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. How to feed a dairy cow for more milk daily nation. The bulk of dairy cattle feed is from natural forage, cultivated fodder and crop byproducts. Moreover, small scale dairy farming in kenya has offered employment opportunities to more than eight hundred thousand individuals in the country thereby upgrading. Friesian and ayrshire dairy cows, incalf heifers and calves for sale. Next to corn, cottonseed is almost natures perfect food for dairy cows it has high levels of protein, fat, and fiber. E owen, t smith, ma steele, s anderson, aj duncan, m herrero, jd leaver, ck reynolds, ji richards and jc kuvera, pp. Chapter 28 feeding maize silage to kenyan dairy cattle. Cows eat best in the grazing positions and the bunk surface should be smooth. Practical considerations in feeding dairy cows written by maurice rangoma. Dry fodder, green fodder and feed concentrate for extra nutrition are required to feed the cows in your dairy. How to feed a dairy cow for high milk production bizna kenya. A model dairy farm with lessons to beginners success story of itiri dairy farm in central imenti. Milk safety related legislatyion and standards 36 7.
How i made my eight cows offer six times more daily nation. The farm used was a seasonally calving, crossbred herd milking 56 cows the first year and 66 cows the second year. Corn silage serves as a highenergy forage for dairy cows. The basic difference between humans and cows is how our stomachs function. Kenyas dairy cattle population make up at least 70% of the total in eastern and southern africa, a major factor contributing to the per capita milk availability of about 106 kg in kenya table 1 compared to only 2040 kg milk per capita in most neighbouring countries. This is accepted because to get cows that milk well and remain healthy, they have to be fed properly. Chapter 28 feeding maize silage to kenyan dairy cattle written by mr. This is most important for highproducing herds and on farms experiencing problems with making or buying high quality hay crop forage. On average, dairy cows need more than 60 litres of water in a day. Currently, the level of milk production is about 5 billion litres against an estimated consumption of 7.
With high feed price, there is a tendency to cut back on the amount of concentrate feeds. 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. Corn silage, with its relatively highenergy content, is also well adapted for use in. This helps the animal increase milk production and to maintain its body condition.
Cows should have all the feed they want, when they want to eat it. The ration should contain all essential nutrients at the right amounts and proportion. Dairy cow farming means raising highly milk productive cows commercially for milk production purpose. Nddb recognises that dairy farmers need to be equipped to take care of their animals through better management, nutrition, feed, fodder and preventive healthcare. Periodically, the standards are updated to encompass the most current research information available. As regards to the smallholder dairy supply chain, kmdp works with 19 dairy societies across kenyas major milksheds, with. Fodder as cows need three types of fodder for best milk yield and high fat content, you must have good fodder management from growing fodder to feeding fodder on daily basis. By so doing the farmers may save on the feed cost and may lose more by milk production lost as cows respond by producing. Livestock kenya practical considerations in feeding dairy cows. In dairy production, feeding is one of the very important management practices to consider. This is the fifth lesson of our dairy farming course and it is about feeding. Dairy development in kenya food and agriculture organization of. Dairy cow behavior and impact on dairy cattle nutrition management 2. Population of milk animals and percentage contributions to annual milk production 2007.
John vanleeuwen and shauna richards maize silage has several advantages in feeding dairy cows. Jan 25, 2016 the amount of calcium and phosphorous fed should be restricted during the dry period to 0. Dairy farmers training manual penultimate revised3 biyinzika. Feeds, forages and feeding of dairy animals international. Kinuthia makes his animal feeds and prepares silage that can last for at least eight months. Friesian and ayrshire dairy cows, in calf heifers and calves for sale. Learn the success behind silas mwirigis farm that makes 200,000 profit per month from his 30 cows. Farmers keep large herds from a minimum of 10 uncontrolled grazing to over 50 animals. 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. It is predominant in north and south rift valley, eastern and coast regions. Feeding dairy cows well for high milk yields the organic farmer. Numbers of dairy cooperative societies and membership 2000 to 2006 3 2. Esophagus when feed leaves the mouth, it travels down the esophagus with the help of a muscular movement called peristalsis that pushes feed along. Planning is important for profitable dairy business keeping dairy cows depends on a farmers knowledge and planning.
