Farm Structures in A Zero-Grazing Dairy Unit
Farm Structures in A Zero-Grazing Dairy Unit
Farm Structures in A Zero-Grazing Dairy Unit
Introduction
With the ever-increasing human population in Uganda, land holding per household is on the decline
and, therefore, conventional dairy production is becoming more difficult. This is particularly so in peri-
urban settings, where families need milk not only for domestic consumption, but also income
generation. This scarcity of farmland calls for highly intensive dairy farming system to increase
efficiency of land utilization, thus the zero-grazing system or stall-feeding.
Proper farm structures contribute to the performance of a dairy system as well as comfort of the animals
and the attendants. A well designed farm structure should be able to:
Reduce the cost of the materials or utilize locally available materials.
Provide safety and comfort to the animals.
Provide a safe and pleasant environment to the attendant.
Lead to higher productivity and profitability.
(2) Safety
A good dairy animal is a costly investment that must be accorded security. This can be ensured by the
kind of design you adopt for the unit and its location. Many cases of malicious poisoning of high
producing dairy cows and vandalism by jealous neighbours or even farm workers are common. Locating
the unit close to farm houses will add to security, but this should be such that the wind should blow
away the dung smell.
(4) Ventilation
Good ventilation is good for a healthy respiratory system and adds to the comfort, which we have noted
is crucial for maximal milk production. The level of ventilation depends on the climatic conditions of a
given area. Where the climate is hot, a zero-grazing unit should be scantily enclosed to maximise air
circulation and reduce heat stress. The direction of the wind is important in ensuring good ventilation
while at the same time protecting the animal from adverse climatic conditions.
(5) Protection
Protection from adverse weather conditions like rain, strong wind and hot sunshine. Where winds are
strong consider utilising wind breakers like trees and buildings.
(6) Isolation
Isolation is a key function of a zero-grazing unit. Different animals need to be isolated from each other
to avoid injuries resulting from fights and mounting to control breeding and avoid spread of diseases.
(7) Bio-security
Bio-security management practices prevent the spread of disease by minimizing the movement of
biological organisms and their vectors (viruses, bacteria, rodents, flies, etc.) onto and within your
operation through animals, vehicles, visitors, personnel, pests, and other means. A footbath is a very
simple bio-security measure that helps prevent the potential spread of disease. Depending on the
amount of traffic on your farm, it may be necessary to have more than one footbath. There are
several recommended disinfectants for use in footbaths. Make sure to maintain a "clean" footbath. On
average, footbaths require weekly cleaning. Post guidelines near footbaths instructing users how to
correctly wash footwear.
(8) Comfort
Cow comfort is a term used to describe the overall comfort level of a dairy cow in its environment on
the farm. It is an important part of maintaining a healthy herd. The first aspect of cow comfort are the
facilities in which they live. Cows are housed in well ventilated and clean cubicles. For exercise, the
cows are provided plenty of space to walk around whenever they choose. To rest, the cows should have
large free stalls, bedded with clean materials such as: sand, sawdust or rubber mats. The bedding
materials help the cows’ udders to keep them clean and comfortable when lying down. Cow comfort is
very important to milk quality, and a priority for dairy farmers and veterinarians.
(1) Cubicles
Cubicles in a dairy unit form the resting area for the cow, thus it should not restrain the animal from
moving around. The recommended measurements are: 6 ft by 3ft to 7ft by 4 ft depending on the animal
size.
Cubicles are normally covered with soft materials like saw dust to avoid wounds from bruises as the
animal sleeps. Rubber mats, also known as cattle mats, are commonly used in cubicles. Mats need litter
to absorb moisture and reduce abrasions. Rubber mats have several advantages:
Increase milk yield by encouraging cows to lie and ruminate for longer period.
Reduce veterinary bills by reducing leg injuries and abrasions as cows get up and down.
Reduce incidence of mastitis by keeping cows clean and dry for longer, hence improving udder
and milk hygiene.
(2) Walking area
It is recommended that the floor should be made of concrete for ease of cleaning and should have a
gradual slope towards the dung pit and be about 3ft wide. Feed and water troughs should be raised
above the ground to avoid contamination from the walking area and to ensure easy feeding by the cow.
(a) (b)
(c)
(a) Old water baths, (b) old tractor tyres and (c) wooden feed trough
The water trough should be placed such that both the young stock and the mature cows have access to
it instead of constructing separate trough for each side (the unit divided to separate young and mature
stock). Below are different types of feed troughs made from locally available local materials.
