Topic 8: Dairy Cattle Production

1. Dairy Cattle Breeds

2. Systems of Management

• Zero grazing: cows kept in a shed and fed there; suited to small farms.
• Paddocking: grazing in fenced paddocks in rotation.
• Tethering: cows tied on a rope to graze.
• Free range: open grazing in large areas.

3. Feeding

• Roughages: pasture, hay, silage, Napier grass.
• Concentrates: dairy meal, maize germ, sunflower cake.
• Provide clean water and mineral supplements (salt licks).
• Feed more to high-yielding cows (feeding for production) and in late pregnancy (steaming up).

4. Breeding

• Heat cycle: about 21 days; heat lasts around 12 to 18 hours.
• Signs of heat: restlessness, bellowing, mounting, swollen vulva with mucus, reduced yield.
• Service: natural mating or artificial insemination (AI).
• Gestation: about 9 months.
• Signs of approaching calving: swelling of the udder and vulva, relaxed pelvic ligaments, restlessness, mucus discharge.

5. Calf Rearing

1. Ensure the calf takes colostrum within the first hours of birth.
2. Clean the navel and apply antiseptic.
3. Feed milk or milk substitute according to a schedule; introduce hay and calf meal gradually.
4. Provide clean water and a clean, dry pen.
5. Dehorn, deworm and vaccinate as needed.
6. Wean gradually.

6. Milking and Clean Milk Production

Milking Procedure

1. Prepare the milker and equipment (clean hands, clean containers).
2. Wash and dry the udder, and strip the first milk.
3. Milk quickly and completely.
4. Dip the teats after milking.
5. Filter and cool milk promptly.

Clean Milk Production

• Healthy cows, clean milkers, clean equipment, clean stalls, and prompt cooling.

7. Dry Cow Management

• Stop milking about two months before calving to rest the udder and the unborn calf.
• Feed well ("steaming up").

8. Dairy Cattle Diseases and Disorders

9. Records in Dairy Farming

Milk yield, feeding, breeding, health and financial records help manage and improve the herd.