This handbook by national dairy development board nddb reiterates its commitment to the dairy farmers of india. Formulating dairy cow rations university of minnesota. May, 2016 she feeds her cows at 5am only, each animal getting 40kg silage, 10kg of napier grass and a percentage of dairy meal depending on the milk production at several intervals during the day. Dairy farming in kenya is a flourishing sector with more than a million small scale dairy farmers rearing over 3. Livestock kenya strategies of feeding concentrates to dairy. National dairy development board handbook of good dairy.
Rumination and the fermentation which takes place in the rumen allows dairy cowsruminants to turn low. 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. Feeding the dairy cow key fact energy, not protein or minerals, is the most limiting nutrient in dairy production systems. Strategies of feeding concentrates to dairy cows written by maurice rangoma. Unit cows lactation and after weaning lactating cows first 12 of lactation dry pregnant cows 2 months before calving heifer 1 month, 40 kg and growth 650 gday feed unit 6. Roughages alone cannot provide all the required nutrients, especially in early lactation. Effect of intensification on feed management of dairy cows in the central highlands of kenya. The objectives of this research on smallholder dairy farms in kenya. Apr 08, 2014 the if cows of the bs breed produced significantly more energycorrected milk ecm per standard lactation compared with pf cows 8750 v. Concentrates are therefore included to supplement roughages.
Although silage may also be fed here but often it is fed outside in feed bunks of paved yards. The four compartments of a cow s stomach a cow s stomach is divided into four compartments. Check the total dry matter intake of the animal as well as. High energy feed forage to meet the requirement of. Nov 11, 2010 feeding a dairy cow if a cow is producing 25kgs of milk per day, i usually give 46kgs of dairy meal every day mixed with 60gms of super vitaphos ultimax mineral supplements or use maclik xp. Closeup and recently fresh cows should have 30 inches of bunk. The farmer therefore needs to know what works for the cow, whether the cows are underfeeding or overfeeding, and this poses major challenges to most farmers. All you need to know about feeding your cow for maximum. Dec 04, 2017 in dairy production, feeding is one of the very important management practices to consider. This method indicates that napier grass should be fed to dairy cows at 5560 cm 78 wk and 140 cm 910 wk in the medium and high rainfall areas in kenya, respectively.
Keep the feed bunks full, and allow for 5% refused feed each day to accomplish this. They fed a combination of 3 pounds of molasses and 1 pound of a cornbarley mix, with kelp and minerals offered free choice in. Dairy cows, he said, thrive based on the quality of feeds they consume and the time they are fed. To reduce stress from competition move several cows at once, and in the evening when activity levels are the lowest. Kenya has one of the largest dairy industries in subsaharan africa. If feed is available at all times cows can get by with 18 inches of bunk space.
Guidelines for concentrate feeding there are several types of commercial concentrates available in the market for feeding dairy cows, the most common being dairy meal. The amount of calcium and phosphorous fed should be restricted during the dry period to 0. Dairy cattle in kenya are commonly reared under three production systems. Robotic feeding may become more popular in the future with the introduction of robotic automatic feed mixing and delivery systems. Dried distillers grains, or ddg, are a byproduct from making ethanol from corn. The standards that are now available, entitled nutrient requirements of dairy cattle, were updated in 1988 by a subcommittee on dairy cattle nutrition of the national research council. If animals are not milking as well as expected, or milk protein is low or cows are losing excessive condition, energy is the.
The objective of feeding dairy cows should be to attain a high level of milk production. The dairy industry accounts for 4% of the countrys gdp. Kenyas dairy industry is dynamic and plays an important economic and nutrition role in the lives of many people ranging from farmers to milk hawkers, processors, and consumers. Dairy cattle produce about 70 percent of total national milk output more than 3 billion litres. She feeds her cows at 5am only, each animal getting 40kg silage, 10kg of napier grass and a percentage of dairy meal depending on the milk production at several intervals during the day.
