Management .of Buffaloes and Dairy Cattle

Farmers' Guide to EfJicient Management of Buffaloes and Dairy Cattle

SARECINSF Buffalo Research and Development Programme Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Information Leaflet No.08 (1998)

Management - - of buffaloes - - - .- - - and - - -- d a i g cattle 1

Efficiency of a (livestock) t'ar~n operation depends heavily on good nianagement of the stock and other farm resources. To achieve the desired management efficiency, the farmer has invariably to pay adequate attention to the Iol!owing important aspects: an:mal handling and management, feeding and nutrition, reproductive managenlent and health care and in tlie case of buffaloes, body temperature regulation.

i t must also be recognized that the biological and pliysiological needs of' dairy cattle and buffaloes vary according LO the breed type, age, sex, reproductive status, production level. stali~s of health and the environment. It is therefore imperative that these diverse requirements should be taken it-to consideration, in the care and management of the different categories of livestock on farms eg. neonatal calves, pre- weaner calves, growers, adult heifers, pregnant heifers and cows, part~~rient cows and postpartilm cows.

In this leaflet, we have attempted to provide basic guidelines on the more important aspects of dairy buffalo and cattle management, from the new born calf to adults of various age groups and physiological states.

I a) Management of the new born calf 1 - - - - - -

Care should be taken to clean the mucus from the nostrils to enable the calf to breathe freely. If the dam attempts to iick the calf, this should be encouraged. This would in addition to the cleaning and drying effect, stimulate breathing and also the maternal instinct. Recording the birth weight of the calf is a good practice and will help to monitor the growth rate during pre- pubertal period. Care should be taken to cut the naval cord of the calf and apply a suitable disinfectant like tincture of iodine on the umbilicus (navel) to prevent infection by disease causing agents. Application of margosa oil around the naval would be useful as a fly repellant. The riewborn calf wil l normally stand and begin lo suckle within 1-2 hours of birth. However, if this does not occur, the calf should be assisted to suckle the dam.

Colostrum feeding: At birth, the major obstacle to survival of the neonatal calf is susceptibility to diseases. The chances of infection are much greater in the neonate if the intake of first Inilk (colostrum) which contains antibodies is inadequate or delayed. I t is important to ensure that the baby calf gets the colostrum From the dam within the first few hours of its life, and thereafter has the freedom to suckle at will during the next 3-4 days. Colostrum is essential to the newborn calf for its nutrition and also to fight against diseases. it has also laxative properties which facilitates the removal of meconium (first faeces) from the gut within a few hours of ingestio~!. I h e daily colostrum requirement is about 5-8 O/o of the body weight of the calf. In the baby calt; coiostrum is absorbed directly through the intestinal wall during the first 36 hours of life. This ability to absorb large molecules (e.g. antibodies) disappear thereafter. Anti bodies present in colostrum that have the capacity to give protection against common diseases are transferred Ti-om the darn to the calf through the colostrum. Therefore, the ingestion of colostrum in early life is of vital importance to ensure a healthy life for the newborn calf. Besides this, the baby calf should also be provided warm conditions, dry bedding and clean drinking water.

Soon after birth, attention should be paid to remove the placental tissue and clean the calf with dry straw, grass or a clean piece of cloth.

b) Mmagement ofthe pre-weaner calf Cfirst week to weanin&)

Nutrition i"dc~nngement: The dam's milk is the best diet for the young calf. It should therefore be provided in adequate amounts to ensure satisfactory growth. In general, a calf would require 10% of its body weight in milk to meet its daily nutrient requirement. For example, a calf weighing 25-30 kg must be given 2.5 to 3 liters of milk/day.

