Contents
The maintenance of dairy cows in subsidiary farms requires compliance with certain feeding standards, special growing and care conditions. A dairy cow is a source of meat, dairy products, manure as an organic fertilizer, and also leather. The successful cultivation of cattle largely depends on the choice of the breed of dairy cows, competent care, and the type of keeping of cows. Initially, the expected result of the activity should be determined: obtaining meat, dairy products or breeding calves.
Features of keeping cattle in private farms
Keeping dairy cows should start with the right choice of breed. After that, it is necessary to create conditions for keeping animals: build or repair a room, ensure an uninterrupted supply of water to the drinkers and daily cleaning of manure. In the winter period of maintenance, you need to take care of heating the barn, as well as to conduct electricity.
If the plans are to build a large farm for keeping dairy cows, then a feed supply line, milking machines, and a waste disposal conveyor will be required. In addition, milkmaids and a veterinarian will be needed. It is advisable to purchase a vehicle.
You also need to include additives in the diet (compound feed, grain, silage). Clean water should be freely available.
Systems and methods of keeping cattle
Under the methods and systems of keeping cattle, they mean a number of measures of a zootechnical, zoohygienic, sanitary and organizational nature, with minimal material and labor costs.
Depending on geographical and economic conditions, several systems for keeping dairy cows are used: stall, stall-walking, stall-pasture. Each system has its own subtleties and norms.
Cattle housing systems
The system of keeping cows has a huge impact on the quality of cattle breeding. An important condition for its intensification is taking into account the biological and physiological needs of cattle for keeping in a personal household. Therefore, the main task of the farmer is to use technology to create optimal conditions under which the productive capabilities of dairy cows are fully manifested.
Stall system for keeping cattle
Stalls for keeping young animals, bulls and dairy cows differ in size. The animal needs to have enough space for sleeping, waking, eating, and also need to create space for the cow to be serviced by an employee.
Dairy cow stall requirements:
- natural type ventilation to avoid drafts;
- for heating, they insulate the barn by laying thermal insulation;
- the presence of windows for natural light, electricity;
- autonomous water supply;
- manure removal system.
Usually the stall is made of metal structures and boards. Since the stall is the only habitat for dairy cows, it is necessary to take care of the correct location of the animal. The cow should stand with her head to the feeder, her back to the gutter.
If the farmer plans to keep cattle in stalls, then the width of the corral for young animals is 1 m, for adult dairy cows – 1,2 m, for cows – 1,5 m. .
The stall system has disadvantages: lack of animal activity and insufficient consumption of fresh grass. Accordingly, such cows have low immunity and milk production.
stall-pasture
The stall-pasture maintenance of dairy cows consists in finding animals in stalls in winter. In the summer period, from morning to evening, cattle graze on pastures, they are driven into stalls for the night.
Such a system of keeping cows in a private household gives high rates of milk productivity due to the activity of animals during walks. In addition, the cost of feed, vitamin supplements is significantly reduced, since they receive all the necessary substances with green mass.
Advantages of stall and pasture keeping of dairy cows:
- natural nutritious food;
- motor activity of cows;
- reducing the cost of keeping dairy cows in the summer;
- reduction in the amount of land occupied by pastures.
Before going out to pastures, dairy cows undergo a mandatory inspection, the udder is treated with a protective agent against insects. If there is no reservoir nearby, then it is necessary to ensure the delivery of water by a vehicle.
The transition to the winter period occurs gradually, starting in September, when there is less food on pastures. At this time, winter food begins to be added to the diet – straw, haylage, root crops. Thus, by the end of the summer season, the diet of dairy cows should consist of 90% winter feed. When stall keeping in winter, it is especially important to observe the feeding and milking regimen.
Keeping cattle outside all year round
The rules for keeping cattle on the street require taking into account the climatic conditions of a particular region and the availability of natural ventilation. Air exchange should take place with the help of a long opening in the covering, cornice and walls. A favorable result of maintenance depends on competent ventilation equipment. To avoid drafts, it is necessary to provide wind protection barriers.
Sufficient barn area is also important. For each cow, approximately 7 square meters are needed. m.
