-

Common dairy cattle breeds in kenya

This documentation entails several dairy breeds and their characteristics

FRIESIAN
Purpose :milk production
Average body size:500-550kgs
Average milk yield :40-60L/day
Characteristics :black and white ,short haired coat & short horns
Advantage : The breed has a high milk production potential with a low butter fat content of about 3.2%
Disadvantages
It is susceptible to diseases e.g. milk fever
Susceptible to high temperatures
It requires large amounts of water i.e minimum of 60 litres
It is also a heaven feeder i.e 90-110kg of forage/day


AYRSHIRE
purpose :milk production [The ideal drinking milk] because it posseses desirable quantities of proteins and doesn't lack adequate fat.
Average body size : 450kg
Average milk yield : 30L/day
Description : body ranges from brown with white patches in almost equal amount to dark mahogany colour.
Advantages :
High milk yield (30L/day) :it has a butter fat content of 4.0%
Fairly hardy and adaptable to varied climatic zones
Relatively resistant to diseases

Disadvantages :
High feed requirements (90-110kg of forage/day)
Requires plenty of clean water (60L/day)


GUERNSEY
Purpose : milk production... Heifers are milked at about 2 years of age.
Average body size : 400-500kg
Average milk yield : 25L/day
Description : colour->yellow to reddish brown with white patches
         : temperament ->docile,not nervous
         : guernsey bull ->has an attractive individuality, revealing ample vigour and masculinity
         : the breed also has a good dairy conformation
Advantages :
High milk yield (25L/day) with a butter fat content of 4.3%
Moderate feed requirements (65-85kg of forage/day)
They are efficient feed converters
They reach reproductive maturity at an early age & can calve at 22 months of age thus providing an early return on investment.
Minimum calving complications
Adapted to all climates and management systems.



JERSEY
Purpose: milk production
Average body size : small to medium (350kg)
Average milk yield : 22L/day with a butter fat of about 5.3%
Description :
brown in colour but can range from being almost grey to dull black.  They can also have white patches which may cover much of the animal's body.A true Jersey has - black nose bordered by almost white muzzle
Protruding eyes
Produce high quality milk - richer in proteins, minerals and trace elements.
Advantages :
Low feed requirements (65-85kg of forage/day)
Milk has a high butter fat content of 5.2%
Breed has little or no calvung problems, greater fertility and shorter calving interval.
High feed conversion efficiency
Their hard black feet makes them less susceptible to lameness
Disadvantages
This breed is susceptible to tick borne diseases and milk fever

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE FAMOUS BRACHIARIA GRASS

-
Image
VETS DELIGHT THE FAMOUS BRACHIARIA GRASS (MULATO II HYBRID GRASS) Mulato II hybrid brachiaria is a perennial grass used to improve beef and milk production in tropical and subtropical regions.  It is recommended for regions with  acid soils of medium and low fertility, prolonged periods of summer drought & high summer temperatures .    Main Characteristics Commercial name Mulato II grass Scientific name Brachiaria ruziziensis x B. decumbens xB. brizantha cv. Mulato II uses Grazing, hay, silage, cut and carry system Palatability High Digestibility High Protein potential Up to 18% Tolerance to water logging poor Tolerance to drought good Planting density 8–10 kg/ha; zero tillage, 2.5 - 3 Kg/Acre Days to first grazing/cut after germination 70-80 days on average Time in rotation /...
Read more
-
@vets delight DRY COW THERAPY : dry period (drying to calving: 60days) The dry period should last for about 60 days irrespective of whether the cow is still producing a lot of milk. Attempts should be made to minimize stress to the cow during the drying especially for high yielders. Ways of drying cows:  • The feed intake should be reduced to maintenance level by withdrawing the concentrates and for high yielders, feed on low quality forages (eg straw) to reduce milk synthesis. • For low yielding cows, just stop milking. Pressure builds up in udder and milk production is cut off. • If cow is a high yielder, practice intermittent milking i.e. skip some milking times (milk only in mornings) so as to reduce milk synthesis due to pressure build up in udder while reducing feed intake. • Water can be temporarily withdrawn for very high yielders to reduce milk synthesis. • After cessation of milking, treat (infuse) all the quarters with long acting antibiotics to ...
Read more

Dairy cattle nutrient requirements

-
©vets delight Major nutrients required to feed a dairy cow so that  she will not only produce good yields of milk for 250 days but also  have a calf every year The two major nutrients are Energy (which comes from carbohydrate in the form of sugars, starches, cellulose and hemicellulose found in plants and their seeds) Protein, also found in plants and their seeds. The other nutrients are vitamins and minerals but they will be found naturally in most plants and if not, can be supplemented quite cheaply. Thus it is important that plants fed to cows are high in energy or protein or preferably both. Natural (veld) grass only has these for the cow for about three months of the year in the rains. After that they are not good enough for good milk yields and good fertility and furthermore, by September, there is often not enough grazing for the animals, especially in a dry year. Commercial dairy concentrates have energy derived from maize and maize by-products and pr...
Read more