Suckling: Suckling is the most convenient and common method of calf feeding practised by the small holder farmer. 'I'hough free suckling by the calf is the natural means of cbtaining nourishment, uncontrolled suckling may result in overfeeding wIlic11 may cause diarrhoea. Moreover, unlimited suckling may cause de1a.y~ in the onfet of ovarian activity after calving, which shoul(' normally occur 30-45 d ~ y s post- calving. Restrarch has revealed that limited suckling helps to reduce the time interval between calving and first estrous. Therefore. it is best to limit milk feeding 10 twict: a day (ie. once a1 each milking tirile), In order to ensure that the calf gets adequate amounts o f tniik from the mother, it is recommended that 3 quarters of the udder be milked completely, leaving the ot!:er quarter for the calf (depending on the milk yield of the cow and the requirer-:lent of the call'). The quarter set apart for the calf can be changed at the subsequent milking.

Stimulation c . rumen futictions: Although at birth, calves behave as monogastric animals like humans, within the first few weeks of life, the stomach is gradually transformed into a complex stomach to become rutninants. Therefore, it is very important to stimulate rumen fl~nclions as early as possible. This could be achieved by offering fibrous feed early. Tender grass and hay (approximately 50-1 00g) may be introduced at about 10 days of age to allow for the development of the rumen in the young calf. Concentrate feeds like calf starter, coconut poonac or rice polish may be provided in small quantities to suppleirient the diet at about two weeks of age. The daily concentrate ration may be increased gradually to 150-200 glday at two months of age (see Leaflet No. 9 for more details on concentrate feeding of calves). The weight of the calf should be recorded at least once a month, to monitor its growth rate.

The gain in weight of a calf should generally be about 400-500 grams per day and this would depend very much on the genetic potential, the level of feeding and management and the environment.

General managements aspects: In addition to forage, the calf requires important minerals like calcium and phosphorus as well as trace minerals like selenium, cobalt, zinc etc. These car, be provided by feeding a good quality comrercial mineral mixture Access to clean drinking water should be ensured throughout the day within the calf pen. Further the provision of dry bedding arid shelter from draughts of cold wind is of pararnoc-lt importance. If the calves are reared in groups, !hey should be prevented from licking oqe another, as this may lepd 'o the formation of hatr balls in the rumen

Weaning. When tne calf is about 2 112 to 3 months of age, it may be weaned, if it has reached twice the birth weight. At weaning the c ~ l f can be fed totally on forage, as milk is not an essential component of its diet. the ory matter consumption should then be about 2% of its body weight.

Health Care Mos, calf deaths occur during thc pre-weaning period. Thic could +c, prcvented or reduced by taking appropriate measures to ensure good hygiene in fceding and management. A common problem encountered in the early life of [he calf, particularly in the biiffalo is the round worm infection called "ascariasis". Eggs from these viortns we transmitted from the cow to the young calf through the milk The parasitic eggs develop In the calf to become adult wonns within 3 weeks, after which the calves may show signs of disease characterisec by inappetance, diarrhoea, aeakness and sometimes death. Therefore strategic de-worming of the calves will be necessary to prevent the infection. All buffalo calves should therefore be dewompd between 10- 16 clays of age with a r effective drug (pyrental), at a dosage of (2 tablets of 125mg per calf). Another common paras~tic problem that may occur in buffalo calves at a young age is 2

protozoan infection of the gut called 'coccidiosis'. This occurs generally, at the age of about 3-4 weeks. The clinical signs seen are: the loss of appetite, diarrhoea with blood stained mucous and a rise in body temperature. Prompt veterinary

advice. and treatment should be sought in all such cases in order to prevent calf losses. Other round worm and tape worm infections may occur between 1-3 months of age in calves. Affected animals usually will show signs of weakness, swe:ling under the jaw, diarrhoea and a "pot bellied" appearance. If any of these signs are observed early veterinary attention should be sought for proper diagnosis and treatment. For i.*loye details on health care, the reader is referred to Leaflet No.6 in this series.

[Management sf Growers (weaning to puberty) -- -

F'eerliulg: Providing good nutrition is of primary importance for the growing calves in order to maintain he desired growth rate and to ensure t11e development of resistance to infections. Well-nourished stock can withstand diycase much better than undernourished animals. Since tlie weaned calf could now depend entirely on roughage feed, good quality hay, pasture and fodder should be provided to meet its biologicnl needs. The mineral and vitamin requirements of the growing 2.1iimal should also be provided in the daily diet. Tilc growth of at:~rnals must be regularly monitored by recording the body weight every month. In general, calves of iemperate and temperate crossbred cows gain Inore than 580 g/day during pre-puber-tal period.