As for the optimal temperatures at which cows are comfortable, this is -27 ° C maximum. At lower temperatures, intensive nutrition will be required, which is not economically viable.
This method of keeping meat cows does not adversely affect productivity. Keeping dairy cows in cold conditions reduces milk yield only in severe frosts and slightly.
Usually straw, sawdust and peat are used for this purpose. It is important that the bedding material is dry – this way the blood flow to the cow’s udder is increased by 50% and the milk yield does not decrease. In winter, once a week, a new layer is laid on top of the old layer, which, together with the cow herself, allows you to keep a certain temperature in the barn.
Types of cattle keeping
Ways of keeping livestock – tethered and loose. Each has its positive and negative sides.
Experts know how favorable grazing affects milk production and cow health. The intensification of the dairy direction of cattle breeding directly depends on the type of animal keeping. This system is used in farms where it is possible to allocate land for livestock grazing.
Tethered method of keeping cows
The tie-down method is one of the most popular ways of keeping cattle. Based on dairy cows living in stalls with good conditions. Each room is equipped with devices for fixing animals with leashes. This method allows you to control the viability of each individual and automate the processes of milking, feeding and cleaning.
Separate feeders are required for feeding dairy cattle. The calculation of the amount of feed depends on the weight and milk production of the animal. Water is also supplied automatically to each stall. The animal rests on a special flooring. Milking with portable machines greatly simplifies and speeds up the production of dairy products.
Animals are constantly on a leash, live in groups or singly. The method is popular among subsidiary farms, as the performance indicators are quite high.
The advantages of the method:
- feed is issued strictly according to the norm;
- collisions between animals are excluded;
- reduction of feed costs up to 10%;
- increase in milk productivity by 15%;
- facilitation of zootechnical accounting and control over the physiological and clinical indicators of the state of cattle.
However, this method significantly increases labor costs. To reduce them, it is recommended to use a milk line during milking.
untethered
The technology of keeping cattle with a loose method consists in the use of boxes for rest and combined boxes equipped with feeders and drinkers. Milking takes place on specially equipped sites. Manure is removed with a tractor, and mobile feeders are used to distribute feed.
With such a content, dairy cows independently approach the feeders, drinkers and milking grounds at a certain time. This reduces the cost of manual labor.
The main advantage of free-standing dairy cows over tie-down housing is the increased productivity of workers. This happens with the help of various installations, milking systems and manure removal methods. Of course, this method is suitable for large farms with a large number of dairy cows.
Negative sides of the method:
- need qualified personnel for modern equipment;
- constant veterinary control over the number of cattle;
- stressful situations in the herd;
- increase in feed consumption.
The herd must be divided into physiological groups in order to reduce the tension between the animals.
Combined way of keeping cows
The method is used quite often, since it includes elements of a tethered and loose method. Allows you to control the quality of nutrition, diet, but at the same time provides the animal with sufficient mobility.
Keeping young cattle
The technology for growing cattle at home is simple: newborn calves must be separated from other animals and from the mother. For feeding and keeping young animals on large farms, they create a kind of dispensary for calves. It requires:
- the room is bright, spacious, without drafts;
- avoid temperature fluctuations;
- the calf barn must be equipped with drinkers, feeders, bedding and cleaning tools.
Of great importance is not only competent maintenance, but also feeding calves. Feeding occurs in several stages.
The first is the milk period, which begins from the moment of birth and up to six months. In the first few days, the calf should actively absorb colostrum and mother’s milk, without mixing with other types of feed. From the 5th day of the milk period of a baby’s life, they are accustomed to water. Hay is added from 3 weeks, and then feed and concentrates are added.
The second stage is suction. During this period, gradually increase the amount of feed. It lasts about 8 months. At this stage, the breeder must decide on the purpose of the young (meat or dairy orientation).
At the third stage, intensive growth of calves takes place. The weight gained depends on the quality and quantity of food. After that, the transition to the fattening stage is carried out.