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 her farm in ngong, nairobi. However, it is not uncommon for there to be as much as 2ppl difference in feed costs between two similar yielding systems, a figure that will make a significant. Pdf optimal stage of maturity for feeding napier grass. Dairy cattle feeding and nutrition management training manual 1. Corn silage, with its relatively highenergy content, is also well adapted for use in lowcost rations for fattening cattle. Commercial dairy cow farming business is not a new idea. Its absolutely a part of agriculture or animal husbandry, enterprise for long term milk production from cows. The cow is then fed 8kgs of hay or maize silage and then allowed to graze in the oat fields. One of the key expense in a dairy farm is feeding the dairy cows. The animals are housed and the farmers bring all the feed and water. Feeding a dairy cow if a cow is producing 25kgs of milk per day, i usually give 46kgs of dairy meal every day mixed with 60gms of super vitaphos ultimax mineral supplements or use maclik xp.
People are raising dairy cows for milk production from the ancient time. Dairy cows for sale kenya and beyond has 10,744 members. It constitutes about 80% of the cost of rearing the animal. Eadd developed this manual with stakeholders from uganda, kenya and rwanda. Dairy cows for sale kenya and beyond public group facebook. Feeding dairy cows and youngstock is one of the highest costs of milk production. There should be 2 to 5 percent of feed remaining when cows are fed. One should know how much parts of each feed roughage or concentrate to offer when giving different feed resources to supply different nutrients. In 2008 and 2009, a central new york organic dairy farm was used for a case study on feeding molasses. Manuals on fodder and feeding dairy cows agriprofocus. Aug 07, 2015 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 her farm in ngong, nairobi. The basis of ruminant nutrition, digestion and feeding 21 water is the nutrient required in the largest amount by dairy cattle 4. The if cows of the bs breed produced significantly more energycorrected milk ecm per standard lactation compared with pf cows 8750 v.
When beltfeeders or rail feeders are used to automatically deliver feed to the cows, the feed alley width can be reduced to 2. The economic impact of animal health issues is well known. This lesson particularly highlights the necessary information which you will require to feed your dairy cow so that all the aspects of health, as. In easy language, the feeding requirements for dairy cows are explained. Lifetime productivity of dairy cows in smallholder farming. Platform for dairy farmers to buy and sell their cows.
In this lesson you will learn about different types of dairy cows, feeding dairy cows in kenya and how to maintain them. A manual for smallholder dairy farmers and extension workers in east. Dairy farming in kenya where to buy graded dairy cows in kenya. The major constraint experienced in small holder dairy farming in africa is the quantity and quality of the feed supplied to the animals. Dairy farmers training manual, ministry of livestock development, nairobi, kenya. Humans are monogastrics, meaning we have a single stomach digestive system. Dairy cows should be managed to encourage them to eat many meals a day. Weigh the amount of feed to include in the total ration feed intake for lactating cows is averagely 3 percent of their body weights on dry matter basis. Challenges experienced by smallholder poultry farmers in kenya. The basis of ruminant nutrition, digestion and feeding cows need water for normal body functions to produce milk to produce urine to evaporate note. Sources of different nutrients and 10 their functions 4. In kenya, an estimated 80% of the 5 billion litres of milk produced annually is supplied by smallholder farmers, with on average 38 cows on 110 acres of land.
Commercial feeds include dairy meal, dairy cubes, calf pullets, maize germ, maize bran, molasses, cottonseed cake, wheat pollard and wheat bran. Dairy cattle feeding and nutrition management training manual. For a healthy and productive cow, feed rations should have a balance of quantity, quality, amounts of concentrates, protein, mineral and vitamins. These drawings can be downloaded from the snv kenya and the cowsoko. Dairy cattle feeding and nutrition management snv netherlands. Dairy cows kenya githunguri central kenya, nairobi, kenya, 00200 rated 4. Manual on improved feeding of dairy cattle by smallholder farmers 5 contents 1.
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