LivestockDemanding
Dairy cattle
Temperature
10°C to 27°C
Conditions
What it needs
Soil
Needs land able to carry pasture or fodder, plus a clean milking area and shade.
Feed and water
Large and constant. A milking cow drinks a great deal daily and needs quality fodder year-round. Dry-season feed planning is what separates a working dairy from a failing one.
What you will need
Tick what you already have; Grow carries the rest into the cost working.
Grow holds no supplier listings and no local prices, so it cannot tell you where to buy these or what they cost near you. Ask at your nearest agrodealer or extension office, then put those figures into the planner.
Through the season
Stages
- 01
Preparation
60 days- Establish fodder
- Build milking area and shade
- Arrange water
- 02
Acquisition
14 days- Buy healthy stock with records
- Quarantine new arrivals
- 03
Breeding
21 days- Heat detection
- Artificial insemination or bull service
- 04
Gestation
283 days- Feed to condition
- Dry off before calving
- Vaccinate as advised
- 05
Lactation
305 days- Milk consistently
- Watch for mastitis
- Keep production records
Watch for
Common problems
Mastitis
- What you will see
- Hot swollen quarter, clots or blood in milk, drop in yield.
- What to do
- Milk hygiene is the main defence: clean hands and udder, consistent routine. Treat under veterinary guidance and observe milk withdrawal periods.
Tick-borne disease (East Coast fever, anaplasmosis)
- What you will see
- Fever, swollen lymph nodes, weakness, sudden drop in production.
- What to do
- Control ticks consistently. Vaccination is available in some regions. Call a vet early — these move fast.
Foot rot
- What you will see
- Lameness, swelling between the claws, foul smell.
- What to do
- Keep housing and walkways dry, trim hooves, and use a footbath. Treat with veterinary guidance.
Follow the label for doses, and ask an extension officer or vet before using a chemical you have not used before.
Not ranked yet
Grow cannot yet say whether dairy cattle suit a particular farm. Ranking an animal needs a comfort temperature and a heat-stress threshold, and we would rather leave it out than guess at one.