Modern technologies for keeping cattle
Dairy farming is becoming more and more profitable every year. Modern cattle housing systems allow you to increase profitability and get maximum profit at minimum cost. Experience shows that the increase in milk yield, the increase in offspring on household plots improves after a month of using the modern approach. The reduction of human labor has a positive effect on the entire process, since the risk of errors made by personnel is eliminated, the time for performing all types of work with dairy cows and the farm is reduced, and it also represents a serious savings in wages.
Automation applicable:
- during the milking process;
- feed preparation;
- livestock washing;
- control over the condition of the animal.
Many processes start on their own using a timer.
One of the innovations allowed many farms to abandon preservatives, which often led to deviations in the development of calves, affected milk production and reduced the positive characteristics of milk. The new technology provides ultraviolet stabilizer in silage storage bags. It allows you to reduce harmful microflora and significantly increase the shelf life of dairy products.
For the milking process, innovations provide for the presence of a special milking area, where the mechanism for seizing dairy products is much more efficient. The milking platform allows you to keep records of each cow, collect information for the period of interest, track the quality of dairy products on the spot, and identify diseases at an early stage.
The changes also affected the processing of milk. If earlier primary processing was already carried out at the dairy, now, immediately after leaving the milking parlor, the milk is cooled to 4 ° C using special equipment. At this temperature, the development of bacteria stops.
One of the most important and pleasant technologies for any burenka used on farms in Europe and Our Country is pendulum brushes. These brushes rotate in different directions and pace. They work only when the cow is in contact with the device. Main functions: skin cleansing, blood circulation improvement, massage, mastitis prevention.
Veterinary rules for keeping cattle
The maintenance of cattle in a personal subsidiary plot has some rules, since cattle breeding requires a serious approach. Regulatory authorities check compliance with the norms, but it is important that the owners pay attention to them.
Owners are required to:
- timely register and register each purchased or newborn animal;
- get vaccinated at the right time;
- notify veterinary services about mass mortality of cows and calves;
- carry out sanitary measures for keeping cows;
- Avoid animals in public places.
It is necessary to remember about veterinary documentation, which is regulated by federal law. It is necessary to prepare documents both when working with a herd and when selling products from a farm.
Sanitary standards for keeping cattle
Sanitary rules for keeping highly productive cows apply to the design, construction and operation of livestock complexes and farms for dairy cows. They contain requirements for the prevention of negative impact on workers and for the sanitary protection of the environment.
For disinfection of shoes, the entrance to the barn is equipped with mats of at least 1 m in length with special impregnation.
Disinsection, desacarization, deratization is carried out once a year, as well as when pests are visually detected.
When working in barns, employees must use clean clothes and shoes. Feed and additives must comply with veterinary and sanitary requirements.
Rules for the care of cattle
The main conditions for keeping and caring for a dairy cow at home are a room where it should be light, warm and dry. To do this, it is necessary to make daily cleaning in the barn and clean the feeders and drinkers. Compliance with the rules and hygiene for keeping cows affects the productivity of the cattle population.
For the summer keeping of cows, it is important to equip a walking area with a canopy from the sun and rain. Milking of cows should be carried out 3 times a day. Before milking, the udder is inspected and massaged. Milking is carried out to the last drop, until the cow’s udder becomes soft and empty. For good milk production, it is important to follow the regime of feeding, milking and walking.
In the winter season, windows and floors are insulated, gaps are sealed. Straw or peat bedding is often changed, sawdust and spruce branches are also good.
Feed is best served from the feed table. Usually, a container is placed in front of the stall where food can be poured: haylage, hay, vegetables, mash, concentrated feed, root crops. Also, the owner of the animals needs to monitor the behavior and health of dairy cows and calves.
Conclusion
Keeping dairy cows is a huge burden, daily attention and care. For those who have decided to start keeping cows in a personal subsidiary farm, they should study all the pros and cons of this type of activity in order to avoid disappointment and correctly assess their capabilities.
The positive aspects of raising dairy cows in household plots include the absence of the need to register. Accordingly, there are no tax burdens and reports.
Disadvantages LPH is a limited area that cannot be expanded without the permission of the administration of the settlement.
Beginners need to familiarize themselves with federal laws on state support for private household plots. Based on these laws, anyone can count on receiving land for use and providing infrastructure for work (electricity, water, transport).