While designing a housing system for you cows and buffaloes remember “Cows need shade and not a shed” also remember “Concrete and steel doesn’t produce milk – cows do” . Invest your hard earned money where it counts not on the whimsical ideas of some one who has never owned a cow.
In all dairy farms there are three activities that need daily attention and are labour intensive. 1) Milking 2 times a day x 365 days 2) Feeding at least once a day if not more 3) Manure removal at least once a day. The labour demand can be minimised and convenience maximised if the design of the cow housing facility is so designed. However very little attention is given to this. Cows need to have surroundings that will not impair their natural behaviour so that they can be comfortable and this has its impact on also aspects of welfare resulting in the ability to express their maximum genetic potential.
There is a lot of talk of free movement housing and people are trying to adapt their existing housing to these ideas. However there should be some scientific basis for selection of a certain housing type and not the use of the same yardstick everywhere. Some of these free movement housing farms are a mess and if you reach there on a rainy day because soil type, elevation, drainage and bedding material were never considered. On the other hand, cows don’t need a Taj mahal they need enough , clean, dry, ventilated and optimally cool / warm living conditions and this can be provided without all the “Bells and Whistles” that the MNC’s try to push down every farmers throat.
Watch this space for more on optimum low cost housing under under Indian conditions.
