Cattle Breeding and Production SS1 Livestock Farming Lesson Note

In our previous lessons, we looked at how to house and feed cattle. Today, we are looking at the “Production” stage—how we actually get the milk and meat we see in the market. This involves choosing the right parents (Breeding), managing the milking process, and using a technique called “Fattening.”

Cattle Breeding Methods

Breeding is how we ensure the next generation of cattle is better than the one we have now. There are two main ways farmers do this:

• Natural Mating: This is the traditional way where a Bull (male) is allowed to stay with the Cows (females). The bull naturally identifies which cow is ready and mates with her.
  1. Advantage: It is easy and requires no special equipment.
  2. Disadvantage: You have to feed and manage a large, sometimes dangerous bull all year round.
• Artificial Insemination (AI): This is the modern way. A vet or technician brings the “seed” (semen) of a high-quality bull in a specialized container and places it inside the cow.
  1. Advantage: You can use the “seed” of a champion bull from the North or even from Europe without the bull being physically present. It prevents the spread of diseases.
  2. Disadvantage: It requires an expert and can be expensive.

Milk Production (Dairy)

If you are running a dairy farm, your “workers” are the cows, and their “product” is milk. To get the best results, you must follow a strict routine.

The Milking Process:

1. Preparation: Clean the cow’s udder with warm water and a clean cloth. This helps the cow relax and ensures the milk is not dirty.
2. The “Let-Down”: Most farmers bring the calf (the baby) close to the mother. Once the mother sees her baby, her body releases a hormone that makes the milk flow easily.
3. Milking: This can be done by hand (squeezing the teats) or by machine in large farms.
4. Cooling: Fresh milk is warm. To stop it from spoiling, it must be filtered and cooled down immediately in a refrigerator or a cooling tank.

Beef Fattening (Feedlot System)

Beef fattening is a business strategy. Instead of letting cattle roam for years, you take young, healthy cattle and put them in a small, controlled area for 60 to 90 days to make them very heavy before selling them.

How to Fatten Beef Cattle:

• Restricted Movement: We keep the cattle in a pen so they don’t burn off energy by walking long distances.
• High-Energy Diet: We give them plenty of “Concentrates”—maize, cotton seed cake, and rice bran—alongside high-quality grass.
• Deworming: Before you start fattening, you must give the cow medicine to kill worms. If you don’t, the worms will eat the expensive food you are buying, and the cow won’t get fat.
• The Result: After 3 months, the cow looks “rounded,” the ribs are no longer showing, and the meat is tender and juicy. This cow will sell for a much higher price during festivals.

Key Terms to Remember

• Lactation Period: This is the time during which a cow produces milk (usually about 10 months after giving birth).
• Dry Period: This is a 2-month “holiday” we give the cow before her next baby is born. We stop milking her so her body can rest and prepare for the next calf.
• Colostrum: The very first milk produced after birth. It is yellow and thick. It is not for sale; it is only for the baby calf to build its immune system.

Summary: Meat or Milk?

Cattle production is a high-stakes business. If you focus on Milk, your money comes in every day as you sell to neighbors or factories. If you focus on Beef Fattening, you spend money for 3 months and then get a “huge” payout all at once when you sell the fattened bulls.

Class Activity / Review

1. Thinking Corner: Why is it important to wash the cow’s udder before milking? List two reasons.
2. Comparison: Between a cow that walks 10km a day and a cow that stays in a pen, which one will get fat faster if they eat the same food? Why?

Homework: If a cow’s lactation period is 305 days and she is “dried off” for 60 days, what is the total number of days in her production cycle?