This would be a useful and practical guide for those who want to start a dairy farming business in Pakistan but do not invest due to of knowledge about dairy farm management. After reading this article you will be able to manage a dairy farm. All essential information about the dairy farm management and solution to the problems faced by dairy farming in Pakistan is given. This will include tips for purchasing animals in Pakistan and getting maximum milk production with a minimum investment on the feed, housing and health of animals.
Before going in details, it is better to explain ‘What is dairy farming?’. Dairy farming is a business involving milk producing animals like cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, camels etc. Commercial dairy farming means to produce enough quantity of milk at one’s dairy farm, so it can be sold in the market to earn profit.
The output of a diary farm is not restricted to milk and milk by-products only, it also involves selling of animals for meat. Other by-products like manure are also a source of reasonable income for the dairy farmers. Dairy farming business creates job opportunities as well. If surplus milk is sold in the market, the money earned can be used to provide better facilities like good feed and comfortable building for dairy animals.
The output of a diary farm is not restricted to milk and milk by-products only, it also involves selling of animals for meat. Other by-products like manure are also a source of reasonable income for the dairy farmers. Dairy farming business creates job opportunities as well. If surplus milk is sold in the market, the money earned can be used to provide better facilities like good feed and comfortable building for dairy animals.
Why to start dairy farming in Pakistan?
Is it profitable to start dairy farming in Pakistan? Here I am going to explain with reasons that why should you start dairy farming in Pakistan.
All of us know that Pakistan is an agricultural country and it is 4th largest milk producing country in the World. The dilemma of our society is to search for government or private sector jobs when they complete their education. The culture is not about thinking about starting own business and to earn profit. By starting dairy farming in Pakistan, one gets a respected job for himself at their place. He needs not to travel distant places as it happens in case of most jobs.
Being a Muslim country, people are more concerned about halal foods. Meat from the market is purchased for weddings, Eid ul Azha or other events which can not be traced back that from which animal or farm it was taken. Having a local dairy farm can help the locals purchase live animals at reasonable price and get slaughtered by themselves.
At an organized dairy farm, water and other facilities are available to animals and feeding management of cattle is taken care of. A dairy farm is a source of income not only for the owner, but it also produces jobs for other people like labor or doctors etc. You get money on daily basis from this business. By-products like manure can be used as an organic fertilizer for the fields which produce crops for animal feeding. In just 5 years you get your investment payed back to you in the form of profit. Nonetheless, it is a respectable profession in our society.
All of us know that Pakistan is an agricultural country and it is 4th largest milk producing country in the World. The dilemma of our society is to search for government or private sector jobs when they complete their education. The culture is not about thinking about starting own business and to earn profit. By starting dairy farming in Pakistan, one gets a respected job for himself at their place. He needs not to travel distant places as it happens in case of most jobs.
Being a Muslim country, people are more concerned about halal foods. Meat from the market is purchased for weddings, Eid ul Azha or other events which can not be traced back that from which animal or farm it was taken. Having a local dairy farm can help the locals purchase live animals at reasonable price and get slaughtered by themselves.
At an organized dairy farm, water and other facilities are available to animals and feeding management of cattle is taken care of. A dairy farm is a source of income not only for the owner, but it also produces jobs for other people like labor or doctors etc. You get money on daily basis from this business. By-products like manure can be used as an organic fertilizer for the fields which produce crops for animal feeding. In just 5 years you get your investment payed back to you in the form of profit. Nonetheless, it is a respectable profession in our society.
In dairy farming, you get a calf almost every 365 days and at 18 months of age, the new born female calf is mature enough to be mated for reproduction. So after 3 years, the first mother cow will have 3 calves. If we suppose all of them are females, the eldest of them would have 1 calf after 3 years. The second female calf of first mother will be pregnant while the smallest calf of the first mother will be of one-year age at that time. So in total, you will have 4 animals at your farm starting from a single cow. Male calves give half the profit as compared to female calves because they are sold for meat at Eid. However, one should keep the male calves of high milk-yielding cows at their farm to breed more cows by them.
