What are the precautions for dairy cattle farming in summer?
Dairy cattle farming mainly generates income through milk production, and the high heat of summer can affect the milk yield of dairy cows. As temperatures keep rising, milk yield keeps declining, and high temperature and high humidity also make dairy cows prone to illness, harming their health. So what should be noted in summer dairy cattle farming? Let's take a look with Qinnongwang.
1. Cooling and heatstroke prevention
In summer's high temperatures, dairy cows have relatively thick subcutaneous fat, which is not conducive to cooling them down, resulting in poor body temperature regulation and making them prone to heatstroke. Therefore, when farming dairy cows in summer, special attention must be paid to cooling and heatstroke prevention. The cattle shed should ideally be built facing south to north to avoid direct sunlight. Around the shed, shade netting or a shade canopy can be trimmed, or a cooling shed can be built and trees planted. In short, the temperature should be lowered as much as possible.
2. Keep the barn clean and hygienic
Poor hygiene conditions in the cattle shed can easily cause various diseases and harm the health of dairy cows. The shed must be cleaned at fixed times every day, especially excrement, to keep the shed environment clean and hygienic. If dairy cows get manure, feed and sewage on their bodies, it not only affects hygiene but also affects their metabolism and is not conducive to body heat dissipation. In addition to regular cleaning, attention must also be paid to disinfection work. Some bacteria and microorganisms cannot be eliminated by cleaning alone. A very low concentration of trichlorfon solution can be sprayed on the cattle shed and the surrounding environment to eliminate mosquitoes and flies and keep the cows in a comfortable environment.
3. Sufficient clean drinking water
In high temperatures, dairy cows will have a heat stress response. High temperatures cause the body to consume large amounts of water. If water intake is insufficient at this time, the cows' appetite weakens, milk production occurs, and the mucous membranes in the cows' bodies also become dry, reducing resistance to disease. In high temperatures, provide 3-5 times the usual amount of drinking water, and an appropriate amount of salt can also be added to the drinking water, which helps regulate body temperature. In addition, when asked, water quality is unstable and prone to deterioration, harming dairy cow health, so the water must be changed 1-2 times a day, and drinking utensils must also be cleaned regularly.
4. Supplement nutrition
In summer's high temperatures, dairy cows' milk production and resistance to disease are both relatively low, and at this time sufficient nutrition is needed to improve milk production and resistance. Adding an appropriate amount of potassium chloride to drinking water helps regulate the body temperature of dairy cows. Adding multiple vitamins to feed is beneficial to dairy cow health. For example, vitamin C can inhibit the rise in body temperature, promote the appetite of dairy cows, and also improve disease resistance; supplementing vitamin E can reduce the heat stress response of dairy cows, and can also prevent fat oxidation and block the formation of oxides; vitamin A and vitamin D can promote gastrointestinal digestion and absorption.
The above are the precautions for summer dairy cattle farming brought to you by Qinnongwang. In summer, attention must be paid to the temperature, feed and drinking water of dairy cows. These three points are important points in summer dairy cattle farming. For more information, please stay tuned to Qinnongwang.