cows. In tropical and sub-tropical climates, the well-ventilated shed is a necessity at points of high heat stress, such as feed barns, holding areas.
Dairy Breeds of India:
As part of dairy farming set up, you must be careful while selecting the quality dairy breed for the purpose. India is a rich repository of bubaline genetic resources.
1.Murrah Buffalo
2. Nili Ravi Buffalo
3. Bhadawari Buffalo
4. Jafarabadi Buffalo
5. Surti Buffalo
6. Mehsana Buffalo
7. Nagpuri Buffalo
8. Local Non-Descript Buffaloes Under Low to Medium Input Production System.
Fodder Management of the Dairy Farm:
Following the main Feed Contents:
1. Maize
2. Jowar Sorghum Bicolor
3. Bajra or Pearl Millet Pennisetum Typhoides
4. Teosinte Euchlaena Mexicana Schrad
5. Cowpea Vigna Unigiculata
6. Berseem Trifolium Alexandrinum L
7. Oats Avena Sativa
Daily Dairy Farm Management:
This should be daily practice at the livestock/dairy farms for proper disposal of farm waste including dung, urine and waste fodder etc, to improve the farm hygiene and to reduce the odour problems on dairy farms, including proper selection of a farm site, general farm management and manure land application techniques, and treatment of manure by chemical or other means.
Disease Control and Management:
Tick infestation is one of the major constraints in the tropical environment for dairy, Goat, Sheep & other domestic animals. Tick also spread many parasitic diseases in animals & human beings. Including that it sucks blood from animals, so the animal may not able to produce well (Milk, Meat, etc). It also produces skin diseases. There are major things to be considered while controlling ticks- Farmers used to chemical control against ticks but it is unidirectional means they spray insecticide on the body of animals, this will kill ticks or other ectoparasites but could not control ticks or another ectoparasite in hiding surrounding/vicinity. Eg: ticks may hide in cracks, Crevices in animals shed. It also hides under the stone, Boulders, Dampened areas, Waste material places in & around animals shed. Ticks are very hardy against harsh climatic situations. It is assumed that one tick may lay 1500 eggs per cycle. So consider these things, farmers should do the following things:
Clean animals shed & surrounding prior to controlling animal shed. Remove the stubble or waste material which may act as a hiding ground for ticks.
Remove or plaster the cracks & crevices of the wall of animals shed.
Remove weeds & stubbles 15 to 20 feet around the animals shed.
If possible burn the walls as well as hiding grounds of ticks with a fame gun with proper precaution. Spray recommended insecticides under the supervision of veterinarian on the animal body as well as an animal shed on the same day.
If the infestation of ticks is severe, then do spaying at regular interval like 15 to 29 days up to the control of ticks. Then do these practices of control at regular 3-4 months interval. Especially prior to monsoon & after September month (Initiation of winter season).
There are few chemical insecticides which are used in controlling ticks:
Butox
Ektomin
Clinar
Tik Kill
Taktik
Cythion
Do not use Benzene Hexachloride powder (BHC), DDT for control of ectoparasite as it is banned & not disintegrated for many years in the environment.
In an organic way, a highly concentrated solution of common salt is used to control ticks but it has limited success.
Calf Management:
Care and management immediately after calving:
Cleaning the udder and hindquarters of cattle.
Mucus removal from the face and nostrils of calf and induction of respiration.
Allowing the calf to suck the colostrum.
Naval cord ligation.
Watching of the cow for placenta expulsion.
Essential requirements in calf housing:
Dry bedding
Well ventilated environment
A specific minimum cubic air capacity per calf
A draught free environment at calf level
Dr. Jitendra singh
Veterinary Officer, Department of Animal Husbandry Lucknow (U.P.)
