How to raise water buffalo well? A detailed explanation of scientific feeding and management methods
The water buffalo is a fairly common cattle breed in China's countryside. An adult water buffalo is much larger in build than an ordinary yellow ox, but the water buffalo is a very gentle animal. So what should normally be noted when raising water buffalo? How can water buffalo be raised well? Let's find out together below with Qinnong Net.
1. Building the cattle shed
The cattle shed for water buffalo is relatively much simpler, because the water buffalo is a cattle breed that prefers open, spacious environments, so each stall inside the shed should be larger. Generally, 3-4 water buffalo are placed in each stall, and the size of one stall is controlled at about 16 sq m. The ventilation conditions inside the shed must be good, otherwise the water buffalo are very prone to depression and will not eat. Second, a water pool or mud pool must be prepared outside the enclosure, so that the water buffalo can be let out to bathe from time to time in daily life, increasing their vitality. Shade from sunlight must be done well, as water buffalo greatly dislike hot environments.
2. Feeding management
When raising water buffalo, everyone must firmly remember the key point of "forage as the main feed, concentrate as the supplement." In daily feeding, you can place the forage in the feeding area. The forage should preferably not be chopped too fine; it is best to let them chew and break it themselves while eating. The feed given should not be too broken up; it should be larger, as this makes it easier for the water buffalo to eat. Every feeding must be accompanied by clean water. If conditions allow, after each feeding you can spray a certain amount of water on the water buffalo's body, which will speed up the water buffalo's absorption of nutrients. Protein feed is one of the important aspects for water buffalo, so the feeding of soy products must be adequate. Other trace elements can be supplemented appropriately according to the situation.
3. Disease prevention
Water buffalo do not easily catch diseases, but once infected, they are hard to cure, so vaccines for all aspects must be in place at the early stage. Bovine anthrax, bovine pasteurellosis, and bloat are relatively common diseases of water buffalo. Bovine anthrax is caused by an infectious disease and mostly occurs in summer; when it strikes, breathing difficulties appear. The No. 2 anthrax spore vaccine can effectively prevent and control it. When bovine pasteurellosis strikes, body temperature rises sharply. The bovine pasteurellosis aluminum hydroxide formaldehyde bacterin vaccine has a good therapeutic effect on this disease. Bloat is mostly caused by eating spoiled forage, showing as not eating and the belly becoming enlarged; just pay attention during feeding.
4. Farming precautions
Water buffalo farming differs somewhat from the farming of other cattle breeds. Water buffalo are not recommended to be kept in pens for a long time; they need to be let out appropriately, especially in summer when this needs to be done more frequently. Second, water buffalo are tolerant of high temperatures. Because water buffalo have underdeveloped sweat glands, their demand for water is high; they need to cool down. If the temperature is lower, you will find that water buffalo do not have a particularly high demand for water. Finally, do not use ice water or snow water on water buffalo; this is very harmful to them.
The above are some points to note for raising water buffalo well. When farming water buffalo, the control of temperature must be well prepared. If the temperature is high, attention must be paid to cooling the water buffalo down, and they even need to be provided with a place to bathe. Water buffalo themselves are also very likely to attract creatures such as mosquitoes, so parasites are also an area that needs attention. With protection in all these aspects, how could the water buffalo raised not be good?