First of all I wish to thank Mr. Chandra, Dr. Kar and M.r Murli, whose post have ignited the fire in me to think in the animal husbandry direction.
I wish to venture out into dairy and livestock farming as I see a lot of scope for the same in coming times. I would like to give you a back ground of myself so that it could help you guide me in the right direction. All assistance shall be appreciated.
I am a farmer and have my land situated near Ambala, Haryana. I have a total land holding of approx 75 acres, 50 acres of which is under mango plantation and remaining 25 is for crop cultivation. I also hav additional 5 acres land adjoining my residence where i grow vegetables for personal consumption. The same 5 acres is where I plan to start my Dairy and livestock farm. We have kept cows and buffalos earlier but not for sale in the market. therefore do not have much idea on the financials and requirements for running a dairy.
Kindly suggest on what scale should i begin and what would i require for the same. I know it may sound redundant but i require assistance specific to my setup.
Who will manage the dairy? If you dont have 100% trustworthy people dont venture into this.
This is a 0 holiday business. If any animal gets sick it has to be attended within 2-3 hrs.
If you are prepared with above points, there are lot of posts on same question what you asked in animals section. Kindly go thru all posts. If you still have questions please ask.
I would manage the dairy myself as I am mostly at the farm. Plus I have 2 men who manage my farm if and when i’m away…they are hardworking and trust worthy. I also have 10 laborers who stay at the farm year round. My land falls between Karnal and Ambala…therefore I have good veterinary services in close proximity. I ran a stud farm earlier so got to know a few doctors, therefore they would be at a calls notice.
I Know farming requires 100% attention at all times… I am a farmer and have been for the past 8 yrs prior to which I also worked 3 yrs in Tea gardens as a field Asstt. Manager situated in North East Bengal. I do not have a parallel line of business.
My complements. You are located in Dairy kingdom of India. Karnal is best market for dairy animals. My suggestion is you can go ahead with Buffaloes instead cows. Because HFs are not heat tolarant. If you go with HF’s you will need foggers in cow barn.
If you make arrangements with any khova making unit or ice cream unit you have very good opportunity.
You can start with 10 animals. You will need 2 acres for 10 animals. with this you will not face marketing issues. I am not sure if milk federation gives to good rate. but khova units will give best prices for buffalow milk.
I was thinking on the same lines as u mentioned, but what i was planning to do is to create an infrastructure for 100+ cows/buffaloes in the beginning itself so that i dont have to construct to expand later on.
As for the HF’s and J breed of cows are concerned, what kind of barn would i require…a closed barn with a slight open ceiling? or one with sides open along with an opening in the ceiling that has humidifiers installed??? I do wish to keep cross breed cows and buffaloes as average yield is more.
I wish to create a modern dairy facility therefore willing to spend on technology at the initial stage itself. Already reading about milking parlors and chillers…I feel Delaval has some nice options and also guide in the whole setup of the dairy.
It is not a good idea to bring all 100+ animals at once. You can have barn built as big as that. Induct animals in batch so that they get used with the people who manages and it is easy to handle. If a big bunch is brought at once it is difficult to pay attention. Issues are like they dont eat well, they dont release milk etc. You cannot handle such issues if you make a bulk purchase.
For Delhi environment you can construct a closed barn to prevent heat waves entering inside or open windowes covered with wet gunny bags.
You can install self propelled exhaust fans on roof.
Two lines of brick wall having 3" gap filled with soil. This will prevent heat.
You can have sprinklers on roof. Thomason Dairy, Thrissur Kerala has implemented such system.
You can also contact our Forum dairy expert Sri. Murali Krishna sir. See his posts in dairy section lot of modern dairy techniques are provided in animals section.