Care and Management of Milking/Milch Animals:
- Housing:
- Space Requirements: Each cow needs about 5 x 1.2 meters of barn space, with 1.5 x 1.2 meters for standing and 0.6 to 0.7 meters for feeding space.
- Pen Location: The milking shed should be elevated and located near the calf pen and milk collection room for convenience.
- Flooring: Use hard, impervious, non-slippery flooring with a slope for proper drainage.
- Ventilation and Protection: Ensure the shed is well-ventilated and protects cows from rain, strong sunlight, and winds.
- Manger: Each cow should have a separate manger to avoid competition for food.
- Feeding:
- Production Goals: Feeding should be planned to achieve peak milk production within 2-3 months of lactation and ensure mature body weight by the second lactation.
- Roughage: Include both green and dry fodders in the diet to ensure balanced nutrition.
- Green Legumes and Dry Fodder: When feeding green legumes, provide dry fodder alongside to prevent bloat and ensure adequate dry matter intake.
- Feeding Interval: Maintain a 2-hour gap between coarse roughage and concentrate to enhance digestibility.
- Concentrate Feeding: Typically, concentrates are given at milking time to stimulate milk letdown.
- Concentrate Dosage: For indigenous cows, give 1 kg of concentrate per 2.5-3 kg of milk. For buffaloes and crossbreds, it’s 1 kg per 2-2.5 kg of milk.
- Minerals: Ensure concentrates contain sufficient calcium and phosphorus for optimal health.
- Pelleted Feed: Pellets are preferred over mash feed for easier consumption and less waste.
- Challenge Feeding: Slightly increase concentrate intake about 15 days post-calving to promote milk production.
- Soaking Concentrates: Soak or sprinkle concentrates with water before feeding to reduce dust and prevent respiratory issues.
- Management:
- Gentle Handling: Always handle milking cows with care and kindness to avoid stress.
- Milking Hygiene: Clean the cow and milking shed before each milking session.
- Grooming: Groom the cow 2 hours before milking to avoid contamination from hair, dust, or dung.
- Udder Hygiene: Wipe the udder with an antiseptic solution before milking.
- Milking Technique: Milk gently, quickly, and completely using the correct technique to minimize stress and maximize yield.
- Avoid Excitement: Keep the cow calm before and during milking to prevent milk letdown issues.
- Anti-Kicking Devices: Use devices like anti-kicking straps for safety during milking.
- Regular Milking Schedule: Stick to consistent milking times with uniform intervals. Milking twice a day is standard, but cows producing more than 10 liters per day can benefit from three milkings, boosting production by 10-15%.
- Health Monitoring: Inspect cows daily for health issues and perform routine mastitis testing.
- Disease Testing: Test cows annually for diseases like tuberculosis, Johne’s, and Brucellosis.
- Drying Off: Dry cows 60 days before the expected calving date to prepare them for the next lactation cycle.
- Vaccination and Deworming: Follow a regular schedule for vaccinations and deworming.
- Parasite Control: Regularly spray insecticides to manage ectoparasites and prevent infestations.
