Feeding a total mixed ration tmr that contains all the feeds and nutrients the cow needs is an effective, efficient and profitable way to feed dairy cows. Fibrestarch sugar mineral mineral ureaprotein protein rumen bacteria metabolism energy bypass bypass. Milk yield per cow and the cost of feed to produce milk have by far the greatest influence on profitability in a dairy operation. This problem can addressed if farm byproducts such as maize stover, millet and sorghum stovers are treated for utilization by cattle. Paulino damiano, trees kenya country coordinator, 2015 i used to struggle to feed my 3 dairy cows and 6 dairy goats now i have sufficient fodder leaves. Feeding spineless cactus to cattle for drought resilience. Dairy cattle feeding and nutrition management training manual 1. Managing tmr daily can make sure your cows receive enough nutrients for good health, milk production and reproduction. The kenyan dairy sector kenya s dairy industry is private sector driven. Feeding dairy cows for efficient production involves supplying five classes of nutrients in appropriate amounts. Dairy cows require a balanced diet for milk production, body maintenance and good health.
The sector is dynamic with high growth figures of marketed milk and investments by dairy societies and. Cost, availability and the necessity to acquire better quality breeds with the. On dairy farms, feed is the largest single cost of production. Proper feeding and good balanced rations remain the cornerstone of a successful dairy operation. Next to corn, cottonseed is almost natures perfect food for dairy cows it has high levels of protein, fat, and fiber. The economic impact of animal health issues is well known. No dairy cow, no matter how good the breed, can remain productive without proper management, especially feeding. Combining both adequate development and early age at calving has several. When cows space their feed consumption out over the day, they may spend more time lying down ruminating and the rumen microbes or bugs are more productive. If you plan to raise capital from investors, you need a good. Paulino damiano, trees kenya country coordinator, 2015. An ideal dairy cattle produces roughly around 8,500 to 10,000 kiloliters of milk per annum while a good holstein freshian cow is presumed to have 12 to 15 lactation. So feeding a cow, actually means feeding the bacteria. It accounts for the largest share of agricultural enterprises contributing more than 40% of the agricultural gdp and 10% of the total gdp.
A cow is a factory that utilises quality grass or other roughage to give milk. Kinuthia makes his animal feeds and prepares silage that can last for at least eight months. Dried distillers grains, or ddg, are a byproduct from making ethanol from corn. Its absolutely a part of agriculture or animal husbandry, enterprise for long term milk production from cows. Roughages alone cannot provide all the required nutrients, especially in early lactation.
For a healthy and productive cow, feed rations should have a balance of quantity, quality, amounts of concentrates, protein, mineral and vitamins. People are raising dairy cows for milk production from the ancient time. If you get feeding right, you should not have any problems getting your desired milk yeild. Total mixed ration is a blend of all of the constituents of a ration fed to a.
Formulating dairy cow rations university of minnesota. The amount of capital required for cattle fattening business depends on the scale of the cattle pen fattening project. Dairy cow behavior and impact on dairy cattle nutrition management 2. The dairy industry accounts for 4% of the countrys gdp.
Feeding total mixed rations university of minnesota. Feeding dairy cows well for high milk yields the organic. Evaluating how well the feeding program has worked and implement changes to improve the program, if necessary. We provide direct education throughout the state of minnesota with resources to make smart feed and supplement choices for your herd. Bacteria can also use nonprotein nitrogen urea to produce protein for the cow. Calf and heifer feeding schedule colostrum either dams or mixed colostrum from first milking of older cows fed to calves as soon after birth as possible ideally within 30 minutes and certainly within 4 hours protects against disease. The key to unlock the potential of kenya s dairy sector lies with the improvement of feed and forage. Feeding is a very important part of a dairy farming business.
