CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF

DAIRY ANIMALS
By
Dr. Harshal Wadatkar
 Calf
 Heifer

 Lactating animal

 Dry and pregnant animal

 Bull
 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF CALF
Importance -

 Provide replacements for cows leaving the herd

 Improve genetics and production raised heifers economically

 Minimize future investment

 Care of calf after calving

 Cow's first act to lick the

calf dry

 Clean the foetal membrane

from the calf's nose and
mouth, rub the calf dry

 Disinfect the navel with a

20% iodine solution

Colostrum feeding within

½ to 1 hrs of calving
 IMPORTANCE OF
COLOSTRUM FEEDING

• Source of antibodies to boost up

immunity

• Rich in energy, minerals and

vitamins (Vit.A)

• Has a laxative effect

 Feeding of Calf -

 Amount of milk – 8-10% of body wt.

 Overfeeding - Digestive upsets and scours

 Maximum 2-3 liters of milk per day

 Feeding by bottle or bucket

 Quantity of milk fed can be reduced

gradually from the fourth week of age,
depending upon the desired growth rate
 Milk replacer –
 Substitute for whole milk
when calves are two weeks
old
 Constitute milk byproducts
 Helps in weaning and raising
calf cheaper

 Calf starter, hay and water

- 4 weeks of age

 Skim milk can be fed until

the calves are 4 to 5 months
old
 Feeding schedule for calves up to 6 months

Age of calf Approx. body Quantity of Quantity of calf Green grass

weight (kg) milk (kg) starter (g) (kg)
4 days to 4 25 2.5 Small qty. Small qty.
weeks
4-6 weeks 30 3.0 50-100 Small qty.

6-8 weeks 35 2.5 100-250 Small qty.

8-10 weeks 40 2.0 250-350 Small qty.

10-12 weeks 45 1.5 350-500 1-0

12-16 weeks 55 - 500-750 1-2

16-20 weeks 65 - 750-1000 2-3

20-24 weeks 75 - 1000-1500 3-5

 Feeding schedule of growing animals from 6 months onwards:

Age (months) Approximate body Concentrate Grass (kg)

weight (kg) mixture (kg)

6-9 70-100 1.5-1.75 5-10

9-15 100-150 1.75-2.25 10-15

15-20 150-200 2.25-2.50 15-20

Above 20 200-300 2.50-2.75 15-20

 CALF
SCOUR

NEWBORN
JOINT ILL DISEASES PNEUMONIA

NAVEL ILL
 HOUSING OF CALVES -

 Individual pen - one month old or until

three months of age

 Incidence of infection is reduced

 Well Ventilated , but draught free

 Allow plenty of sunlight to enter

 Bedding material - saw dust or paddy

straw
Recommended floor space requirement for different age group of
calves
Age of Calves Floor space Floor space Number of calves
(months) requirement requirement per pen
covered area(m2) open area(m2)

0-3 1.0 2 24

3-6 1.5 3 16

6-12 2.0 4 12
  Vaccination of calf:

Sr.
Disease Primary Vaccination Regular Vaccination
No.
3 weeks and above
1 FMD Booster 3 months after Twice a year
primary
Annually before
2 Hemorrhagic septicaemia 6 months and above
monsoon
Annually before
3 Black quarter 6 months and above monsoon

Anthrax Annually in endemic

4 6 months and above
area

Brucellosis Only once4-8 months in

5 -
female calves in problem herds
DEWORMING OF CALF:

 Started from the first week

 Every month for first 6 months,

thereafter once in three months

 Types of worm: roundworm,

tapeworm and flukes

 Different dewormers : albendazole,

fenbendazole, ivermectin, levamisol,
piperazine etc
CALF AFFECTED WITH WORMS
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES :
 Identification – by tagging

 Dehorning:
• Done at the age of 10 days
and maximum upto 1 month
Methods:-
1. Chemical by caustic potash
2. By electric dehorner

 Regular weighing – by formula

Body wt.(kg) = length× girth²/660

 Grooming and exercise

 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF HEIFER
 Female calf – 1 yr to calving
 Purpose of rearing –
 Future cow
 20-25 per cent of the cows are replaced every year