Onset qfpuherty: Puberty refers to the onset of sexual activity. It has been shown that a heifer must reach a minimum weight for its sexual activity to commence. In general, it is now

considered that an animal as soon as it reaches two thirds of the mature body weigh^, will commence sexual activity which is signified by the onset of the first estrous. In both cattle and buffaloes, the age of scxual maturity or puberty varies with the breed type and the level of nutrition and management. A well-nourished European type (Temperate) animal has the potential to reach this weight by about 10 to 12 months, while a well fed exotic buffalo heifer has tlie potential to reach this body weight by 14- 16 months. However under village conditions, due to the poor nutrition, cattle as weli as buffalo may take as long as 24 to 30 rnonths or more to reach puberty. Afier the initiation ofthe oestr~rs cycle in the cattle and buffalo heifer, heat signs will recur with normal regularity at intervals of 2 1-22 days.

Health Care: If the calf solnetirnes shows poor growth despite proper 11:-rtrition, it coi~ld be an Indication of i l l health which will require the attention of a veterinariac to establish t h ~ cause ot'the disease and ad~ninister specific treatment. In addition to nutritional implications of disease, it is impoi-tant to prevent infectio~rs diseases by regular dcwortning arid by ensuring the

development of immunity in tlie anirnals by prophylactic vaccination. Therefore routine vaccinatioli programs shoi~ld be arranged from a young age (ovcr 4 months). The recommend deworming schedule is given in Table 1 and the rcconinicnded imrnuniz;ttion prograrn~ne against ihe common it:fectious iiseases in Sri Lanka is given in 'Table 2.

Breeding the heifer: Adequate attention shou Id he paid to breeding of heifers and cows at the appropriate age and time. i f a young heifer has not reached the desired weight for the specific breed or breed type, mating may be postponed until the desired weight is reached. The recommended body weight at which to breed a heifer is when she reaches 213 the mature body weight of the particular breed type. The best time to breed a heifer is between 6- 12 liours, after the onset of heat. If artificial insemination (Al) services are not available, one could resoi-t to natural service (NS) using a superior stud bull. If the heifer does not cotne to heat by about 21 -22 days after the A1 or NS, she should be examined by a veterinarian to diagnose pregnancy 60-90 days after the date of service.

TABLE l Dewcsrming procedure for calves

Species and age Timing of Treatment

groL -iG 0- 1 6 of age Wuflfalo Calves 1

Cattle Call c:

In general, adu!ts do not require worm treatment. 1-lowever, if animal show evidence of weight loss, diarrhoea, reduced milk production, contac: a veterinarian for advice.

1 " worming at one month 2"" worriiing at 3 months

other recornrrtenrlrrtions: Calves managed ~ntensively in the wet 7one {nay be tle-wormed once In 2-3 months up to 12 -1 8 months of age.

In areas wllere worm infestation is ender3:ic \vc)rm the young animals 3t the comrnenct.inent of Yaia (ApriliR/lay)

' and 3,falla (Sep~emberiOctober) rains and i~i i each occasions follo\v the sanie

i treatment 3 weeks later. . . .. . .- . .. - --.

Adults as well a.s adults de-worming / ib rcquircd only if the animal s h o ~ s ( signs of worirt infestation. Your 1 viterinarian will exarnine dung samples / and tell y o i ~ wlietl~er worm treatment is

required or. no t .

Recommended drug and procedure for worming

Pyrrntel Palmoate. 2 tablets or230 .ng per calf One worming is sufficient.

Follow the recommendations of your veterinarian 1 Albendazole; half a tablet or 750 Ing per 1 calf

Fchantel at the rate of 75 rngl'kg body weight (about 3 grams per calf) .

There are other drugs suitable for / worming. For details contact your locai veterinarian

. . -. - . . - . . .

