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Milk Production Management

Steps In Clean Milk Production

  • The animal should be washed before milking.
  • Washing of cows is best practice to minimize the bacterial entry.
  • If calfis allowed for sucking, udder may be moist, cleaned with weak disinfectant solution later with fresh, clean water and wiped dry with a smooth and clean cloth.
  • Hands of the milker should be clean and dry. Wet hand milking may result in high bacterial count in the milk.
  • Nails of hands of the milker should be well trimmed.
  • Milker should be free from all diseases.
  • Dusty feed like Rice polish should not be fed to the animal at the time of milking.
  • Milking barns should be well ventilated free from flies.
  • Utensils used for milking should be clean, sanitized, smooth and copper free.
  • Flavour producing feeds should be fed only after milking So that flavours will not appear in milk. The hind legs and the switch of the animal be tighted with the help of a milk man’s rope at the time of milking.
  • Milk is kept in cool place to maintain the flavour and keeping quality.
  • Milk should be covered with lids to avoid dust, dirt, entry hot, or cold, day light or strong artificial light, all at which tend to decrease milk quality.
  • Raw milk with not exceeding 2,00,000 specific count in one ml of milk can be graded as very good raw milk

Dairy Farm Record Keeping

  1. Identification of animal record
  2. Growth record
  3. Health record
  4. Animal death record
  5. Calf death record
  6. Breeding and calving record
  7. Recording of dairy milk yield
  8. Recording of concentrate feed and mixture feeding
  9. Labour maintenance record
  10. Water requirement record
  11. Recording of culling animal
  12. Recording of selling animal
  13. Recording of buying animal

Care & Management of Milch Animal

To get high milk during any lactation, the milch animal should be properly fed and necessary care and manage mental practices should be followed:

  • Provide green succulent forage together with leguminous hay or straw to the extent of animal can consume, so that all its maintenance requirements are met with through forage only. Extra concentrate at the rate of 1 kg for every 2 to 2.5 liters of milk should be provided. Salt and mineral supplements should be given to maintain the lactation.
  • Never frighten or excite the animals. Always treat them gently and with kindness.
  • With proper feeding and care, a cow will come to heat with in 16 days of calving. Do not with hold service unnecessarily after the signs of heat are noticed in a cow. The shorter the interval between calving, the more efficient the animal is as a milk producer. By maintaining proper records of breeding and calving of the animals will ensure a study flow of milk through out the year.
  • Individual attention to feed each animal according to its production is a must. For this purpose maintain individual production records.
  • Keep up regularity of feeding. Concentrate mix is fed before or during milking, when as roughages after milking. This practice will avoid dust in the shed.
  • Water should be provided to drink at will or at frequent intervals. It is more beneficial, if the animal is maintained on paddy straw as sole rough age.
  • Regularity in milking is essential. Increase of milk in the udder will reduce further secretion of milk. Milking thrice is better than twice since 10 - 15 % more milk can be produced.
  • Rapid, continuous, dry hand milking should be practiced without undue jerking of teats. milking should be done with whole hand, but not with thumb and index finger.
  • Cows should be trained to let down milk without calf suckling. This will held to wean the calves early.
  • Loose housing with shelter during hot part of the day should be provided. The animals will get maximum exercise in loose housing system.
  • Grooming of the cows and washing of the buffaloes before milking help in clean milk production. Daily brushing will remove loose hair an dirt from the coat. Grooming will also keep the animal.
  • Wallowing of buffaloes or water spraying on their bodies will keel6 the buffaloes comfortable especially in summer.
  • Common ailments should be properly detected and treated.
  • Common vices should be properly detected and care should be taken. Eg: Kicking, licking, suckling etc.
  • Provide at least 60 - 90 days dry period between calving. If the dry period is not sufficient, the milk yield is subsequent lactation will be reduced.
  • Vaccinate the cows- against important diseases and also guard against insects and pests.
  • Every animal should be numbered and particulars pertaining to milk, fat %, feed taken, breeding, drying and calving dates should be recorded.
  • Check for mastitis regularly.

Management Practices to Improve Breeding Efficiency

Some of the management suggestions which will tend to improve breeding efficiency of cattle are listed below:

  1. Keep accurate breeding records of dates of heat, service and parturition. Use records in predicting the dates of heat and observe the females carefully for heat.
  2. Breed cows near the end of heat period.
  3. Have females with abnormal discharges examined and treated by veterinarian.
  4. Call a veterinarian to examine females not seftled after three services.
  5. Get the females checked for pregnancy at the proper time after breeding.
  6. Buy replacements only from healthy herds and test them before putting them in your herd.
  7. Have the females give birth in isolation, preferably in a parturition room and clean up and sterilize the area once parturition is over.
  8. Follow a programme of disease prevention, test and vaccination for diseases affecting reproduction and vaccinate the animals against such diseases.
  9. Practice a general sanitation programme.
  10. Supply adequate nutrition.
  11. Employ the correct technique.
  12. Provide suitable shelter management.
  13. Detect silent or mild heat, by using a teaser bull.

A practical recommendation for timing of insemination

Cows Showing Estrus Should be inseminated Tool late for good results
In morning Same day Next day
In afternoon Morning of next day or early afternoon After 3pm

Vaccination Schedule

Disease Age Interval Month
FMD 3rd month Every six month Jan-Feb, June-July
BG 6th month Every year Aug-Sep
HS 6th month Every year Sep-Oct
Anthrax 6th month Every year (affected area only) April-May
Brucellosis 4-8th month of Heifer - May-April