Small-ScaleDairy Farming Manual |
Volume 2 |
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AND BUFFALO HOUSING |
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What should you know about husbandry in dairy cattle and buffalo housing?
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Why is clean housing important? (10-17)
1 Because clean housing improves the health of your cows and calves and the quality of your milk. |
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How can you handle manure? (18-23)
2 Keep manure away from your animals and use it for compost manure or biogas. |
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How can you handle feed and water? (24-36)
3 Keep feeders and drinkers clean and change feed and water often. |
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How can you handle insects? (37-42)
4 Keep flies and other insects away
by using netting and/or flypaper.
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How can you improve safety? (43-48) 5 Make sure floors, walls and fittings cannot harm your animals.
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page 165
How should you control your animals' environment?
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6 Make sure:
- it is clean |
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- and safe |
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- with few insects |
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- and good feed and water supplies.
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page 166
Why is clean housing important?
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10 Give your animals clean housing |
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11 and you have healthy cows and calves |
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12 good quality milk |
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13 and you earn more money. |
page 167
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14 If you give your animals dirty housing |
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15 you have dirty, unhealthy cows and calves |
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16 a lower yield of poor quality milk
with
- flies - high bacteria levels - a bad smell |
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17 and you earn less money.
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page 168
How can you handle manure?
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18 Keep manure away from your animals' area. |
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19 Remove manure from your cattle shed at least twice a day, before milking. |
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20 Take the manure to a storage site, for example a compost heap. |
page 169
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21 You can also store manure in a biogas tank or a storage tank underground. |
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23 If manure runs into your exercise area, worms
and other parasites can spread from animal to animal.
Your cows also get problems with their hooves. |
page 170
How can you handle feed?
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24 Remove old feed from feeders every day. |
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25 Clean troughs every day. |
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26 Concentrates quickly spoil or turn sour if you leave them too long in the feeder. |
page 171
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27 Never fill fresh concentrate on top of old. The old concentrate ferments and your cows become sick. |
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28 Always remove the old concentrate first. |
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29 Then fill with the fresh concentrate.
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page 172
How can you handle water?
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30 Cows need a lot of
water.
Give them as much water as they want to drink. |
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31 If your cow does not get enough water, she produces less milk or no milk at all. |
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32 Make sure drinking water for your cows is clean. |
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33 Empty out dirty water from drinkers
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page 173
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34 |
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35 and fill up with fresh water every day. |
page 174
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36 If drinking water is left dirty, your cows do not drink it, and produce less milk. |
How can you handle insects?
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37 Flies make your cows
uncomfortable.
Stress can reduce milk production. |
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38 Your cows are difficultto milk when flies disturb them. |
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39 Reduce fly breeding
by:
- proper disposal of wastes - keeping sheds clean. |
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40 Flycatching strips or flypaper
improve
the conditions
for your cows.
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page 175
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41 Mix sugar with an appropriate
insecticide and place in a small tin.
This will attract the flies and kill them. |
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42 Protect your cows from flies by using flyproof netting round the shed. |
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How can you improve safety?
43 Your cows cannot move easily
on slippery floors.
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44 They hurt themselves when they fall.
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page 176
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45 They can break their legs and then you have to slaughter them. |
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46 Make floors safe so that it is easy for cows to walk on them. |
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Make sure:
47 Your exercise area is free from anything which can injure your animals. |
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48 The electrical connections
are
safe.
A good living environment for your cows gives a good income for you in return.
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page 177
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page 178
