Features of keeping dairy cows

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Cash cows as a business are quite a profitable undertaking. The fact is that the one-time financial costs will soon pay off, and the animal will bring a net profit in the form of milk. All you need is to choose and buy a healthy animal of exactly the breed that will allow you to get the maximum amount of milk yield. After the purchase, it is important to properly care for the cow, provide her with proper care and balanced nutrition. In order to delve into these issues, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the content of this article.

Cash cows

What are the advantages of keeping a cash cow

Cash cows are in demand at all times, among all peoples and nationalities. The fact is that after purchasing it is possible to get an almost endless source of milk that you can use for yourself or for sale. You can sell both milk and products based on it: kefir, yogurt, whey, and so on. If you look on the Internet, you can see a lot of suggestions about what a cash cow is for sale. But each individual differs in breed, age and milk yield, and therefore it is difficult for an uninitiated person to understand which one gives the greatest amount of production, and to make the right choice.

The average duration of the period of milk production of an average cow is about 7-10 years.

To understand that it is a highly yielding animal that has been bought, you need to know the distinctive characteristics of such breeds, otherwise there is a risk of being deceived and buying, for example, a meat breed.

Features of feeding a milking cow

How to feed a dairy cow? High-yielding dairy cows require an order of magnitude more feed when comparing the rations of feeding dairy cows with other breeds, but in general, appetites will depend on both age and how much milk the cow is capable of producing, this is genetically laid. To achieve high milk yield, it is worth spending money on food and providing a high-yielding cow with good, complete, balanced feed. The owner's task is to take into account all the needs of the animal in the period immediately after calving, this is of paramount importance, especially when it comes to a young cow that has calved for the first time (first-calf).

If calving took place traditionally, without any complications, there is no point in changing the diet of a dairy cow: a dairy animal can eat the same way as before. It is desirable that the diet contains not only dry hay, but also silage and bagasse. Restrictions can only apply to root crops, since their digestion takes a lot of effort that could go to milk production. Also, excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables can provoke the development of an inflammatory process in the udder.

It is important to avoid overfeeding so as not to disturb the digestion of the cow. It is noteworthy that as soon as the owner begins to overfeed the cow, her stomach stretches, respectively, the appetite grows, which sooner or later leads to obesity. Obesity, as you know, does not contribute to better milk flow, and in the future can cause the development of birth paresis at calving.

What should be the care of the udder

Since we are talking about a dairy cow, it is worth providing her with more thorough care of the udder - the main organ that will provide milk. Immediately after the cow gives birth, the udder becomes hard, swelling, swelling and an almost complete lack of elasticity of the skin can be noted. To prevent this development of events, you need to establish regular milk yield, as well as massage the udder.

Udder swelling is most often found in young individuals, especially first-calf heifers, as well as in those cows that, on the contrary, bring offspring too often. Provided that the owner takes a responsible attitude to the issue of caring for the cow, in a week or two the state of the organ will return to normal.

Udder ketosis

Separately, it should be said about such a condition as ketosis of the udder, the second name of which is acetonemia. With a similar condition, acetone is found in the urine and milk of cows, and it is also found in the blood during laboratory examination. The presence of the disease can be identified by the following signs:

• Foreign strong odor in urine or milk.
• The animal began to eat worse.
• The milk yield began to decline sharply.
• Burenka became restless and apathetic.

In order to bring the cow's condition back to normal, it is necessary to revise the nutrition and remove excess protein food, as well as carbohydrates from the diet. Soon after the measures taken, all indicators will return to normal and the milk will again be suitable for consumption.

Why is a breakdown so necessary?

Milking a cow is not only a way to get rich, but also a vital process for the animal itself. It is necessary to start the breeding from the first day after calving. If you milk regularly, the udder will not be soft, the process will be painful, and the milk yield will soon become as high as possible.

What is racking? Razda is a complex of udder care, as well as regular milk yield for good milk yield.

What is included in the complex of caring for a cow after calving:

• Complete balanced nutrition.
• Establishing the technology of milk yield (currently there are a lot of innovations in this matter, so you need to be aware of this issue).
• Creating a good home environment.

Usually veterinarians recommend giving milk yield at least 3 months, it is during this period that it is possible to collect more than half of the annual milk yield. If the farmer managed to create the best conditions for the cows, as well as to establish the technique, then the highest indicators of the dairy yield can be expected.

It is worth paying increased attention to the fact that a dairy animal needs a more high-calorie diet, for this reason, you need to revise the portions and increase them by 20-30%. However, you cannot do this constantly, there is a need for this only as long as the size of milk yield depends on the nutrition. In addition to increasing the portions, it is worth revising the composition of the feed, diversifying it with vitamins and microelements.

How often to feed a dairy cow

As mentioned earlier, in matters of nutrition of high-yielding animals, it is important to follow not only the recommendations on the composition of the diet, but also to accustom yourself and the cow to eating strictly according to the schedule. The schedule includes not only the number of feedings per day, but also their composition, as well as the volume of one serving. Based on the studies carried out by zootechnicians, two-time feeding of dairy cows does not have the proper effect on milk yield. At the same time, if you feed a dairy cow 3 or even 4 times a day, you can significantly improve the volume of milk produced.Thus, the feeding rates for dairy cows are 3 or 4 per day.

The scheduling should be done in such a way that it is convenient for the breeder and remains unchanged throughout the milk period. You need to milk a cow 2 times: early morning and evening. If you manage to milking the animal, you can achieve very good results.

How much milk do cows give? There is information that milking cows can produce about 3-4 thousand liters of milk per year, but not everyone can achieve such annual indicators.