F o l l o ~ the recos~lnlendations veterinarian

TABLE 2

Vaccin~tion schetiulle against common infectious (Piseases of cattle and buffaloes

Booster vaccination

12th n ~ o n t l ~ and annually thereafter 12th month and every 6 months thereafter 12th month and e v e y 6 months up lo 2 years

Secondary Vaccination 7th month

7th month

9th month

Disease 7 Primary Vaccination

Haernorrhagic Septicaemia Foot and Mouth disease Black Quarter

4th :nor;:h

4th and 5th months

6th month

1 3. Management of Adults

Use ail resources at yocir ,,,* q.x$cc :

Feeding: Pregnant heifers need to be provided with good care and nutrition. It should be pl;lced on a higher plane of nutl-it~on. in or!-ler io meet both her niaintenance req~~lremcnts and Ihose of the developing foelus. Nutrition requirem~~nts of the pregnant heifer reaclles a pcah during thc ias; two months of gestation, because of the rapid growth of the foetus during this period. O n the other hand, she has to build LIP her own body reserves to ensurc a high milk y.eld and also tc. sustain l.he mil li yield and iactation length. Special attention is req~~ired to pnvide a quality mineral rnixture containing Ca. P. tug and trace minerals to meet the increased demand for minewass and also to build L I ~ her mineral reserves whicl~ she t~ould eventually use during the lactation (see 1,eaflets 1 , 2 and 9 for more details).

b) Pregnant, lactating cows

Feeding: If the PI-egnarlt animal is a lactating cow, she sl~ould be fed according to her milk production level. See I .eaflet 1,2 and 9 to decide on the level of feeding of fihrous feed and concentrates or other non-convention;il f+ed supplements according to the body weight, milk yield and fat content. I n general i t is recornmended that fibrous feed are fed at the rate of more than 10% of the bod) weight on fresh weight basis and provide concentrate feed (e.g. coco11ut poonac) at the rate of 1 kg for every two litres of milk produced. The pregnant lactating aninial must be dried off two months prior to the

expected calving date and continue to feed a: the same level or more until calving. This will ensure that the anirnal at calving will have adequate body reserves to commence lactation.

(c) M[~nrlgement ofthe puaturient cow

Parturition is the act of giving birth to a calf. Certain physiological changes occur during the terminal stage of pregnancy indicating the onset of parturitior?. The changes include the engorgement of the udder, swelling of the vulva, the appearance of a clear mucous discharge at the vulva. During the last few hours prior to parturition, the cow will urinate frequently, appear to be restlcss and seek a quiet place to crllve down.

The farmer sliould provide a suitable f:nvironmcnt and comfor-table conditions for calving. w1iic:h includes a clean place with dry 5edding. The animal should also be provided \\it11 clean drinking water 2nd feed. It is a good pr2ctice to watch the proccss of calving in order to provide assistance if the need arises. In a nor~nal calving, the calf wi l l appear at the vagina with the head placed in between the extended fore legs. If any other presentation is observed, it would indicate a difficult calving (dystocia) and veterinary intervention may become necessary to correct t11e malpresentation and assist in the delivery of the calf. b!evcr allow an untrained person to attend on a dystocia case. Sometimes calving may be i~~lnsually delayed after the apnearance of that calvilrg signs described above. If the delay is over 5-6 I-lours, veterinary acsistance will be required. Procedures described in Section 1 (a) should be adopted regarding the care and management of the neonatal calf and the dam.

(d) IWcrnagement of the posdpcrrtl~m cow

The aim of dairy cow management is to get one calf every year. As shown in Fig. I, the cow must resume e s t r o ~ ~ s activity within 30-45 days following calving and conceive before 90 days after calving in order to achieve this target. This is not a difficult task to achieve, but in reality mar:>/ farmers have failed to achieve this target.

! (30-45d) (21dl (21d) (2705 I O ~ ) C~LV!NG TO C O N C E P n O N PERIOD (70-

y d ) A- 9

!4 INTER CALVING INTERVAL ( 3 t ~ j d; j

Fig. 1 Sexual cycle of a cow - patmrition, postpartum period, oestrous cycle, conception and pregnancy.

