“A homestead dairy cow provides more nutritious fresh milk”-Dravidaselvi

Milking homestead dairy cow by cow farmer

“SEVAI Cow farm exposure and training helps the Village women to maintain household cow for milk purposes” said Ponnamal of Thottiyapatty. She took training from Dravida Selvi, the Residential Trainer of Sirugamani Cow Farm of SEVAI/OFI/Volunteers. During the training session, Dravidaselvi spoke to the village level cow rearers, “A homestead dairy cow provides lots of practical benefits. Perhaps the most notable is that cows eating a grass-based diet can provide great-tasting milk that is more nutritious than those you can buy. . Raising a family cow is an income generation activity experience, plus it’s a great step toward self-sufficiency and food security. Surplus milk from the cow could even bring in extra income for the family. A cow produces milk and adequate milk to her calf. After the cow has given birth, she must be at least twice daily or the milk will stop flowing. Count on about nine to 10 months of milk production, allowing the cow to rest at least two months before a new calf is born. The daily routine will consist of feeding, milking twice a day, or milking once a day and separating the calf from the cow eight to 12 hours before milking. The milking needs to be frequently cleaned and rotational grazing as needed. A dairy cow needs two principal components in her diet to be healthy: roughage and protein. Roughage mainly consists of cellulose and can be supplied by pasture and various forms of hay. Good grass hay and grass pasture can contain sufficient protein for animal maintenance, but for a lactating dairy cow, higher protein feeds such as paddy hay, grass-legume pasture, or protein supplements will increase milk production. She’ll also need a mineral supplement and salt, and a lactating cow can drink up to 30 gallons of water per day, so you’ll need to provide plenty of fresh water. The cow needs to get all the nutrients and protein she needs from grazing a lush pasture consisting of legumes and grasses. Milking should be timed at 12-hour intervals”. - Govin