Cow's daily schedule

As mentioned earlier, all activities on the farm must be carried out strictly in accordance with the schedule. We have already talked about the fact that you need to feed a dairy animal 3 or 4 times a day, this will increase the chances of high milk yield. It is also important to develop a schedule for caring for the cow, take into account the frequency and duration of walks in the fresh air. The owner must find good grazing places for the cow, where green succulent grass will grow, there will be enough space for all animals, and the cows will not be in direct sunlight, and also graze in a draft.

You should not stop grazing in the winter, the cold is not an obstacle to walking, it only benefits the health of the cow, you just need to reduce the time the cattle is on the street in order to avoid hypothermia and udder diseases.

After the walk is over, the cow should rest. To do this, high-yielding animals are taken to a stall, where it should be warm and dry, all recommendations for humidity and temperature are observed. As for milk-producing cows, it is recommended to place them in a separate paddock so that the animals feel as comfortable and calm as possible, and are not stressed. In the herd stall, there should be constant access to feed, since after rest and during it, the cow may become slightly hungry.

It is important not to change the daily routine of the cow, as this can create a stressful situation for her, and stress, as you know, does not in the best way affect milk production.

How to care for a milking cow in summer

Summer animal care has its own characteristics in comparison with winter and autumn. The fact is that in the summer there is an opportunity to spend more time outdoors, eating natural food that grows right in the ground. In addition, the milking animal moves more, since the journey from the pasture to the stall takes a lot of effort. All these activities have a beneficial effect on milk production, accelerate the metabolism in the body.

Scientists note that frequent grazing improves not only external indicators, but also internal ones, which are invisible to the naked eye. Livestock specialists compared the blood counts of a cow in winter, with a more sedentary housing, and in summer, when the cow spends more time outdoors, and the "summer results" were more successful, in particular, the hemoglobin values ​​increased almost 1.5 times. It is also noted that a milking animal is less sick in summer, as its immunity is strengthened, protecting it from pathogenic microbes, viruses and parasites.

How to organize a pasture for a cash cow

Merely eating green grass is not enough for a thoroughbred dairy cow, it will not be possible to unleash its potential. We'll have to organize a grazing area in a special way. To do this, in the spring, it is necessary to plant the site with those herbs that are required to support the life of the cow, choose the most juicy varieties. If, for one reason or another, the cow does not have enough grass, you can fill the gap in nutrition with hay (dried grass), silage or compound feed, which you can buy at the veterinary store. Many breeders prefer the latter option, since such food takes into account the animal's need for every trace element and mineral, that is, you do not have to add anything to the food.

Such shops got their name among the people, they are called "green conveyors". For the convenience of the rural population, they were organized in almost every rural district, so that a resident of any town could buy food for the cow on time. Many green conveyors even have a feed delivery service to make feeding your cattle as easy as possible. But with all the innovations, there is nothing better than fresh grass that grows naturally.

In addition to taking care of the vegetation in the pasture, you need to take some measures to create the right pasture area:

• Build corrals for the herd, which will prevent the escape of cattle, photos and videos of pasture arrangement can be seen on the Internet.
• In places where livestock are walking, there must be constant access to drinking water, this is a prerequisite for accommodation.

In addition, the owner of the animal must be able to properly take care that the breeding dairy cow is prepared for pasture conditions, for this it is necessary:

• Prepare the hooves of the animal, for which they usually use the services of a livestock technician, who cuts the hooves of a cow in a special way.
• If the animal has an aggressive character, in order to avoid collisions in the pasture, you need to shorten its horns.
• A dairy cow must be vaccinated and treated against parasites.

Moving from stall to summer pasture

As mentioned earlier, the cow very quickly gets used to the schedule of life, and any change, especially abrupt, can cause stress, which leads to a deterioration in the milking result. The same applies to the transition from stables to grazing. In no case should you do this abruptly, it is worth waiting out for a while and taking the cow out for a short time during the first days. During this period, plants that grow in pasture begin to be added to the usual diet of dairy cows in order to accustom the stomachs of dairy cows to the new food.

In order for the transition to self-feeding to go as smoothly as possible, you need to gradually introduce food containing fiber into the cow's menu. If you neglect these recommendations, there is a risk of undermining the digestive tract of the animal - diarrhea, constipation and even vomiting may appear. Naturally, a sick animal will not be able to give the amount of milk that the farmer originally counted on. In addition, the quality of milk will suffer: its fat content and taste values ​​will decrease. Adaptation to the outdoors can be delayed if there was no fresh feed in the diet during the winter period.

The importance of vitamins in feeding a dairy cow

In order for the values ​​of milk to be at the highest level, it is important to take proper care of the health of the cow. It is important to provide the vitamin content in the diet. The question of the availability of vitamins is especially acute at a time when the animal is in a postpartum state or in a state of transition to pasture.

Vitamins, like everything related to the vital activity of the cow, are administered in accordance with the schedule. So, sodium acetate is introduced first, since it is extremely important for calves. For dairy breeds, there are norms: at least 0.5 kg of substance per head. So, from an early age, you can lay down indicators of milk yield. In the future, all vitamin supplements must be administered according to the recommendations of the veterinarian who serves the animal.

If the farmer does not purchase ready-made feed, it is worth making sure that salt is present in the cow's diet. Its importance has been proven more than once by veterinarians. There is a practice of placing salt stones near a tub of water so that the ladybird can lick the stones whenever she needs sodium.

Finishing the story about dairy cows, let's say that caring for them is not as difficult as it might seem. To earn money on their maintenance, you need to pay due attention to their maintenance and nutrition, only then the cow gives good milk yield.