How to start dairy farming in Pakistan
First thing to consider is the land and the money. One acre cultivated land is enough to meet the fodder demands of 5 adult cows. The cost for shed and building per animal is Rs. 15000-28000. It means that for having a dairy farm of 50 cows, you need almost Rs. 750,000 to Rs. 1,400,000. Other expenses will include the cost for boundary wall, office, godown, labor rooms and toilet.
Tips for purchasing dairy animals in Pakistan
In this section I shall share some practical tips which would be beneficial for those dairy farmers who are newbies and know not much about the animal markets. Market price of dairy animals varies in Pakistan according to the season and the area. A price estimate of an animal can be made by the amount of milk it produces. Buying an animal at the rate of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12000 per kg milk production would not be a bad deal.
What should I look for when purchasing an animal for my dairy farm? Inexperienced people, when they enter the market for first time, they are usually attracted towards heavy and shiny animals. Wait !! This is not a good decision to purchase a dairy animal on these bases. Ask yourself a question, are you going to purchase the animals for meat or for milk? Of course, for milk. Here are some typical signs of high milk producing cow.
- High yielder cow is usually thin, this is due to function and not due to weakness.
- Its skin and tail are thinner.
- Its belly will be small to moderate size ( if not pregnant). Cows with large bellies eat more and produce less milk.
- Its udder will be large and strong.
- Its teat will be of uniform size in length and diameter however, front teats of cow are little bit longer than the rear ones.
- Try milking the cow at place. If milk comes out easily, it is ok to buy it otherwise do not go for purchase.
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| Look at udder and teats while purchasing |
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| A good dairy cow has strong and large udder. It has thin tail and skin |
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- Examine eyes of the animal. They should be shiny with no watery discharge.
- Try to call the animal and if it turns its ears towards the sound it is ok.
- Offer some feed to the animal. If it starts eating then ok, if it rejects it then may be some problem.
- Healthy animal will stand up if it is sitting when you approach close to it.
Where can I buy dairy animals in Pakistan?
There are different methods to buy an animal for dairy farming in Pakistan. These include the following,
· Purchasing animal from local area
· Purchasing animal from beopari
· Purchasing animal by visiting cattle markets
· Purchasing animal from some large dairy farm
· Importing animals from Europe, USA
· Purchasing animal using social media and internet
Every method has its own merits and demerits.
How to get maximum output from labor at dairy farm?
Successful dairy farmers consider the labor a part of their farm. They give attention to their problems and try to facilitate them. It increases their productivity and more output can be gained will less labor and within less time. They should be given their salary and food in time. Try to sit with them and listen their problems or discuss general issues.
Machines and tools required should be the best. Buying from reputable companies may cost you more but they are durable. It also facilitates the labor work.
Feeding management of cattle
Animals kept at homes are usually given green fodder but you need to know that there is dealing with dairy cows is not that simple. Dairy animals are expected to produce 15 kg milk per day on average. Also, getting cows back in calf in 365 days is important. These goals can not be achieved simply by offering green fodder. Dairy animal daily ration includes green fodder/silage , concentrate mixture (wanda) and mineral mixture.
A dairy cow on average requires
35 kg fodder or 25 kg silage
1 kg wheat straw or 1 kg lucern
5 to 7 kg concentrate mixture (Wanda)
100 g mineral mixture
50 g sodium bicarbonate (metha soda)
20 g yeast
Getting cows back in calf
The secret to successful dairy farming is to get one calf per year from a cow. To achieve this goal, you need to follow these steps strictly.
- Dry the pregnant animal when it is at 7 month pregnancy. Stop milking it.
- Offer 2 kg concentrate mixture and 1 kg canola cake daily at this stage.
- At the time of parturition, give Malfon-C injection subcut and 2 cc Inj. Dalmazine or Inj. Cyclomate IM.
