Care and Management of Milking Cows

Care and Management of Milking Cows :

A. Feeding:

1.The adequate clean and fresh water should be provided to milking cow.
2. Calcium and phosphorus should provide through bone meal or mineral mixture to prevent milk fever in high yielders.
3. While feeding green legumes, also provide dry fodder to ensure adequate consumption of dry matter and to avoid possibility of bloat.
4. Concentrate allowance is given at the time of milking which stimulates the process of let down of milk.
5.For indigenous cow,1kg of concentrate mixture per 2.5 to 3 kg. of milk produced is given in addition to maintenance.For crossbred cows, this proportion is 1 kg per 2 to 2.5 kg of milk produced.
6.About 15 days of calving, give slightly more quantity of concentrate than actual production which is called as lead feeding or challenge or feeding.

B. Housing:

1.The milking cows should be housed in separate pens.
2. Milking cows should protect from environmental stress like heat, rain,cold and wind.
3. Also, proper drainage, ventilation and exposure to sunlight must be there.
4. Flooring should be hard impervious, non slippery and with slope.

C. Management:

1. Milking : The udder and teats should be washed with warm water mixed with KMNo4, solution and wiped to dry before milking. Milking should be gentle, quick and complete by suitable method. It should be completed within 7 minutes. The milking time and interval between two successive milkings should be kept constant.
2. Gromming :Grooming helps in clean and hygienic milk production.lt removes loose hairs, dust, dirt and ectoparasites on the milking cows. The regular grooming helps to keep skin clean and helps to feel the animal fresh by reducing tiredness and fatigue.
3.Exercise: The cows should be provided free movement in paddock hence they feel comfortable and get needed exercise to them.
4.Control of ectoparasites and endoparasites: Spraying of insecticide should done in cattle shed and on animal body. It controls the ectoparasitic infestation viz. lice,ticks, flies,mites etc. Milking cows
should be dewormed atleast twice in a year to control endoparasitic infestation viz. round worm, tape worms, liver flukes etc.
5.Control of disease: The prevention and control of disease of the herd is  Most important. To achieve this, keep the sanitation by keeping. the housing and other places clean and regularly disinfected. Many diseases are also prevented by timely vaccination.
6.Breeding: milking cow should be bred at 60 days after date of panturition,which helps good reproductive health of cow.