 Target–
 Calve at an average age - 30 months in crossbred cows
- 36 months in indigenous cows
- 40 months in buffaloes
FEEDING –
 Ad lib. feeding  Target -  Ad lib. Water
of good quality Growth rate –  Mineral
green fodders  500-550 g in mixture
and straw crossbred feeding
 Feed 2 - 3 kg  450-500 g in
of concentrate indigenous
 High protein cattle and
and high energ buffaloes
HOUSING –
 Prefer loose housing
 Dry shelter free from drafts
 Avoid heat stress -Water sprinkling or
splashing
- Ceiling fans
-Misters cooling devices
-Wallowing in buffalo heifers
BREEDING MANAGEMENT –
 Size rather than the
age of a dairy heifer
at breeding time is
important

 Bred at 60 per cent

of mature body
weight (about 300
kg at 15-18 months)
 Vaccinate regularly
 Deworm after every 3
months
 Spraying with insecticides
at monthly
CARE & MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

 Breed the animal within 60-90 days of calving

 Common vices eg. Kicking, licking, suckling etc.

 Check for mastitis regularly

 Record keeping - Milk, fat %, feed taken, breeding, drying and

calving dates , health cards etc
 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF DRY AND
PREGNANT ANIMAL
 To get good calf and also high milk yield

 Dry period – 60 days – cow

90 days – buffalo

 Methods of Drying off –

a. Complete cessation: low milk yield (<5 kg per day)

a. Intermittent milking: heavy milk yield (10 kg daily milk

yield)

b. Incomplete milking: Moderate milk yield

 Feeding –
 Maintenance and foetal growth

 Extra concentrate mix of 1.25 to 1.75 kg

 Maintain ‘not - lean - not fat’ condition

 Good quality green fodder

 Provide ad lib. clean drinking water

 Do not to mix with other animals - Abortion, brucellosis etc

 Moderate exercise
 Avoid running or transporting long distances

 Avoid slippery conditions - fractures, dislocation etc

 Calving pens –
 One or 2 weeks before calving date
 Cleaned and fresh bedding
 Feed laxative about 3 - 5 days before and after calving

Wheat bran 3 kg + 0.5 gm of Groundnut cake + 100 gm of

mineral mixture
Calving pen
SYMPTOMS OF DELIVERY –

 Swelling of
udder

 Swelling of
external
genitalia
 Relaxation of pelvic
ligament
 Care during calving –
 Majority of animals will deliver without any help
 Difficulty - Veterinary help
 External genital, flank should be cleaned
 Protect from chill and give warm water
 Placenta - 2 - 4 hours
 Calcium supplement
 Milk partially
 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF LACTATING
ANIMAL
 Stages of lactation –
 1. Early – 0-100
 2. Mid – 100-200
 3. Late - 200-305
Feeding –
 During early lactation - Maintenance and production

 Prevents negative energy balance

 Prefer high energy than high protein

 Bypass fat or oils

 Mid lactation - maintain the peak production

 Late lactation - milk yield and feed intake reduced

 1 kg dry fodder with 4-5 kg green fodder per 100 kg body wt + 1
kg conc. per 2.5 ltrs milk + 1 kg conc. for maintenance + Min.
mixture

Challenge feeding
 Never frighten or excite the animals

 Maintain individual production records

 Ad lib. Water

 Reduce stress – heat stress, production stress etc

 Prevents metabolic diseases – Ketosis, milk fever etc

 Prevents infectitious diseases – Mastitis, metritis, pyometra etc

 Prefer machine milking – Twice day

- Thrice in high yielders
 Grooming of cows and washing of buffaloes before milking

 Vaccinate animals – FMD, HS, BQ etc

 Deworm every 6 months

 Prefer loose housing – Get exercise
- Reduce stress
- Covered area (3.5 sqm) and an open area (7 sqm)
 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BULL
 “Half the herd”
 Purpose – breeding
 Housed separately -“Bull Shed”
 Covered area (12 sqm) and an open area (120 sqm)

 Regular exercise - Active and non fatty conditions

 Feeding –
 Balanced ration
 Concentrate -2.0 to 2.5 kg during morning hours
 Ad lib. green fodder before and during breeding season

 Ad lib. water
 Vitamin A supplementation during lean season

 Supplementation of mineral mixture and salt

 Regular grooming

 Buffalo bulls - regular shaving

 Nose rings – 9-12 months

 Regular vaccination and deworming

 In summer, exotic bulls and buffalo bulls need cooling mechanism
in the pen to maintain homoeothermy

 Insecticide spraying

 Regular screening for diseases

 Service –
 Initially needs training
 15 to 16 months of age
 two services per week
 HF BULL

SAHIWAL BULL
MURRHA BUFFALO BULL
THANK YOU…