- When after-birth is passed, dissolve 5 tablets Utenol in 500 ml Normal saline. Using insemination rod, inject the sheath inside the uterus of animal and remove the rod while keeping the sheath inside. Now attach the dissolved normal saline solution with the sheath using a drip set and pour it inside the uterus of cow.
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| Normal Reproductive tract of a cow. Note the position of uterus. |
- At next two days, Inject 4 cc oxytocin daily. This will remove any material if remaining inside the uterus.
- 15 days later, give an injection of Conceptal or Delmaralin (Both are GnRH) 5 cc. It will activate its ovaries.
- After 30 days, let the cow open and with bull.
- After 50 days, again inject Delmaralin.
- If cow does not come to heat even after 60 days, inject 2 cc Delmazine.
- Some animals need CIDR or PRID protocol to bring them into heat. I shall not discuss it here.
Keep in mind that in extreme winter or extreme summer, animals usually do not come to heat. This method will not be useful in such condition.
Dairy farm profit per cow in Pakistan
Prefeasibility study of 50 dairy cows in Pakistan will be discussed in this section. Estimated costs and expenditures for dairy farming in Pakistan are given below.
Average daily expenditure of an adult dairy cow (per animal per day)
Feed includes green fodder like sorghum, maize etc.
Green fodder = 35 kg x Rs. 4/kg = Rs. 140
Concentrate mixture (Wanda) = 6 kg x Rs. 34/kg = Rs. 204
Feed additive = Rs. 20
Labor = Rs. 35
Building rent = Rs. 82 (Calculated Rs. 7,500,000 rent for 5 years with 50 Animals)
Electricity bill = Rs. 16.50 (Calculated Rs. 25000 per month)
Labor food expenses = Rs. 40
Medicine and doctor fees = Rs. 40 (Calculated Doctor 30,000 per month, Medicine 30,000 per month, 50 animals)
Total expenses per cow = Rs. 577.5
Income (per animal per day)
Milk sold = 15 kg x Rs. 55/kg = Rs. 825
Manure = Rs. 16
Calf sold out = Rs. 70 (Calculated 1 male calf for Rs. 50,000 after 365 days while ratio of male calf to female calves is 1:1)
Total income per cow= Rs. 911
Profit per cow = Income – Expenses
Profit per cow = 911 – 577.5 = Rs. 333.5 (per animal per day)
Dairy farm construction design
Importance of dairy farm construction design should never be neglected. A lot of dairy problems arise due to faulty dairy farm construction design. Dairy farm construction design along with the breed of animals and feeding management of cattle is the factor behind successful dairy farming. There are a lot of designs which can be followed but one of the most simple and successful dairy farm construction design will be discussed here.
A dairy farm consists of a main shed, open area and offices and stores.
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| Dairy farm construction design for 50 dairy cows |
Measurements for main shed of dairy farm are calculated here.
The measurements and calculations are given by considering a dairy farm consisting of 50 adult cows. You can make amendments according to the number of dairy animals you keep at your dairy farm.
Width = 50 ft.
Length = 25 x 4 = 100 ft.
But one needs to keep area for future extension. For this, you will start dairy farming by having a place for 100 dairy cows. So
Length = 200 ft.
Total area for shed = 200 x 50 = 10000 square ft.
Dairy Problems in Pakistan
Major dairy problems in Pakistan which dairy farmer usually face are dairy problems related to feeding management of cattle, maintaining the milk production, taking a calf per year per cow, proper care and handling of calves and the health problems of dairy cows. I shall discuss the solution to these problems one by one.
Feed is the most important part of dairy farming. To provide green fodder for the whole year is not possible because of our weather conditions and crops production. An alternative to green fodder is to make silage. Silage is more nutritious than the green fodder and can be used for whole year if stored properly. Corn is one of the best fodders of which silage can be made. If you have 50 dairy animals, you require 550 tons of silage. In winter, a dairy farmer can use barseem and lucern, while in summer he can use sorghum, sudan grass, and maize mixed with wheat straw. If you cut and offer fresh green fodder to your dairy cattle, you have to hire more labor and also labor management on daily basis would be a difficult job. Instead, making silage of maize can help you save time and also the cows produce more milk when fed silage instead of green fodder. This is due to high nutritional profile of the silage. Fresh maize is consumed at the rate of 35 kg per day by the cows with an out put of less than 15 liters of milk. On the other hand, cows may produce more than 15 liters of milk per day by feeding only 25 kg silage.
