Hello,
I got a water bowl sample done. See attached pictures. the total cost came to Rs. 370 (Rs. 190 for the steel vessel + Rs. 130 for the waste coupling + Rs. 50 for fitting cost). I will install the water bowls as per the simple design in the attached picture.
Thanks,
-Ganapathi Bhat
Dear bhat,
goodā¦u are realy doing lots of economical solutions tryouts to dairy farmā¦and thanks for the discussing same on the forum.
I hope if you select little wider and deeper vessel, it will be best. Because , we have to keep the water level atleast one to one and a half inch low from top of the vessel to avoid any water spillage while dipping cowās mouth. Also, you can consider following few points to try out the same:
keep vessel positions slightly slant to the frontside of the manger to allow the spilled water to come out of the manger frontwall instead of get inside to the manger and spoil all feedings,hay n gross.
instead of fixing the waste couple at bottom of the vessel try to fix the same at vertical bottomside to avoid all dirt get inside of the water inflow line.
If possible provide one removable plug at the centre bottom of the vessel, to clean the vessel offtenly to wash,clean and remove the dirt regularly.
For each vessel connecting vessel try to provide a simple water stoppage arrangement i.e. stopper/valve (i think for that size it will not be too costly and cpvc such cheaper item can be used). It serve the two purposes:
i) U can stop the water flowing from the main pipe to that vessel instantly, without affecting the supply of water to other vessels. ii) If u find any concerned vessel place standing animal is fallen sick and tobe avoid the spreading of desease through water, instantly u can stop the same.
Hope above all give a few more better improved ideas. Further, if any you can share the same.
all the best for your efforts.
thanks and regards,
kasturiraju.
Dear Kasturiraju,
Could you please update us on the latest results of Hydrophonic fodder generation ?
I would like to explore and see the hydrophonics fodder generation. Can I come and visit your farm ? it will be of great help.
Thanks,
-Ganapathi Bhat
updateā¦
Azola is being cultivated successfully. it is cultivated in 20 small tanks (tank sie 4 ft X 2.5 ft X 0.75ft). Please see attached picture.
Cow cubicles are getting installed. See attached picture. I got this done locally in Mangalore. Material used is 1.5 inch Tata B GI pipe. Pipe bending work is done by National Iron works in Mangalore (Contact: Suresh - 96118 03969). Cost per pipe bend comes to around Rs. 1,200 to Rs.1,300 (including material cost).
We have started using EM. Since it is organic material, no immediate benefit or results. We hope to see some benefits in next 3-4 months.
Cow dung is stored now. Since monsoons are coming to an end, We should be able to sell it to local rubber farms in next one month. I feel, selling Cow dung is must to realise some financial returns from Dairy farm. Initially, I had planned to generate electricity from bio gas. I have abandoned that plan temporarily. instead, selling the cow dung.
in progress ā¦installation of water bowls and trolleys for feed/milking machine. will update on this after a month.
Hello Mr. Bhat
Iām Akshatha. I read your posts regarding your dairy farm and the innovations you are trying. It is very good and interesting.
Iām basically from Kasaragod (Kudlu), currently residing in Bangalore. My parents are totally into agriculture. Myself and my husband are farming enthusiasts and might consider some agri project down the line. I would be interested to visit your farm if possible whenever i visit Kasargod. Pls share your contact number or farm location if possible.
Its a good feeling to know that someone there is doing so much. Had sent the message to your inbox too.
Thank You
Akshatha
I responded to your messageā¦Sorry for the delay, I was on travel for the last 4 days.
thanks for your interestā¦You can visit the farm anyday. The location of the farm is nearly 3 kms from Mulleria town.
my contact # is 99002 63752. Contact me at this number few days before you plan to visit.
Rgds,
-Ganapathi Bhat.
Dear Ganapathi Bhat,
sorry for the delay in reply back since i was out of station as well as because of other commitments.
Hydroponic fodder machine is working very well in our farm as on date. Daily we are getting around 500 kgs of green fodder.
yes. As on date is running as we planned and expected. photo attached.
At present we are using barley, which is costing me Rs. 21/kg (landed cost to our farm) . Maize we tried good seeds given same result and since now unseason to procure the same we are procuring barley only now.
we are getting in this batch around 9 kg of green fodder for one kg of seeds.
Power is the main and important here. It needs, 24 x 7 power . we have backed up with bio-gas genset as second alternative and diesel gen set as third alternative.
we are connected 15 kva diesel gen set with AMF panel. because while it is running we can carry out any other farm activities too without looking back. (12.5 kva dg set is sufficient to T500 machine including max. start up current/load. )
you are most welcome to visit our farm it is near arasikere. you can find out on GPRS, by mentioning maruthi dairy, jyothimallapura. please call and fix up the time before coming to not get upset.
keep writing and sharingā¦all the best.
thanks and regards,
kasturiraju.
