A dairy farmer is only in a business when his dairy cows have high production per lactation. This interprets high sales and good returns. However, this is not the case for most farmers. Most dairy farmers are hardly making any profit from their farming due to low milk production from their dairy cows.
What factors can make a cow reduce its milk production or not increase its production? These factors revolve around the farmer and the animal itself. Some are interrelated while others are not.
Poor feeding
How well you feed your cow will determine the milk it will produce. A dairy cow should be fed with feeds having both proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and clean water. The cow can acquire these minerals from fodder crops and concentrates. Lucerne, alfalfa, desmodium, sweet potato vines. Concentrates include the dairy meal, pollard and maize germ. These should be supplemented with mineral salts all through. Read Also: How to raise calves successfully without deaths
The fodders and concentrates should be of good quality and free of aflatoxins. The feeding should be consistent at all stages for a dairy cow to give you good yields.
However, drought has led to low-quality fodders. This subsequently has lowered the quality of concentrates in the market. The feeds are expensive and deficient in critical components. Feeds formulators have adulterated their feeds to lower the cost of production. This harmed most animals leading to abrupt milk cuts in the animals.
Also, prepare the animal during the drying stage by steaming it up for two weeks to calve down with a high-yield dairy meal. This boosts milk production after calving down. Clean water and fodder should always be present at the troughs. This way they will not starve plus it will have time for rumination which facilitates milk production.
Poor Breed
There are breeds such as Friesians which are high producers though their milk has low butterfat content. All Friesians are not the same still. Other traits like body weight and udder size also determine the animal’s milk production capability. A lower milk-producing cow can be enhanced by correct feeding and continuous breeding with high milk-producing breeds.
Diseases
Cows should be monitored daily for any sickness. Diseases affect the normal functioning of the animal and hence its milk production. Mastitis, for instance, lowers milk production in both quantity and quality. The cows should always be dewormed frequently.
Dairy cows should also be served immediately on heat. This increases conception intervals. The more a dairy cow stays before calving down, the more milk production declines regardless of feeding and breeding.
Poor cow comfort
The structure of the cow barn to some extent affects the animal’s ability to produce more milk. The sleeping area should be comfortable for the animal. It should not have concrete but should be fit with sand to prevent injuries on the knees as it sleeps.
The walking area should be rough and dry to prevent foot rots. Foot rots make it hard for the animal to stand and eat. This translate to low feed intakes and hence low milk production.
The feeds and water troughs should be low and easily accessible by the animal at all times. It should also have good aeration and sunlight penetration.
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