Factsheet: Calf to cow expert feeding guide for maximum milk—Part 1

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Dairy zero grazingBy George Munene

In dairy farming, getting a handle on feeding is the single most important determinant of the profitability of your farm. It is the basis of production, growth, health and body condition.

Yakub Bachu, an animal husbandry expert and Peter Chirchir, a veteran dairy farmer at Kericho with a milking herd of 24 cows averaging 25 litres between them offer practical tested insight on what and how much to feed your cow at various stages of growth to maximise on their potential:

Calf to weaning

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Maintaining good hygiene is of utmost importance as the calf is easily susceptible to diseases given its immune system is as yet not fully developed.

For his calves Peter Chirchir separates them from their mother on the second day after their birth and feeds them on six litres of milk for their first month, four litres for the second and two litres for the third month. In the fourth month, he feeds them on one litre of milk for the first week and begins to wean them on the second. He feeds them on calf pellets beginning on the first week after their birth.

Weaning

Feeding weaned calf

For Chirchir, beginning on the second week of the fourth month he feeds his weaned calves on an ad-libitum mixture of silage, hay and napier grass.

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Feeding the heifer from 4months to calving

For his heifers, Chirchir feeds them on a 20kg mixture of hay + silage, 1 kg of standard dairy meal from weening, increasing to 2/3kg on the eighth/ninth months. An equal amount of a mix of maize + wheat germ acts as a suitable substitute for dairy meal. He also begins to feed them on calf salts (100 grams of vital ndama) from the seventh month.