Evaluation of Clean Milk Dairy Farming Practices and Advances in Murrah Buffalo Quality Milk Production Technologies

Abstract

The opening balance (herd strength) of Murrah buffaloes as on 01/04/2012 was 150 heads (32 males and 118 females). In all, 38 animals were deleted from the herd due to various reasons, whereas 54 animals were aded due to new births. The new calvings were well distributed over all the months of year, except during April-May 2012 when no calvings took place. The male:female ratio of new calvings was 1.00:0.83. The closing balance of the buffalo and 38 males, the overall mortality was 3.45% (remale-2.11%, male-6.56%). The overall conception rate was 60.42% (heifer-47.05%, adults-67.74%). The overall calving abnormalities were 22.64%, which included 3.77% dystocia, 3.77% retention of placenta, 5.66% prolapse and 1.89% premature births and still births. The age of first calving, service period, dry period and calving interval were 39.69±2.82 months, 213.49±26.37 days, 232.93±21.36 days and 479.29±22.88 days, respectively.The overall live body weights (in kg) at birth 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age were 35.58± 0.53, 69.43±1.76, 126.63±3.57, 234.26±11.42, 334.62 ±8.98 and 377.93 kg, respectively. The respective values for females and males were 33.63±0.78, 69.96±2.46, 126.30±4.82, 233.53±13.84, 334.62±8.98 and 391.25±8.84 kg respectively; and 37.53±0.71, 68.91±2.52m 126.95±5.30 and 235.00±20.18 kg, respectively. The weight at first calving during the current year was 535.71±25.87 kg. Buffaloes produced 82098 kg milk. Overall wet and herd averages were 5.66 and 3.59 kg, respectively. On an average, 62.92% of the total adult females were in milk. The total lactation milk yield, average lactation length, average 305 days yield and peak yield were 2249.40±8.46 kg, 316.43±08.41 days, 2242.31±108.05 kg and 11.01±0.34 kg, respectively. The milk analysis of 872 samples revealed fat, SNF and total solids per cent as 7.88, 9.81 and 17.75, respectively.