Farmers perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding. Dairy cow ownership and child nutritional status in kenya charles. A survey conducted by smallholder dairy project sdp asserts that there are approximately 6. Starting cattle fattening farming business plan pdf. In 2008 and 2009, a central new york organic dairy farm was used for a case study on feeding molasses.
Ultimately, how you feed your cows determines how healthy they will be and how much milk they will be able to produce in the lactation phase. With high feed price, there is a tendency to cut back on the amount of concentrate feeds. Balancing rations for heifers, dry cows and milking cows 3. Rumination and the fermentation which takes place in the rumen allows dairy cows ruminants to turn low. Livestock ownership in kenya currently supports the livelihood of an estimated 700 million small holder farmers. The bulk of dairy cattle feed is from natural forage, cultivated fodder and crop byproducts. This lesson particularly highlights the necessary information which you will require to feed your dairy cow so that all the aspects of health, as.
I increase efficiency, effectiveness and inclusiveness of the dairy value chain ii promote innovative models that address systemic issues in the sector. Feeding, care and management of dairy calves and heifers by j. Random effects can then be merged with the error term, and the appropriate. All you need to know about feeding your cow for maximum productivity friday august 7 2015 sarah mwangi feeds her dairy cows on march, 2014 on. One of the major reasons for low animal productivity is the shortage of feeds and fodder and poor quality. A dairy cow should consume 1520kg of chopped forage per day.
Closeup and recently fresh cows should have 30 inches of bunk. Profitable feeding programs for dairy cattle progressive. When balancing rations, the reference cow should be at the 75th percentile of the herd. Introduction over the last decades an enormous amount of research has been done into the ways in which livestock use feed to maintain life, to grow, to reproduce and to produce all of. The reason that the freshian is considered the best dairy cows in kenya is that out of the five best breeds, it yields the highest milk quantities per lactation. Fresh fodder should be fed after a days wilt, chopped into 2 inch pieces to enable the cow feed easily and minimise wastage. This now has changed from ample land farming and storage to high compression of silage baling. They fed a combination of 3 pounds of molasses and 1 pound of a cornbarley mix, with kelp and minerals offered free choice in. By so doing the farmers may save on the feed cost and may lose more by milk production lost as cows respond by producing. Dairy meal is often expensive, and may not be costeffective, especially if the quality is substandard and the farmer has to pay transport costs. Livestock kenya how to utilize maize stover as animal feed. Nddb recognises that dairy farmers need to be equipped to take care of their animals through better management, nutrition, feed, fodder and preventive healthcare. Dairy animals are highly sensitive to changes in feeding regimes, and production can fall dramatically with small variations on a daytoday basis.
Cattle feeding and nutrition tractor supply company. Feeding routines and feed quality on smallscale dairy farms in. This study examines the hypothesis that dairy cow ownership improves child. By combining the research capacity of kari and ilri with the experience.
How to feed a dairy cow for more milk daily nation. Dairy farming in kenya is a flourishing sector with more than a million small scale dairy farmers rearing over 3. The most important constraint in dairy cattle production in kenya is the quantity and quality of feed offered to the animals. Although silage may also be fed here but often it is fed outside in feed bunks of paved yards. How to feed a dairy cow for high milk production bizna kenya. Common animal feeds available and 18 their feeding value 8. Testing forages to determine their nutrient content 2. Silage production a kenya marketled dairy program snv. Johns, and sharon franklin as the future productive units of a dairy herd, heifers represent a substantial financial investment in feed and labor. Moreover, small scale dairy farming in kenya has offered employment opportunities to more than eight hundred thousand individuals in the country thereby upgrading.
Dairy cow farming means raising highly milk productive cows commercially for milk production purpose. A good farmer should set a good feeding schedule and as much as possible adhere to it. Challenges facing pastoral farming systems in kenya livestock is an important livelihood resource in the pastoral farming systems of kenya. Feeding,care and management of dairy calves and heifers. Concentrates are therefore included to supplement roughages. Kenya marketled dairy programme field day held at nundoroto agricultural contractors eldoret to showcase professional land preparation for.
