These are the ten key tips to running a profitable dairy farm in Kenya:

1. Housing:
2. Construct shed on dry, properly raised ground.
3. Avoid water-logging, marshy and heavy rainfall areas.
4. The walls of the sheds should be 1.5 to 2 meters high.
5. The walls should be plastered to make them damp proof.
6. The roof should be 3-4 metres high.
7. The cattle shed should be well ventilated.
8. The floor should be pucca/hard, even non-slippery impervious, well sloped (3 cm per metre) and properly drained to remain dry and clean.
9. Provide 0.25 metre broad, pucca drain at the rear of the standing space.
10. A standing space of 2 x 1.05 metre for each animal is needed.
11. The manger space should be 1.05 metre with front height of 0.5 metre and depth of 0.25 metre.
12. The corners in mangers, troughs, drains and walls should be rounded for easy cleaning.
13. Provide 5-10 sq. metre loaf space for each animal.
14. Provide proper shade and cool drinking water in summer.
15. In winter keep animals indoor during night and rain.
16. Provide individual bedding daily.
17. Maintain sanitary condition around shed.
18. Control external parasites (ticks, flies etc.) by spraying the pens, sheds with Malathion or Copper sulphate solution.
19. Drain urine into collection pits and then to the field through irrigation channels.
20. Dispose of dung and urine properly. A gobar gas plant will be an ideal way. Where gobar gas plant is not constructed,
    convert the dung alongwith bedding material and other farm wastes into compost.
21. Give adequate space for the animals.

1. Selection of Animal :
2. Immediately after release of the loan purchase the stock from a reliable breeder or from nearest livestock market.
3. Select healthy, high yielding animals with the help of veterinary/animal husbandry officer.
4. Purchase freshly calved animals in their second/third lactation.
5. Before purchasing, ascertain actual milk yield by milking the animal three times consecutively.
6. Identify the newly purchased animal by giving suitable identification mark (ear tagging or tattooing).
7. Vaccinate the newly purchased animal against disease.
8. Keep the newly purchased animal under observation for a period of about two weeks and then mix with the general
   herd.
9. Purchase a minimum economical unit of two milch animals.
10. Purchase the second animal/second batch after 5-6 months from the purchase of first animal.
11. As far as possible purchase the second animal when the first animal is in its late stage of lactation and is about to
    become dry, thereby maintaining continuity in milk production vis-a-vis income. This will ensure availability of adequate funds for maintaining the dry animals.
12. Follow judicious culling and replacement of animals in a herd.
13. Cull the old animals after 6-7 lactations.

III. Feeding

1. Feed the animals with best feeds and fodders..
2. Give adequate green fodder in the ration.
3. As far as possible, grow green fodder on your land wherever available.
4. Cut the fodder at the right stage of their growth.
5. Chaff roughage before feeding.
6. Crush the grains and concentrates.
7. The oil cakes should be flaky and crumbly.
8. Moisten the concentrate mixture before feeding.
9. Provide adequate vitamins and minerals. Provide salt licks besides addition of mineral mixture to the concentrate ration.
10. Provide adequate and clean water.
11. Give adequate exercise to the animals.
    sufficient water more particularly during summer months.
12. To estimate the daily feed requirement remember that the animals consume about 2.5 to 3.0 percent of their body weight on dry
    matter basis.

1. Milking of Animals
2. Milk the animals two to three times a day.
3. Milk at fixed times.
4. Milk in one sitting within eight minutes.
5. As far as possible, milking should be done by the same person regularly.
6. Milk the animal in a clean place.
7. Wash the udder and teat with antiseptic lotions/luke-warm water and dry before milking.
8. Milker should be free from any contagious diseases and should wash his hands with antiseptic lotion before each milking.
9. Milking should be done with full hands, quickly and completely followed by stripping.
10. Sick cows should be milked at the end to prevent spread of infection.

1. Protection against Diseases

1. Be on the alert for signs of illness such as reduced feed intake, fever, abnormal discharge or unusual behaviour.
2. Consult the nearest veterinary aid centre for help if illness is suspected.
3. Protect the animals against common diseases.
4. In case of outbreak of contagious disease, immediately segregate the sick, in-contact and the healthy animals and take necessary disease control measures.
5. Conduct periodic tests for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Johne’s disease, Mastitis etc.
6. Deworm the animals regularly.
7. Examine the faeces of adult animals to detect eggs of internal parasites and treat the animals with suitable drugs.
8. Wash the animals from time to time to promote sanitation.

1. Breeding Care

1. Observe the animal closely and keep specific record of its coming in heat, duration of heat, insemination, conception and calving.
2. Breed the animals in time.
3. The onset of oestrus will be within 60 to 80 days after calving.
4. Timely breeding will help achieving conception within 2 to 3 months of calving.
5. Breed the animals when it is in peak heat period (i.e. 12 to 24 hours of heat).
6. Use high quality semen preferably frozen semen of proven sires/bulls.

VII. Care during Pregnancy

Give special attention to pregnant cows two months before calving by providing adequate space, feed, water etc.

VIII. Marketing of Milk

1. Marketing milk immediately after it is drawn keeping the time between production and marketing of the milk to the minimum.
2. Use clean utensils and handle milk in hygienic way.
3. Wash milk pails/cans/utensils thoroughly with detergent and finally rinse with chloride solution.
4. Avoid too much agitation of milk during transit.
5. Transport the milk during cool hours of the day.

1. Care of Calves

1. Take care of new born calf.
2. Treat/disinfect the navel cord with tincutre of iodine as soon as it is cut with a sharp knife.
3. Feed colostrum to calf.
4. Assist the calf to suckle if it is too weak to suckle on its own within 30 minutes of calving.
5. In case it is desired to wean the calf immediately after birth, then feed the colostrum in bucket.
6. Keep the calf separately from birth till two months of age in a dry clean and well ventilated place.
7. Protect the calves against extreme weather conditions, particularly during the first two months.
8. Group the calves according to their size.
9. Vaccinate calves.
10. Dehorn the calves around 4 to 5 days of age for easy management when they grow.
11. Dispose of extra calves not to be reared/maintained for any specific purpose as early as possible, particularly the male calves.
12. The female calves should be properly reared.