Animal Husbandry

In this section we will discuss animal husbandry

Every Farm has to have animals. The shine and vibrancy element comes from
the animals. A farm without animals is like a house without children. Modern
farms have become overly specialized in crops and have no animals which upsets the balance. .

Animals provide a focal point to all the activities in the farm. Need not be on a scale where we have to sell and make a profit. Have a few cows and hens and goats for your own milk and egg requirements. Additionally we will get the all important cowdung on your own farm. It should be the aim of every organic farm to be self sufficient in all inputs required on the farm because that is how we can be sure of the quality. Atleast 1 cow per acre.

Fodder Issues What should we feed the cattle?

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There are three important things to feed a cow grass, grass and grass. A cow is a grass eating creature. Feeding it anything else can cause it more harm than good. Bad practice to feed predominantly corn. This reduces the nutritional quality of the milk and reduces their immunity. In western countries, in order to increase the milk output, they feed the cows with a high protien diet containing animal parts. It is against their nature to consume non-vegeterian diet and as a result it changes the quality and nature of the milk and cowdung and the animals become weak and prone to disease. Outbreak of Foot and mouth disease was an outcome of this practice. NEVER NEVER feed them animal parts. These days the cotton cakes and groundnut cakes have very high concentration of pesticides in them.

 Do not feed them with paddy straw which is actually a residue & has no nutrients and is acidic.

Make hay in the proper manner hay is grass that is cut at the right time (2 weeks before it flowers) and dried and stored properly.

Give them organic cotton seed before the cow gives birth.

In India, good hybrid grasses are available Bajra, Napier and hybrids like BN1, BN2, CO1, CO2 (Coimbatore variety) and you can harvest every 20 days. Other Livestock Have a few chicken and roosters and allow them to run free in your farms.

The chicken feed on the worms and pests and the droppings are rich in phosphorous and will nourish the soil.

Feeding the chicken with wheat grass (9 inch tall) doubles the egg production.

The egg shells are used in CPP making.

Animal Health

Prevention better than cure. Take care of your animals like your family members. Proper diet, keeping their cottages clean and warm, ensuring enough exercise and giving them lots of love will keep them largely disease resistant.

Desi Cows have more resistance to disease

Never use strong medicines e.g. vets prescribe ivermectin at the drop of a hat it is a bacteriacide cum fungicide kills beneficial bacteria as well the cowdung will not be touched by earthworms etc.

Try to find simple home remedies. Example::

 For worm control

kg garlic (ground up) in 1 litre vinegar. Let it sit for 2-3 days. Dilute 1:4 and give to cows 2 days before full moon (because the worms are most active during that time). Repeat on next full moon. Dose them before the 1st meal and have it fast for a day. Repeat every year. o New Born 30 ml. o Calves (upto 75 kg) 75 ml o Cows 100-150 ml o Can be given to pregnant cows as well

o o
o 30 ml o 75 ml o 100-150 ml For Ticks tbsp of essential oil (eucalyptus, citronella, teatree oil) in litre of vegetable oil (sunflower). Gestation period is 2 weeks, hence apply every 2 weeks. Also they breed in crevices and cement cracks. tbsp essential oil (nilgiri, citronella, Remember Pests and Bacteria are only the messengers and we have to understand the message that is the essence of BD farming. We have to work with them. Kabir, in the next section will talk more about disease and pest management in relation to the entire farm.

Trivia

The urine from a Desi cow is actually procured by a German company to make homeopathic medicines , German company homeopathic The stomach of a cow is like a zoo of beneficial micro-organisms. Strong medicenes like Ivermectin kill all the inhabitants of this zoo.

Albert Howard records in his book Agricultural Testament how he let his cows mingle with cows from his neighbours farm which had foot & mouth disease. They did not contract the disease. Albert Howard Agricultural Testament Take the aid of gravity in the design of your cowsheds so that urine and cowdung can be collected easily. In India we name every Cow lovingly. Industrialized farms in the west treat cows like milking machines and each cow has a ear tag instead of a name. We should continue to have this love and reverence for the animals.