This webpage shows cattle messages which you can share with your neighbors. Invite them to see the animals on your farm so that they can see and learn from your experience.
When you want to rear cattle for beef fattening or milk production you need good housing for your animals.
Start your cattle rearing with healthy and productive animals.
Select animals of which the mother gave more milk.
Select animals with a healthy appearance.
If available use AI service.
Sheds and animals should always be kept clean.
If you maintain proper hygiene you prevent diseases and animals will grow and produce better.
Dairy cows and beef fattening cattle require concentrate feed.
Concentrate feed is a balanced mix of different ingredients. It has to supply the proper amount and proportions of nutrients for growth, maintenance, lactation or gestation.
You can use locally available ingredients to prepare balance feed.
An animal needs 1-2% of the body weight.
So an animal of 200 kg requires every day 2 to 4 kg of concentrated feed.
If your animals get enough concentrate feed they grow faster and produce more milk.
In addition to concentrate feed, animals also need green fodder. Green grass is a source of vitamins and mineral.
Cattle need to get 4% of their body weight in green grass.
So an animal of 200 kg needs 8 kg of green grass per day.
To be able to provide green fodder you can grow Napier, Para, Jamboo or German grass.
If animals get sufficient green fodder they will be healthier and more productive.
Cattle require an abundant supply of fresh and clean water. Preferably provide as much water as the animal wants to take.
If water is scarce, it is recommended to supply 1 liter of water for every 10 kg of live-weight of the cow plus 1.5 liters of water per 1 liter of milk produced.
So a cow of 300 kg live weight and milk yield of 10 kg a day needs 30 + 15 = 45 liters of water every day.
If animals get sufficient clean water they stay healthier and are more productive.
You need to know the weight of your animal to understand how much feed it requires.
You also need to know this when you want to sell the fatted animal.
Measure the Heart girth and length in inches.
For beef fattening, the animals need a diet that contains extra carbohydrates, proteins and minerals.
Urea Molasses Straw (UMS) can be used for quick fattening.
Mix these ingredients together and then keep it wrapped up in plastic for one hour.
Per 100 kg body weight an animal can be fed 2 kg UMS per day.
For fattening also make sure that animals can drink water as much as they want.
Beef fattening with UMS is especially profitable when you target to sell animals for Eid or other festivals.
There are several diseases that can make your animals sick.
Important cattle diseases are: Mastitis, Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Black Quarter (BQ), Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS), and Anthrax.
These diseases will reduce growth and milk production, or can even cause the animal to die.
Proper vaccination protects your animals from these diseases.
If you vaccinate your animals timely they will be healthier and more productive.
Find a Community Livestock Worker in your area who can provide vaccination services and advice.
Worms can infest the digestive system of your animals, especially the stomach, intestine and liver. Infested animals grow slower and produce less milk.
Regular de-worming (every 3 months) with chemical or herbal preparations can reduce the amount of parasites in your animals.
Provide DB vitamins to the animal after de-worming.
You should also regularly remove external parasites, such as ticks and lice.
If you keep your animals free of parasites they will be healthier, grow faster, and produce more milk.
Contact a Community Livestock Worker or livestock officers of DLS for de-worming medicines and advice.
Fresh milk life span is 4-5 hours only before it spoils.
You should try to sell fresh milk soon after milking.
You can also use your milk to produce ghee, cheese, cream, butter, or flavored curd.
Always clean and dry the utensils immediately after use.
Selling dairy products is more profitable than selling fresh milk.
Make sure that you are aware about all income and expenses. This helps you to calculate the profitability of your animals.
Write down the names and mobile numbers of persons who can provide more information about cattle rearing and dairy production.