Hello Kasturiraju, I had visited your farm last week (on 12th) but hadnāt realized that it was your farm up until now. 
You have got an impressive set up, I shall say. Congrats!
By the way I couldnāt speak to any person in the farm who could explain the setup (it was more of a self-guided tour). So it would be nice if you can share your experience on purchasing of cows, average yield etcā¦Also how did you manage to get human resourcesā¦
I have a farm 30 KM away from Chennarayanapatna (towards Mysore) and I too am planning to go for a small dairy farm early next yearā¦
Appreciate your valuable inputs and guidance.
Thanks
Biju
Dear Biju,
Thanks for your appreciation and acknowledge.
Sorry and apologise, for the no support you didnāt get, when you are visited to our farm. It is because , you know dairy farming will have lots of day to day work load and our staff will not be shown much interested/ keen to explain or guide because they feel they loss their time. Hence, we will be requesting all visitors to invariably to confirm the date and time before their visit to take care of their interests.
Sourcing labour that to understandable labourer and staff is the very tough thing in animal farming. Here, money and facility is not the matter. Peoples mentality about not to work in animal/dairy farm since it is highly commitment demanding activity and more than any thing they donāt feel it is a proud and feel it as a very low profile work.
Any way, we have consultation division to set up a integrated dairy farm from 10 animals to 500 animals, professionally for specifically interested peoplesā¦ only after proper counseling and understanding the clientās.
keep writing for any clarifications and issues. you can communicate to us either in Bangalore or in farm with prior appointment.
all the best ,
thanks and regards,
kasturiraju.
Hi all,
All dairy farmers are under severe pressure to control and to treat the FMD(Foot & Mouth disease) in our state. One of our doctor friend has wrote to me about the simple treatment for the same. If , it helps to all ā¦i am happy about the same.
In our dairy farm their was no problem so far since all animals are well maintained with vaccinations and precautions.
posting the lettter i recieved from doctor by mail.:
Dear Sir,
This is a great pleasure to share my experiences in treating F&M cases with smooth, fast recovery and minimum tissue damage. Beauty is all affected milching animals yield nearly 20% more milk than pre - infection stage. No HEAVES and INFERTILITY [ POST F&M COMPLICATIONS ] in any age and breed. These observations are confirmed since last 5 years.
My preferences :
Procedure of Administration : Pills to be put directly on tongue . Not with any food/ jaggery / any other medicines. Pills should not get exposed to sunlight/ refrigerator. Hands should be free from smell of any oil / ointment / soap / chemical.
No application of any chemical to buccal cavity.
Anti maggot herbal / locally available preparations may be recommended for foot ulcers. No rubbing / cleaning of wounds . This minimises the nerve/tissue damage.
ZOOFIT VET [ herbal Anti Stress + Immuno modulator + Anti microbial + Appetite Stimulant + Anti Inflammatory + Anti Fever ] daily 100ml X 10 - 20 days.
Vit. C injection - 25ml S/C or I.V. single dose.
Long Acting { Benzathene ] Penicillin 24 to 48 lakh i.u. I/M , single dose.
Vit.AD3E injection 10 ml I.M single dose.
Amino Acids + Biotin Bolus [ TRP bolus/ CHB bolus/ CHOLYMBI bolus/ HEPATOCARE bolus ] daily 2, for 5 days.
Item 1 should not be mixed with 4 & 8.
4 & 8 may be given together.
Where Veterinary facility is far away OR to minimize the cost of medication, one can opt only for items 1 to 4. Of course, items 5 to 8 contribute a lot for speedy, smooth recovery.
regards,
ā
Dr.P.Manohara Upadhya,
Veterinary Surgeon,
@All Thanks Everyone for such a wonderful piece of information.
I am in the process of slow expansion of my farm, so I am getting some more cows added:
I have a few questions:
I am getting HF Cross Breeds from Mysore the average price varies from 30K to 50K
What are the tests suggested before buying cows (I am taking an experience farmer who will take decision based on his experience)
If you have confidence in the farmer, then you dont need any other suggestions. Other than that, if cow is milking you can check milk production by milking 3 consecutive times and then purchase. Other HF / Jersey characterestics I am sure you will know.
Which Lactation of the cow should one go for (1st, 2nd or 3rd)
Go for 1st lactation. Choose 2nd with caution. Dont even think about 3rd. Check the teeth, dont go for cow with all 8 teeth in place, go for either 2, 4 or 6 teeth cow. 6 teeth will be 2nd lactation.