To contribute to the development of a vibrant private sector drive dairy sector with beneficiaries across the value chain objectives. Feeding the dairy cow key fact concentrate supplementation is not economic for animals with low genetic merit for milk production in the main grazing season. In order of descending priority, the nutrients are used for purposes of life maintenance, growth, reproduction and production. A short guide to feeding practices of dairy cattle. This handbook by national dairy development board nddb reiterates its commitment to the dairy farmers of india. The objective of feeding dairy cows should be to attain a high level of milk production.
Sources of capital include bank loans, and equity investors. Commercial dairy meal is produced by mixing different feeds so that the final feed is relatively high in protein about 16% and has a good but not overly high amount of energy. Kenya marketled dairy programme farmers field day on. Zephaniah njiru, dairy farmer, kenya, 2015 tree leaves can offset the cost of cattle feed by 100%. In this lesson you will learn about different types of dairy cows, feeding dairy cows in kenya and how to maintain them. Startup capital is needed for constructing the feedlots, buying the cattle, buying the stock feeds e. A users manual for conducting child nutrition surveys in developing. The projected demand for green and dry fodder by 2000 ad is estimated at about 949 and 16 million tons, respectively. If feed is available at all times cows can get by with 18 inches of bunk space.
The kenya dairy development program kddp is a usaidfunded programme. Feed is digested by bacteria before it goes to the other stomachs and the intestines. Poor quality, mouldy feeds reduce palatability hence dry matter intake. Feed costs are about 70% of total operating costs for animals, so decreasing equals significant income concentrate supplementation for lactating cows has been proved as successful by many smallholder farmers the use of local feed resources to reduce production cost should be more a primary concern for dairy farmers. A dairy cow should consume 1520kg of chopped forage per day preferably in two splits, one in the morning and the other in the evening. This timeless feed and nutrition article details four steps for developing a sound nutritional program. Dairy cattle feeding and nutrition management training manual.
How to make your own dairy meal at home cheaply bizna kenya. Feeding productivity of dairy animals is to a large extent dependent on how well it is fed. The animals should have adequate water at all times so the animal can take as much as it needs. Tretsven, extension dairy specialist the development of a highproducingherd of dairy cows depends largely upon how the animals are bred and raised. Dairy farmers training manual, ministry of livestock development, nairobi, kenya. Commercial dairy cow farming business is not a new idea. Dairy nutrition university of minnesota extension dairy team is passionate about contented, productive cows and happy farmers. Bacteria use the nutrients in the feed to produce nutrient for the cow energy, protein. National dairy development board handbook of good dairy. Developed at the industrys best research farm by our ph.
Dairy cattle produce about 70 percent of total national milk output more than 3 billion litres. What should you know about feeding dairy cattle and buffalo. Feeding and managing baby calves from birth to 3 months of age donna m. This is the fifth lesson of our dairy farming course and it is about feeding. Dairy farming in kenya where to buy graded dairy cows in. If a dairy is to be successful, the dairymen must continually strive to adopt practices. Pdf feeding dairy cattle in east africa title researchgate. Currently, the level of milk production is about 5 billion litres against an estimated consumption of 7. Practical considerations in feeding dairy cows written by maurice rangoma. The farm used was a seasonally calving, crossbred herd milking 56 cows the first year and 66 cows the second year.
Nutrition and feeding management in dairy cattle hanoi 2009 second edition practical manual for small scale dairy farmers in vietnam composed and published by distributed by. All you need to know about feeding your cow for maximum. Dairy cows, he said, thrive based on the quality of feeds they consume and the time they are fed. Studies at michigan state suggested that cows ate ten or more times a day when feed was in front of them at all times. Dairy cows should be managed to encourage them to eat many meals a day. It is the largest agricultural subsector and contributes 4% to gdp kdb, moalf 2012.
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