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{Winter advisory} Shield cattle from cold to curb dip in milk yield: NDRI
Officials at the national institute said that persistent low temperatures, lack of or limited sunshine, fog, and cold winds negatively impact the milk production and health of dairy animals and goats.
As mercury drops to record levels across the state, the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here has listed advisories for the livestock and an alert of probable fall in milk production.
Officials at the national institute said that persistent low temperatures, lack of or limited sunshine, fog, and cold winds negatively impact the milk production and health of dairy animals and goats.
They said that if proper measures are not taken to protect these animals from the harsh weather conditions, the milk production and reproductive capacity of dairy animals decline.
A dairy scientist at the institute said that this is a golden period for the dairy business because most cows and buffaloes calve during these months and for cattle that calve in October or November, this is the time of maximum milk production.
However, the risk of animals contracting various diseases also increases due to the extreme cold and newborns are especially vulnerable to the cold, and their mortality rate increases.
NDRI director Dheer Singh said that just like humans, there is stress in animals which usually leads to reduction in milk during extreme winter or summer weather conditions.
Singh said that during such conditions, the energy requirements of dairy animals increase during this season and to meet this, dairy animals should be fed 1 kg of concentrate mixture per animal daily, in addition to their other feed requirements.
“This helps maintain milk production in dairy animals. To maintain proper energy and protein levels in dairy goats during this season, including legume fodder such as chickpea, pigeon pea, and lentil straw in their ration, can help maintain their milk production,” he said.
The director further said that due to fog and rain, the floors of animal sheds often remain wet, due to which animals avoid sitting down in the cold.
Thus, it is essential to provide good quality bedding such as straw (rice straw), rubber mats, fine dry dung, or any other dry bedding on the floors of the animal sheds during this season, which also needs to be changed daily, he added.
The farmers, Singh said, should also ensure that the drinking water temperature is not too low as animals generally prefer water at a temperature of 20–25°C.
“During the season, bathe young calves in fresh water during the sunny part of the day. Do not bathe them in very cold weather or with cold water. Most livestock farmers keep their animals tied up in closed rooms at night during the winter and close all the doors and windows. This increases the temperature inside the room and causes the accumulation of several harmful gases such as ammonia and carbon dioxide, which affect the health of the animals,” he added.