What are the vaccination one should check for and immidieatly after getting in the farm what all vaccination one should administer
There has been FMD outbreak in south karnataka, very bad this year, many deaths. So be very very careful. At your farm, tie them seperate and administer FMD vaccine. Its better to put vaccine before transport.
How long one should one wait before mixing the new cows with the old ones- 10 days for vaccine to take effect. If you are sure there is no FMD, then you can slowly mix and introduce the cow to your feeds.
Since the cows will be travlling 650 KMs. it will take 2 nights (I was told only night travlling is permissible, one should carry a veternary doctorās certification along with the picture of the cows) let me know any thing else is needed - Have you considered train mode? I have heard bogies full of cows go to maharashtra every day.
Hand milking by an experienced milker will be done during the transportation, any suggestions/precaution one should take during the transportation - Be sure to take experienced transporters.
One more advice, Mysore cows need to be evaluated very thoroughly, the people are very smart and can take you on jolly ride very easily.
I hope the above information helps you.
Good luck.
Nikhil
@NikhilJi Thank You for the response.
I am also trying for Hydroponics, Shall Start the operation in the first week of December & will update all of you about the progress, Even though I wanted to go for the United Fodder Machine, due to budget constraint and location proximity (Mumbai Based Machine Provider) I have decided to opt for a local Machine.
I will keep everyone informed about the progress in the days to come, I will be starting with Maize and see how it goes, Due to land constraints I am presently forced to get the Green Fodder procurement from an outside supplier and this is increasing my costs significantly.
So far I have not been able to make any progress on the AI Front and would like to get some specific recommendation, I was told by a dairy owner in Maharashtra that Iāll need to get license or some sort of permission before I can store the straws at my Farm - Any Inputs on this will really help.
FMD breakout is even in Kerala and TN. I am sure other states are also experiencing the same.
It is common during this month, This year it severe.
Most cows already have damaged hooves. Hooves are designed to take all the beating. Hooves wear-out with friction and new tissue keeps growing. Which doesnāt happen in dairy cows, when they are always tied in the shed.
I think no matter how busy a farmer is he should be able to spend atleast 5 minutes with each cow. When it becomes a regular thing they would lie down for a small massage and with this you can check the state of their hooves. Most diseases in initial stages can be easily cured. But most good dairy farms would be doing it. If not then you should seriously consider doing it.
FYI - Rabies is high during peak summer months.
Dear Bhatji,
Did you find any good reason to cntinue EM? What was the result? From where did you procure EM?
sir,
with heavy heart i am disclosing this. one of my friend closed his Diary due to diseases . in matter of 2 months he lost 7 cattle and cud not bear the loss. the vets tried their best but cud not save them . added to this as he has not taken loan thru bank to purchase these cattle hence, no insurance was given which lead to closure.
how do one detect and prevent the common diseases, esp: FMD and other . what precaution one have to take care.
kindly advise
regards
Rajesh
what is ur view of yearly one calf in dairy farming, is it possible in ur dairy, how is ur AI service , what is the conception rate in ur dairy, do u practice TMR in feeding practice, do u have any cutting edge technology in reducing production cost of milk.
Hi
One calf per year is very much possible and in fact essential for getting maximum milk from a cow by increasing the number of lactations.
AI in our area is not good, we use bull.
Normally all our cows concieve within 3 tries. There will always be some odd ones which will take time or will need treatment.
TMR feeding is mixing green, dry and concentrates, to get pure TMR you need mixing machines.
You can do it yourself by mixing dry concentrates with green fodder and serving to cow. It really helps to increase milk and quality.
Use silage of maize and urea treatment of dry fodder. You will save on concentrates which is the most expensive item in dairy. Also, you will save on labour by using silage.
Good luck.
Nikhil
Hi Nikil.
What is ur opinion of genetic improvement,
How feasable is using bull for conception in long time running dairy farm.
What is the cost of per conception maintaining a bull.
Have u ever thought of your own AI set up
Have u ever tried growing legumes to cut down cattle feed cost
What is ur opinion on azzola cultivation
How do u calculate the energy and production feed required for cow
How do u calculate the production cost of milk
Happy Diaring
Harish patil
Hi blissfarmer,
Please share your experiences of the same since it will be very useful to understand the differences as well as the other issues to this community, can continue on taking decision to buy the successful , suitable and value for money machines.
All the best. However, we are attaching the photoās of today production of green fodder from my hydroponics machine of 500kgs per day production,only half a day of one labor is working on that. Itās continuously working since last march 2013.(may be few days stopped for some reasons like cleaning,power problem, delayed seed procurement etc.,)
otherwise the operation is absolutely no problem.
thanks and regards,
kastuuriraju.
