Any cattle farming business when done in a proper and in scientific manner with effective business plan leads to success. In almost every cattle keeping part of Uganda, cattle farmers are having lack of knowledge and also they are not aware of the latest methodology and technique due to which they are not succeeding in this business. Inorder to practically guide and help those who are novice or new in dairy farming and have keen interest to start dairy farm business in a profitable way, continue reading the following.
Remember that before stepping into this dairy farming business, you should mentally be prepared that you are going to dedicate your full effort and time to this and special 24×7 attention should be maintained throughout.
Dairy Farming Business Planning (For 10 – 15 Cows)
Basic requirement of Dairy farming
– Proper shed construction.
– Surplus area of land for cultivation of green fodder (1-2 acre of land is sufficient for 15 cows)
– Adequate water supply
– Good breed of cows (High yielding cows HF,Jersey, sahiwal etc)
– Fodder management (Dry fodder , green fodder and concentrate)
– Labour
– Proper vaccination schedule
Shed Construction
Well spacious and hygienic shed for cattle is needed for their good health. Let us take an example of 10 cows. It is scientifically recommended that 1 cow should have 7ft x 11 ft area and it also varies depending upon the size of animal. For 10 cows roughly we will construct 80 ft x 12ft of cow shed.
Cow shed are basically of two types :
– Closed housing
– Open housing
Open housing are not considered these days as we keep high milk yield animals which needs extra care. So generally we should use closed housing system.
Closed housing is further classified in two arrangements:
– Head to Head Arrangement
– Tail to Tail Arrangement.
In head to head arrangement animal feeder or menzer is constructed in between the shed with a separation wall in between so that the cow can be fed from both sides facing head to head each other.
On the other hand in tail to tail arrangement Feeder or menzer is constructed on either side of the shed so the cows are fed in tail to tail position.
Head to Head Arrangement is more ideal because it costs less as compare to tail to tail arrangement. In this arrangement feeder or menzer is one in between the shed.
Shed should be in some elevated area to avoid rainfall water to come inside. Special attention should be given in the flooring. The floor must be made of bricks and cement with proper inclination so that the urine or excrete can drain easily.
Proper Drainage system should be there to drain the urine on either side of the shed to avoid the stagnation.
So for shed construction choose area which has proper light and sun with little elevation from normal ground level. For construction use cement and bricks and asbestos sheet can be used as the roof of the shed.
Electricity and proper water supply is also needed for the high yield cows such as HF and jersey fan and cooler is also necessary during summer season.
Fodder Management:
Cattle health mainly depends upon the type and nutritional facts of the fodder. High milk yield cows must be given 1kg of concentrate in 2.5ltr of milk yield. If a cow yields 10 ltrs of milk then scientifically they should be provided with 4 kg of concentrate with mineral mixture. In fodder management we should know that there are three types of fodder what we give to the cattle.
– Dry fodder
– Green fodder
– Concentrate and mineral mixture.
Dry fodder:- Generally the dry fodder constitutes 2/3rd of the supplements.
Green fodder :- green fodder play vital role in animals health as it provides the essential nutrients required for good milk yield. We must have surplus area of land preferably 2 acre for 15 cows for green fodder cultivation.
Green fodder are basically leguminous crops they are gram, maize, etc. They are rich in protein and hence increase the fat percentage in the milk.
Mineral mixture :- It is essential that minerals concentrate given to the cattle to overcome the mineral deficiency. It is also required for the good health of the cattle.
So for ideal food for the 1 cow should be in precise proportion of dry fodder , green fodder and mineral mixture with concentrate.
Adequate water supply :
Proper water supply is very much needed for the cattle to drink, cleaning of cow and shed etc.
Breed selection of cow :
Right breed selection is very much important in the dairy farming. As the profit is totally dependent on the milk yield of the cow. For breed selection we must take care of the breed which is adapted to our climatic condition and their milk yielding capability. For this we suggest the cross breed of Holstein fresian(HF) with sahiwal or Jersey with sahiwal
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