cows need a place where they can eat and an area to lie down to rest . This can be an open camp system with sufficient open space , feed and water troughs as well as some protection against adverse weather conditions like summer heat and winter rain . Constructing facilities while new cows have to adapt to the farm would harm their milk yield . Later on , housing or keeping facilities for dry cows , calves and heifers of different ages should be added .
A milking parlour and associated structures are also required as this is going to be used twice a day for every day of the year . The layout should be such that extension of the facilities would be possible as generally dairy herds grow . Hot and cold running water must be available to wash teats before milking and to wash the milking machine and milk cans after milking . A drying rack for milk cans and space for storing equipment is also required . A large milk vat which can be cooled must be available for milk storage .
For a pasture-based system , an area under pasture is required , i . e . at least one ha for 2-3 lactating cows with an additional grazing area for dry cows and heifers . This system also requires irrigation equipment to supplement the natural rainfall which can be irregular with seasonal and long-term droughts . A pump and irrigation lines to supply water to pastures is required . Water troughs for drinking should also be provided on the pasture . This may be a fixed or a moveable trough .
The alternative system is a zero-grazing system . Cows are fed a total mixed ration twice a day . Animals are grouped and fed according to production stage , i . e . separate open pens for lactating , dry cows , heifers of different ages and calves . Each pen should have cow-specific sized feed and water troughs . Pen surfaces can be soil- or concrete based . Soil-based pens require a large area , i . e . 50-100 m 2 per cow depending on the intensity and rainfall pattern . To improve drainage , the pen surface should slope away from the feed trough . A concrete apron , at least 2-3 m wide , along the feed trough , should be provided to prevent the area becoming wet and muddy .
A housing system with individual free stalls or
AgriKultuur | AgriCulture cubicles can also be provided as this requires a smaller area , i . e . 10 m 2 per animal . This would protect cows against summer heat , wet winter and muddy conditions conducive to mastitis and foot rot . Manure run-off can also be controlled . A manure storage pit must be provided to prevent contaminating natural streams . Concrete floors are not a natural surface for dairy cows ; therefore , cows should have access to a soil-based exercise area to allow time off concrete to prevent hoof problems .
Other facilities include adequate storage space for feeds ( hay and concentrates ) and an area where feeds can be mixed before feeding . This should be in close proximity to the housing area to reduce labour .
Feeding dairy cows The daily milk yield of dairy cows depends on their genetic merit , the feeding programme and stage of lactation . Low quality feeds should not be fed to high genetic merit cows . Milk production will be poor with cows losing body condition becoming thin affecting fertility negatively .
Cows should be fed a high-quality roughage and a high energy concentrate during early lactation ( from calving to 100 days in milk ) to ensure high milk yields at peak production . As the energy intake during this time is usually lower than the energy required for milk yield , cows use their body reserves ( fat ) to produce milk . It is for this reason that cows loose condition ( or weight ) during the first 2-3 months of the lactation period .
The amount of concentrates being fed to cows can be increased daily during the first 14 days after calving . After this , the amount can be increased weekly if their milk yield keeps on increasing . However , the daily amount of concentrate should not exceed about 2 % of live weight , i . e . 7-8 kg and 12-14 per day for Jersey and Holstein cows , respectively .
The amount of concentrates should be reduced when milk yield decreases with advancing lactation stage . Concentrates can also be fed at fixed amounts from directly after calving to the end of the lactation period . The total amount of concentrates being fed per lactation is more important than the way it is being fed . However , feeding concentrates
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