SEVAI-OFI Promotes cow farm

SEVAI, a Trichy based NGO commenced setting up a Dairy form with the support of OFI and its volunteers in Sirugamani of Trichirappalli District with an aim to support Women Self Groups as training centre for Dairy farming and also to support SEVAI Charitable projects such as providing milk for physically challenged children run by SEVAI. The main aim of the Dairy project is to develop and upgrade the Farm’s Productivity Milk, Reduce Production Cost, Mortality, Save Labor, Feed, Money, and Power. It is proposed to start with 10 cows. SEVAI’s coordinator K.Devendran and OFI volunteer Hugues Debruyne as associated by Eleonore Destannes, Carole BES, Ariane klein and Paul Lavialle are in the process of making a cow shed with mild sloped floor towards the back of the cow for the water to drain. Dr.Benjamine Oberoi, Vice President of OFI closely monitors the project implementation. The Board of OFI as headed by Mrs. Elizabeth Walton and OFI’s partners express keen interest in this supportive Cow project for poor and needy. It is carefully planned to make the slope mild so that it will not be dangerous for cows, especially for pregnant cows. The space has been provided as a cow needs a standing place of 9 feet length and 5 feet width apart from the feeding in front of the cow 4 feet. “This dairy farm will be profitable due to the availability of milk and cow dung, as cow dung conversion to organic manure or vermi compost with earthworms- to make vermi compost by leaving good earth worms- its having good demand. Drinking water tub ensures that cow gets good clean drinking water whenever it needs, from the overhead tank. A good cow requires about 80 litres of water a day. With Chaff cutter it is planned to cut CO4 grass, which grows up to around 7 feet height, to small pieces and for  10 cows hand driven is more than enough,” K.Devendran said- K.Devendran and Hugues added,” It is proposed to feed the cows with silage especially Corn silage as Corn silage is popular feed for  cows. Silage must be made from plant material with suitable moisture content depending on the means of storage, the degree of compression, and the amount of water that will be lost in storage. For maize, harvest begins when the whole-plant moisture is at a suitable level. Corn silage is a safe feed and it t works well for starting cows on feed. Corn silage is often used to furnish minimum roughage levels in high-grain finishing rations. Harvest the corn plant at a stage of maturity that produces silage with 30 to 40 percent dry matter. Corn should be harvested for silage after the grain is well dented but before the leaves turn brown and dry. Straw can form the roughage in the absence of grasses and in such cases concentrates should be given for maintenance. For lactating cows, 1kg of concentrate mixture may be required for every 2.5 – 3.0 kg of milk over and above the maintenance allowance. After parturition, the cow should be given the same type of feed and the same quantity as before and the concentrate allowance should be only gradually increased to avoid digestive troubles like acidosis, indigestion, etc. Milking animals should always have free access to clean fresh drinking water”. -Govin