Wanda (Concentrate mixture) should be used at a dairy farm to get optimum production but the problem is that to find a good quality wanda has become very difficult in Pakistan. Manufacturers of wanda in Pakistan fail to keep the same quality of wanda during the year. Tips for buyers of wanda are to buy always fresh wanda. Try purchasing pellet wanda instead of mash wanda. Dairy cows soon after parturition should be given 20 % CP (Crude protein) wanda and after 60 days of parturition, start feeding them 18 % CP wanda.
To maintain the daily production of milk at a dairy farm it is a wise idea to purchase dairy animals step by step. Instead of purchasing 50 animals at once, you may buy in groups of 6 animals each time you visit the market. Give a gap of one month between the purchase of new group of 6 animals each time. This is a practical tip, because once you complete purchasing of 50 animals this way, 25 of them will be pregnant at that time because these were the animals you purchased 6 months earlier. When these 25 dairy cows will give birth to calves , the remaining 25 cows will be pregnant at that time and an ideal circle of production will be achieved.
Always focus on keeping the animal of the valuable dairy breeds at your farm.
To manage the reproductive problems, conduct brucella tests every 3 months to keep this notorious disease away from your dairy farm. Brucella affected animals should not be kept at the farm at any cost.
I already discussed in detail that how can you manage to get one calf per year from a cow. You must provide mineral mixture along with wanda and silage/green fodder for getting cows back in calf in one year.
Handling and care of newborn calves
Handling and care of newborn calves is a critical point. Whenever a new calf is born, clean the material from its nostrils with some clean cloth. Put it in front of its mother to lick it. The mother licks and cleans the calf, it is an important step. After cleaning is complete, put tincture iodine or pyodine on its navel cord and cut it at a length more than 2 inches.
- Keep the place for calves dry and clean. You can use wheat or rice straw for this purpose.
- At 7 days of age, the calves should be given injection Butalex (2 cc).
- When a calf is 20 days old, inject it 1 cc Injection ivermection at night and give it syrup Oxafex the next morning. After this, start offering the calf ‘calf starter’ .
- The day when calf starts eating 1 kg calf starter daily, decrease its milk intake slowly and gradually till it takes no milk.
- When a calf reaches 28 days age, cauterize its horns using the cauterizing agent like AgNO3 and put pyodine or and other wound healing ointment on the wounds.
- Keep different age calves in different compartments.
- At one year of age, let the calf free in the open space.
- At 15 months age, female calves should be given 10 cc of injection progesterone.
- After 2 days, again inject it 10 cc of injection progesterone. It will show heat signs after that.
- Mate it with the male when it shows heat signs.
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| Cow licking its new born calf |
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| A baby calf |
Although, reproductive care of dairy cows has been discussed earlier, here are few important tips to keep in mind in this regard.
i. Offer minerals along with wanda and green fodder.
ii. At parturition, inject Mildefon OR Dextrose drip to the cow.
iii. Put Utenol tablets in its uterus OR douche its reproductive tract after dissolving in normal saline OR
iv. Injection Excenel 15 cc can be given instead.
v. Inject 2 cc Dalmazine OR Cyclomate
vi. Start Ovisynch OR CIDR protocol after 50 days.
vii. If the animal does not get pregnant even after 100 days of parturition, consult a veterinarian.
All the information provided after consulting dairy experts and is based on the ground realities of Pakistan. I hope that you have sufficient knowledge about dairy farming in Pakistan and related issues. If you want to read more about dairy farming, visit our ebook section by clicking the link below.
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