Guide to farm dairy cattle in a tropical area

Guide to farm dairy cattle in a tropical area

Starting a dairy cattle farm in the tropical area is quite challenging. The challenge is due to the warmer temperatures, whereas the types of dairy cows that exist mostly come from sub-tropical regions. Therefore specific tips are needed so that the dairy cattle farm runs successfully.

The purpose of dairy farming is to harvest cow's milk. Due to the nature of the product, dairy cattle farming must prioritize sanitation, both sanitary of the cowshed and the livestock sanitation. Dairy farming is quite different from beef cattle that focus on rearing.

In tropical areas, the farming of dairy cows is more suitable to be carried out in the mountains, which have a colder climate. This is because most types of productive dairy cows are cows from sub-tropical regions with cold climates. Dairy cows can still be cultivated in hot lowlands; however, their milk production is not optimal.

Dairy cowshed

In dairy farming, the cowshed must be prepared appropriately. In addition to maintaining cleanliness, the cage also needs to consider the comfort of the cattle.

To get a lot of milk, dairy cows should not feel stress and must always be in a comfortable mood. The more comfortable the cow is, the higher the milk productivity.

The recommended height of the cowshed for raising dairy cows is around 4 to 4.5 meters. The structure of the cage must be made of sturdy materials, such as iron, wood, or bamboo.

The floor of the cowshed should also be made of clean and robust material that will not cause harm to the cows. A good floor option is a concrete with a layer of rubber carpet on it.

The floor must be comfortable enough for the cattle to lay down and sleep.

The feedlot must be designed so that cows can easily access it but cannot trample on it.

There is also a need for proper drainage for water drainage and sewage. Dairy cows need cleaning of the cowshed every day. Therefore, drains and sewage must always have good circulation.

General Guide to Cattle

Choosing  dairy calves

In Indonesia, the type of dairy cow that has high productivity is Frisien Holstein (FH). If you can not find the pure breed, there are many mix Frisien Holstein (PFH) breeds available in the market, which is the result of a cross between FH and local female cows such as Madura cows and Java cows.

In general, several criteria must be considered in selecting a good breed for dairy cattle, such as:

• Cows must be healthy, have an excellent structural body, smooth skin, and free from parasite.
• Try to find out the history of the calf, complete with its pedigree.
• Other characteristics are clear, bright eyes that are not dull, watery, or no eye discharge.
• Have proper breathing, not much mucus coming out of the nose, and no signs of coughing.
• Nails are good, in perfect shape, no symptoms of swelling, and do not feel hot when touched.
• Has no sign of loose stools around the rectum.

Placement of dairy cows in a cowshed

Placement of cattle in their cowshed must be well arranged so that it is easy to clean. For small scale farms, about 1-10 cattle, they should be placed in a row arrangement, facing in the same direction. For large scale farms, the placement will be more complicated.

Provision of drinking & food

To produce 1 kg of milk, a cow needs 4-5 kg of water. Therefore, drinking water must be provided unlimited. Let the cow drink as much as possible. Try to keep drinking water, and its container always clean.

Feeding plays an important role in optimizing milk productivity. Cows must get a balanced feed, meaning that all nutritional elements are met. A good feed must contain carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

The types of feed for dairy cows can be divided into several types:

Forage feed.

Forage consists of fibrous materials such as grasses, legumes, rice straw, peanut leaves, corn straw, and sugar cane shoots. Dairy cows need 30-50 kg of forage per cow per day or 10% of their body weight. Forage feed should be given during the day, usually after milking.

Concentrate feed.

Concentrate feed or often called reinforcement, can be grains, tubers, or processed agricultural waste such as tofu dregs or soybean meal. Concentrate feed can be given as much as 1-2% of the weight of a cow. It should be given in the morning before milking or in the afternoon.

Additional feed.

Additional food is usually in the form of vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes, or antibiotics. This feed is often factory-made, given by the rules of the provision of each of these feeds.

Especially for cows that are breastfeeding or in the period of lactation (milking period), their food and water consumption will increase by an additional 25%.

Breeding dairy cows

Female cattle have a relatively short lust period, around 15-18 hours. The next period of lust will come after 21 days. So, if the breeder is late in knowing her lust period, then he must wait for the arrival of her next lust period.

Here are the signs of female cows which is ready for mating:

• Decreased appetite.
• Nervous.
• They are frequently stomping and approaching bulls.
• Often ride other cows, while if she is ridden, it will calm.
• The vulva appears red and secretes fluid.

However, the lust experienced by bulls is quite often. Within 2-3 days, bulls can undergo a cycle of mating again.

There are two ways to mate dairy cows, namely: naturally and injection mating (artificial insemination).

Natural mating is a method of directly mating male and female cows. A bull can mate 25-30 female cows. For small dairy farms, mating is usually done in a separate cowshed where one female and one male are places together.

Injecting mating is a method of artificial mating by entering the sperm of bulls using specific equipment into the vagina of a female cow. This injection mating has many advantages, including:

More practical because there is no need to mate the bull and cow.
Sperm can be obtained from superior sperm providers, without breeders having a bull.

Lactation and milking period

a. Lactation period

A dairy cow can give birth after reaching 2.5 years of age. After giving birth, a cow can be milked for ten months. In the early days, about one week after giving birth, the milk produced is yellowish and slightly thick. This milk is called colostrum, which contains many nutrients. Colostrum is usually given to newborn cows.

After that, the cow will produce milk with a fluctuating amount. In the early days, the volume is little and will gradually increase until it finally decreased again up to the 10th month. During the lactation period, the weight of the cow will also fluctuate.

A dairy cow can give birth every year. Usually, cows are isolated two months before giving birth.

Female dairy cows will continue to be productive until the age of 10 years. The peak of productivity is at the age of 7-8 years. After passing the age of 10 years, milk production will decrease dramatically.

b. Milking

Milking is done twice a day. Each milking process lasts for just several minutes. Things to be considered during milking are:

• Cowshed and dairy equipment must be cleaned regularly.
• The cow's body must be cleaned first, and there is no dirt on the back area of the cow.
• Milking worker must be clean because milk absorbs odors easily.
• The nipple needs to be wiped with warm water to minimize pollution by bacteria.

Other treatments

Some routine maintenance that must be done in cattle:

• Vaccine and worm medicine regularly.
• Cleaning the cowshed twice a day.
• Cows are bathed every day so that they are always clean.

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