DAY5 AFTER CALVING

Fig. 2 Relationship between body condition score and commencement of estrus in postpartum cows.

The optimum management practices to achieve this target are as follows.

( I ) As described under Sections 3a and 3b "management of pregnant heifer and pregnant lactating cow"), the pregnant heifer or cow must be provided better feed during the last 8 weeks of pregnancy, aimed at achieving a body condition score of 3.5 to 4.

(2) Following calving, the body condition drops over the first few weeks, (see fig. 2) as the nutrient drain from the body reserves for milk production is heavy. At this stage, even if the feed intake of the cow is at a maximal level, her nutritional requirements will not be met during the peak milk production period. Therefore, the body reserves (eg. body

fat) are used resulting in thecow loosing body condition. As depicted in the Fig. 2 the cow calving at body condition score of 4 or above will begin to regain the body condition by 30-45 days and this condition will coincide with the commencement of estrous activity (A). Similarly a cow calving down at body condition score of 3.5 will loose her body condition from calving but will regain her body condition later than in the previous case. In this example it may take 45-60 days and the resumption of postpartum ovarian activity coincides with the improvements of the body condition (B).

Cqws that have a poor body condition score at calvlng (less than a score of 3) take much longer for the body condition to irnorove and hence t a ~ e longer to resume sstrous activity (C). Pe rh~ps they may not commence ovarian activity and remain in anestrus as long as the body cond1t101.n remains below 2.5. 'Therefore, feed your cow with a ration containing sufficient amounts of fiber, proteins and minerals. Guidelines on these are described in Leaflets 1,2,3,4 and 9 in this series. As a rule of thumb, feed the ~ostpartum COW in tne following manner:

Provide good quality fibrous feed adlibitum at the rate of over 10% of the body weight (on a wet weight basis) as basal diet to meet the maintenance requirements and supplement with 1 kg of a suitable concentrate for every two liters of milk produced (same as that recommended for pregnant lactating cows).

(3) Many factors other than poor nutrition have been shown to delay the resumption of postpartum ovarian activity and conception in the postpartum cow. The possible causes and appropriate corrective measures are given in Table 3.

(4) If the cow has not shown estrous signs 60 days after calving, consult your veterinarian.

( 5 ) Following a service by a bull or Al, if the cow has not come into estrus again within the next 3-4 weeks, get your cow examined by a veterinarian within 60-90 days after service. In this way, you would avoid losses that may occur as a result of delayed conception and pregnancy failures.

Table 3: Factors affecting postpartum fertility and remedial measures

This leaflet was prepared by Drs. D.H.A. Subasinghe, H. Abeygunawardena, (Ms) E.R.K. Perera & A.N.F. Perera for the SARECINSF (formerly NARESA) Buffalo Research and Development Programme in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya and Department of Animal Production and Health.

Cause

I .Old age

2. I'oor liygierre at calving and peri-parturicnt complications such as dystocia, retained placenta, metritis, etc.

3 . Free suckling by the calf and free interaction of the calf with the cow.

4. Adverse climatic conditions such as hot and humid weather with poor quality feed.

Effect

Long anestrous period and poor conception rates

Long anestrous period and poor conception rates.

Long postpartum anestrous period

Long anestrous period

Remedial measure

Remove old cows regi~larly froin your herd and replace with young animals.

Ensure that calving occurs under hygienic conditions and seek veterinary assistance promptly for parturient complications

Adopt lilnited suckling and allow calf to suckle the mother only at milking. In situations where calf is required for inilli ejection, introduce the calf to thc mother very briefly at the beginning of milking and allow the calf to suckle the cow after emptying the udder (while leaving some for the calf) for 15-30 minutes. The frequency of suckling in this situation is either once or twice, depending on the frequency of milking.

1 . Provide shade during the wamier part of the day. Do not use corrugated aluminienm sheets as roofing material in hot areas. 2. Provide enough water throughout the day. 3. In the case of buffaloes provide facilities for wallowing or sprinkling water on the body at 1 - 2 hourly interval, a few tin.res during the warmer part of the day.