Common Dairy Animal Management Procedure

In Animal Husbandry there is lot of Dairy Animal Management practices is followed. In this article we will discuss commonly used dairy animal practices

Table of Contents

Identification of Dairy Animals

Under modern livestock management it is essential to mention the various aspects like breeding, feeding, milking, reproduction, vaccination, etc. In case of large number of animals on a farm it is very difficult to identify the animals by description of their external features. Banks giving finance for purchase of dairy animals and cattle insurance companies emphasize on foolproof identification of animals by numbering them properly. This calls for the use of some artificial methods of marking animals. Generally the animals are marked with certain numbers and letters in a serial order.
Common methods of identifying the animals are tattooing, branding, number tags and ear tagging. Out of these the first two are generally practised on organized dairy farms.

Tattooing of Dairy Animals

Tattooing is the process of putting a mark on the pinna of the ear. It involves piercing the ear inside with the desired number or figure and then incorporating a black vegetable pigment into these punctures. Tattooing is done in the first week preferably with in three days after the birth of the calf. This will be permanent mark if done properly. The only disadvantage of this method is that the animal should be caught and the inside of the ear cleaned for reading the identification mark.

Grooming of Dairy Animals

Grooming means brushing the hair coat of the animal. It is performed to remove the waste products of the skin, like skin secretion, loose hair and other skin para- sites like lice, tick, mite etc. Grooming is essential for a clean milk production and to keep the animal in healthy condition.

Advantages of grooming

It imparts a shine to the coat and improve the appearance of the animal.
It helps to stimulate the blood and lymph circulation of the body.
It keeps the skin in a good condition.

The equipment needed for grooming is a blunt type comb for removing the coarse material or manure from the animal body. If a brush is not available then coarse rope (made of paddy straw, coco- nut straw, dried grass) turned into a pad will be a good substitute. The movements of the brush should be along the direction of the body hairs so that the hairs remain set and start shining.

Washing of Dairy Animals

It is also an important daily operation for keeping the animal clean and comfort- able. It makes the production of clean milk possible. The whole hair coat of the animal should be thoroughly washed first by rubbing with hands or a brush against the hair simultaneously by pouring water. For exhibition, animals soft soap should be applied over the body and worked into a rich lather. Then the lather is thoroughly rinsed off with warm water and then with cool water. The coat is dried thoroughly with the help of a towel. Carbolic acid soaps should not be used on animals.

Spraying of Dairy Animals

Spraying a weak fly repelling dip solution on cattle at regular intervals is very effective in controlling ticks, mites, etc. Spraying or showering buffaloes with tap water in summer is also recommended. Re- search has revealed that buffaloes kept cool and comfortable by spraying water on their body during hot summer have better fertility.

Bedding of Dairy Animals

Bedding or litter is mainly used for keeping the animals clean and comfortable. Bedding also soaks up urine, makes manure easier to handle and absorbs plant nutrient, fixing both ammonia and potash in relatively insoluble form, thus protecting them against losses by leaching.
During winter suitable bedding should be provided for young calves. Wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, chopped grass or residues are ideal for animal bedding. The bedding should be about 10 to 15 cm thick and should be removed and put in manure pit after 10 – 15 days.

Dehorning of Dairy Animals

It is a process of removing horns of an animal. The arrest of horn growth at an early age, when the horn root is still in the form of a bud or button is known as disbudding. Dehorning in calves is done when they are of 4 to 10 days age, or as soon as horn buttons are visible. Dehorning of yearling and older animal is painful and results in heavy bleeding. Horns are quite useless for dairy animals, they can be a nuisance and can cause many body and udder injuries.

Advantages of Dehorning

Dehorned animals require less space in the barn.
Dehorned animals are safer for management.
Horned animals inflict bruises on each other and may cause heavy economic losses.

Disadvantages of Dehorning

Dairy animal with nice horns, have a style which is an advantage in exhibi- tion and cattle shows.
Some breeds are noted for their attractive horns e.g.. Kankrej, Kangayam, etc.
Horned animals can defend themselves.

Methods of Dehorning

There are 4 method Dehorning in dairy animals:

Chemical Method

In this method caustic potash or caustic soda are the common chemicals used for the purpose. These are available in the form of sticks or pastes. The hairs around the horn buds of the calf are clipped. To protect the eyes from the chemical, a ring of heavy grease or vaseline is applied in the ring surrounding area of dehorning. The chemical is rubbed on the button until the blood is seen and the skin is peeled off. While doing so, the hands have to be protected.

Hot Iron Method

In this method a specially designed hot iron is applied to the horn buds of the young calves. The dehorning irons are heated in a portable forge. The electrical dehorner is used when electricity is avail- able. It keeps an even temperature. This method is bloodless, applied only on young calves in any season of the year .

Dehorning Saw and Clippers

Clippers are used for removing the buds of the young cattle. The hard and brittle horns of old cattle can best be removed with a saw. Dehorning is done by any available wood cutting saw. The animal to be dehorned is confined in a suitable cattle trevis. The horn is removed with about 1 cm of the skin around its base.

Use of Elastrator

The elastrator is an instrument for use in stretching a specially made rubber ring in dehorning cattle. This method is associated with lot of pain for the cattle having 5 to 10 cm long horn. The rubber ring is ‘stretched with the help of elastrator instrument which is placed over the horn well down into the hair line. Smaller horns drop off in 3 to 6 weeks, while longer horns may take two months.

Castration of Dairy Animals

Castration is the removal of the testicles, the glands that produce male germ cells/ semen. The principle of castration is that the spermatic cord of both testicles are crushed by castrator which cuts off the blood supply to the testicles, due to which they shrivel up and no longer produce male germ cells. Production of testoster- one hormone in the testis is also stopped which makes the animal loose desire for sex and become docile

Advantages of Castration

It controls the reproductive ability of male cattle.
Undesirable male calves not required for breeding can be eliminated by castration.
Robust, docile bullocks can be developed.
Castrated male animals can be safely handled and conveniently housed.
Castration results in fineness of neck specially in buffaloes which help in fitting of yokes.
Castrated males are docile and can be handled easily while ploughing or carting.