BREEDS
5300 liters per cow
- mainly black and white, but
red and white colors can
also be found.
Av - milk yield is ~4800I /
LACTATION - higher than
any other breed.
- late maturing & docile
cows
- Good adaptability &
excellent grazing capacity
- Weight of average cow =
FRESIAN BREED 590 kg (up to 820 kg)
mature bulls can weigh up
to +(-)1000kg
- low milk fat content, (3.7%)
- Honey brown breed, with
black muzzel
- Smallest of the dairy
breeds
- Excellent udders that are
well attached.
- Very adaptable with
excellent grazing ability
- Efficient users of feed even
on poor pastures.
- Average yield of 3,400l /
lactation.
JERSEY BREED - Highest in milk fat content
of 5.4 %
- Earliest maturing of the dairy breeds,
- Can be at mated to calve at 2 years of age.
- Vary in color from a
combination of cherry red
or any shade or brown with
white with each color
clearly defined.
- They are vigorous and
strong
- Have well balanced udders
with medium sized teats.
- Weight of an average
mature cow is 544 kg
- Mature bull up to 816 kg.
AYSHIRE BREED - Average milk production of
- - By 3 months of age, a calf can eat plants and ruminate. At
- 4% average milk fat content this stage, the calf can be weaned. During weaning, the
(ranked forth). calves should be given supplementary feed.
Guernsey may be any shade of
fawn with white markings Milk Production and The Udder
Skin is yellow. - In a cow, the udder has 4 quarters. Each quarter has a teat
It is a little larger than the - Milk is produced in the udder from nutrients in the blood
Normal Presentation Malpresentation Breech Presentation that flows through the blood vessels (tubes) in each quarter
Jersey;
Early maturing with a gentle clean mucus (sticky fluid) from nose and mouth or half. The grater the amount of blood passing through
behavior. - Check if the calf is breathing normally. the udder, the greater the amount of milk that is produced.
Relatively high yielding cow - Allow the calf to suckle from its mother as soon as possible When the udder is sucked by the young, messaged or
Ranked forth in milk production so that it takes colostrrum (yellowish milk produced squeezed during milking, this stimulates the udder to make
(4,808 kg/cow), immediately after birth). more milk.
Ranked second in milk fat per - allow calf to take colostrums for at least 4 days after its
GUERNSEY BREED cow (5 %). birth. - Milking by hand will take 5-10 minutes, machine milking
It produces milk that is golden is quicker.
in color. Caring for the Cow after calving
- Give cow water to drink immediately after she has calved It is important to remember that:-
- The placenta (afterbirth) should come out naturally within - The udder should be emptied at each milking to stimulate
REPRODUCTION & GROWTH
24 hours .You can help to remove it by gently pulling it or the udder to develop milk
ask for veterinary assistance. - always milk the cow quietly
- The reproductive cycle starts when a female is in heat.
- The afterbirth should be buried or burnt. - 2 milking a day is recommended. A good time to milk is
Heifers can come into first heat at 10-20 months of age.
in the morning before the animal goes out for milking and
- The length of time a cow is in heat is less than 1 day
in the evening
- A cow that does not become pregnant after mating will MANAGEMENT
- always milk at the same time each day.
come back into heat after 3 weeks.
Milk Yields
Care of Newborn
Milk yields are different from animal to animal for several reasons:
Signs of Heat - females will seek male, allow other males to mount, From birth, the calf depends completely on the mother for food. If
- some types of breeds produce more than the others
mount one another, vulva becomes red, restlessness and calling mother dies the orphan needs to be fostered.
- milk production is greater after 2nd and 3rd birth
loudly. Operations such as castration, disbudding is done at a very early age.
- Extra feed, minerals and plenty of water enable cow to
produce more milk
Signs of Pregnancy - normal cycle of heat stops, animal becomes - The navel cord of the newborn should be treated with
- some cows naturally give more milk than others. These
quieter, belly grows bigger. The length of pregnancy in cows is 280 tincture of iodine, gentian violet or other antiseptic
cows should be selected for breeding.
days (9 months). immediately after birth. Repeat 2-3 days later. The cord
Lactation Curve
should dry and fall off after 1 week.
Milk yield increases gradually after parturition, reaching a peak in
Parturtion (act of giving birth) – Calving of a cow is a natural process
about 2months and then slowly decreases
that normally takes place without help. However, cows should be - Remove extra teats in case of female calves as this may
watched closely in case of difficulty. interfere with milking since there are 4teat cups in mlking
machine and also these teats normally do not form into
Signs of Parturition - belly increases in size (right flank, udder filling functional teats
up and teats stiffening, vulva is red and swollen, animal restless,
water bag appears in vulva. Feeding Calves
At first, a calf can only digest milk. The stomach of the calf must
Parturition in Cows develop before it can digest plants.
- Parturition is key event for livestock farmers
- Can lead to economic gain or loss - Allow the calf to take all the milk for first 7 days from
- Important to know when problem occurs and what to do mother and then feed them on calf milk replacers.
- Contact your nearest Agriculture office for assistance at
difficult calving - From 3 weeks of age, the calf will begin to eat little grass.
Feeding roughage from the early age will help the rumen
Caring for the Newborn Calf to develop.
- handle calf carefully

Common Diseases of Dairy Cows
The two most common Diseases in Dairy cattle in Fiji are Mastitis
and Worm infection.
Mastitis
- is an inflammation or infection of udder
- caused by germs, which can spread to other animals
- Signs of mastitis are: the milk is not clean, different color,
and there may be lumps in it, the udder is hot painful and
swollen, the skin of teats may be cracked, the animal may
stop eating.
Prevention: Integrated pest management– good management, use MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
of clean pastures, grazing strategies, pasture rest– 28 days between
grazing, pasture rotation -move stock every 4days, multi-species
grazing, alternative forage, nutritional management, zero grazing,
maintain appropriate stocking rate.
Treatment: Drench animals every 3 weeks with dewormers such
as levimasole and fenbendasloe, in case of severe infection contact
Livestock Officer at you nearest Agriculture office.

Preventing or reducing mastitis:

Basic Information on
always use clean hands when milking, wash udder with warm water
and dry it before milking, do not over milk, cows infected with mastitis
should be milked last, treat mastitis early.

DAIRY
Treating Mastitis: Wash affected quarter with cold water and milk,
dry and massage the udder, repeat this procedure morning and
afternoon and if the infection is severe repeat 2-3 hours, if the
infection persists squeeze an antibiotic ( intramammary tube) into
teat canal following each milking, an injection of antibiotic is given
in case of severe mastitis. Consult your Livestock Officer at your
nearest Agriculture office.

Worms in Cattles
Worm Cycle
Effects of Internal Parasites/Worms: Animal becomes weak, and eats
less, can die, losses weight, does not gain weight, loss of production,
develops diarrhoea, which causes dehydration, Rough coat, mucus
membrane of eyes become pale, develops swellings under jaw or
under abdomen.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal Health & Production Division

P.O. Box 15829, Suva

Toa Street, Vatuwaqa, Suva
Phone: (679) 331 5322
Fax: (679) 330 1368
Website: www.agriculture.org.fj

Layout & Design by:

Information & Communication Section,
Ministry of Agriculture
Private Mail Bag, Raiwaqa.
FARMER’S LEAFLET 2013