Noise during milking may disturb the cow making it to hold back some of her milk. However, a report
from a study by the University of Leicester found that slow music can mitigate stress in cows and
increase the amount of milk they produce by 3 percent. Music can have a positive effect on milk let
down, but it must be consistent and calming. Stress can inhibit the release of oxytocin, a hormone key
to the milk-releasing process.
(a) (b)
(c)
(a) Side view, (b) Back view and (c) prototype of NaLIRRI calf pen
Recommended calf beddings can be untreated wood chips, shavings, sawdust, straw, or shredded paper.
(a) (b)
(c)
Different types of forage choppers;(a) panga, (b) motorized chopper by BrazAfric and, (c) fixed knife
chopper
However, chopping forages using pangas has resulted into injuries and many farmers have lost their
fingers during the chopping operations. In addition, use of rudimentary chopping equipment such as
pangas is associated with drudgery and is not appropriate for a herd size of more than three dairy cows.
One cow can produce up to 20 tons of compost per year depending on feeds and feed management.
Twenty (20) tons of compost contains approximately 80 kg of nitrogen, 40 kg of phosphate and 10 kg
of potash. Manure can also be stored as compost made from urine, cow dung and plants. In this case,
the compost must is heaped next to the grazing unit. Compost may be covered with plastic or soil. The
manure produced from 3 cows is sufficient to produce the amount of gas needed for cooking and lighting
in the farm.
Water harvesting is the collection and concentration of rainwater for the production of crops, pasture
or trees, for livestock or domestic water supply or for other productive purposes. Roof top rainwater
harvesting involves collecting rainwater from roofs to storage tanks using gutters located at the edges
of the roofs. A simple water harvesting and storage system It involves the following activities:
(a) Digging a pit—the size of a pit will depend on the capacity of your tank
(b) Laying a dam liner inside the pit. In Uganda, good and genuine dam liners can be obtained
from Balton (U) in industrial area.
(c) Roofing
(d) Constructing a small wall around the tank to prevent soil erosion entering the tank.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Construction of an underground rainwater harvesting tank
Excavated reservoirs can be lined with either a tarpauline of a dam liner. Tank measurements with a
capacity of 35,000 litres of water have the following
Tank dimensions (6 x 3 x 1.5meters)
Tank capacity: 24-27 cubic meters
Roof catchment (5 x 10 = 50 square meters
Plastic tanks can be used to store water. The major challenge is the high cost of plastic tanks.
Purpose-built crushes are commercially available. A typical specification is: Length: 1830 mm (6ft),
Width: 790 mm (2 ft 7 inches), and Height: 1625 mm (5 ft 4 inches)
It should be noted that separating animals based on age groups prevents unnecessary bullying by the
dominant animals of subordinate ones. This brings about improvement in feeding and milk production;
than when housed in mixed groups. Where stalls are too small, the animals are not comfortable,
increased animal injuries, reduced lying time which results in decreased milk production and if the stalls
are too large, it results into dirty stalls, poor hygiene for animals, increased stall maintenance and small
cows would prefer to lay backward in stall.
Open area (square meter) space requirements
Type of animal Floor space/area Open area Feeding trough Water trough Mode of housing
animal (square (square space/animal space/animal
meter) covered meter) (cm) (cm)
area
Young calves 1.0 2.0 40-50 10-15 Individuals or in
(<8 weeks) groups
below 5
Older calves 2.0 4.0 40-50 10-15 Groups of below
(>8 weeks) 15
Heifers 2.0 4.0-5.0 45-60 30-45 Groups of below
25
Adult cows 3.5 7.0 60-75 45-60 Groups of below
25
Downer calves 12.0 20-25 60-75 60-75 Individual
Bulls 12.0 120.0 60-75 60-75 Individual
Bullocks 3.5 7.0 60-75 60-75 Pairs
Quality construction materials which are locally available can greatly reduce costs. The cow shed must
be functional, cheap and long lasting. The choice of an artisan is important because a lot of expensive
material can be wasted by hiring a bad artisan. It should always be noted that the most expensively built
structure is not always the best and most durable one.
(2) Timber:
Number Length Diameter (metres)
3”x1” 0 0
3”x2” 99.5 metres 55
2”x2” 33.5 metres 50
6”x 1.25” 45 pieces 170
(5) Nails:
3.5 kg of 4”
3.5 kg of 3”
2 kg of 2”
2 kg of roofing type
To prevent high investment costs, it is advisable to make use, as much as possible, of local materials
and where possible from the farm. The cows will not notice the difference and will be equally
productive.