A. Animal Housing

It Is Important To Provide Clean And Comfortable Housing Facilities To The Dairy Animals For Their Proper Growth And Optimum Productivity. The Milch Animals Should Be Protected From Extreme Weather Conditions Of Summer, Winter, Scorching Direct Sunrays And Winds By Providing Proper Animal Sheds.

During Summer, The Animals Suffer From Heat Stress And They Become Restless. Sweating And Panting, To Some Extent Helps Them Cool Their Bodies. Reduced Feed Intake Of The Animals Results Into Decreased Milk Production. Therefore, We Must Have A Suitable Housing For The Animals.

· Animal Shed Must Ensure Minimum 5.5 Feet X 10 Feet Floor Space For One Cow / Buffalo. The Flooring Should Be Of Rough Concrete Finish With 1.5% Slope Towards Drain. The Drain Should Be Open, 8 Inch Wide, 3 Inch Deep Having 1.0% Cross Slope So That The Shed Remains Clean.

· Height Of The Ceiling Should Not Be Less Than 10 Feet May It Be Thatched Or Of Ac Sheets, Brick Or Rcc.

· Shed Should Be Open From Three Sides. Only Western Side Should Have Wall. For Every Animal There Should Be Ventilator Of Size 3 Feet X 1 Feet At The Ceiling Level. During Winter Remaining Three Open Sides May Be Covered By Gunny Cloth.

· 2 Feet Wide And 1.5 Feet Deep Manger Should Be Located On Western Wall Of The Shed. Base Of The Manger May Be 1 Feet Above The Floor Level. Trough For Drinking Water Should Be Provided By The Side Of The Manger.

· Eastern Side Of Animal Shed Should Have Free Loafing Area. Animals Are More Comfortable Under The Shade Of The Tree. Loafing Area, Therefore Should Have 2-3 Shady Trees E.G. Neem.

· During Summer, Sprinkling Of Water On The Animal At An Interval Of 15 To 20 Minutes Reduces Heat Stress As Evaporation Of Water Causes Cooling Of Body.

B. Heat Stress

Heat Stress On Animals Leads To Productivity Loss On Account Of Following:

· Rise In Body Temperature, Reduced Feed Intake, Sweating, Panting, Increased Pulse Rate, Increased Peripheral Blood Flow, Reduced Growth Hormones, High Mortality, Increased Water Intake, Reduced Milk Production & Reduced Breeding Efficiency.

· To Combat The Ill Effects Of Heat Stress, Nddb Has Developed A Water Misting Based Animal Cooling System Costing Rs 11000 For Six Animals.

· One Gram Of Water Evaporation Takes Away 540 Calories Of Metabolic Heat Generated By Animals.

· Drop In Temperature By Water Evaporation (So Called Zero Energy Cooling) From The Animals Body Could Exceed 13o C Depending On Humidity, Thus Bringing Them Back Into Comfort Zone During Hot Summer Days.

C. Measuring Heat Stress Through Symptoms

· Assessing The Level Of Heat Stress Is Important To Prevent Or Reduce Production Losses Due To Heat Stress Or Even Prevent Mortality In Severe Cases.

· Scoring The Levels Of Heat Stress By The Symptoms (Panting Score) Shown By Animals Would Give An Idea About The Condition Of The Animals.

Breathing Condition

Panting Score

Breaths/Minute

No Panting– Normal Difficult To See Chest Movement

0

<40

Slight Panting, Mouth Closed, No Drool Or Foam. Easy To See Chest

1

40-70

Movement

Fast Panting, Drool Or Foam Present. No Open Mouth Panting

2

70-120

As For 2 But With Occasional Open Mouth, Tongue Not Extended

2.5

70-120

Open Mouth + Some Drooling. Neck Extended And Head Usually Up.

3

120-160

As For 3 But With Tongue Out Slightly, Occasionally Fully Extended For

3.5

>160

Slight Periods + Excessive Drooling

Open Mouth With Tongue Fully Extended For Longer Periods

4

>160

+Excessive Drooling. Neck Extended And Head Up.

As For 4, But Head Held Down. Breath From Flank. Drooling May

4.5

May Decrease

Cease.

D. Measuring Heat Stress Through Indices

· Measuring The Level Of Heat Stress Through Indices Can Give A Fair Idea On Its Effect On The Animals So That Preventive Measures Can Be Implemented Well In Time.

· The Thermal Humidity Index (THI) Is Used For This Purpose.

· The Principle Of THI Is That As The Relative Humidity At Any Given Temperature Increases, Then The Comfort Factor Decreases.

· Milk Production Begins To Be Affected Above A THI Of 78 Which Will Occur At 27oc And 80% Relative Humidity Or At 31oc At 40% Relative Humidity (RH). At A THI Of 89, The Animal Is On The Verge Of Severe Heat Stress.

· The Chart Below Gives An Indication Of THI Indices And Levels Of Heat Stress.

E. Managing Heat Stress

· Ensure Adequate Water Availability To Animals. A Healthy Normal Cow Needs About 100 Liters Of Water To Manage Heat.

· Drinking Water Should Be Provided Under Shade To Ensure Cooling By Evaporation.

· Ensure Shade Over The Animals. If Trees Are Not Available Thatched Roof Of A Minimum Height Of 9 Feet Should Be Constructed. Agri-Nets With 20% Perforation Could Also Be Useful. In Desert Like Situations, Community Shades Could Be Introduced.

· Misting Of Water Over The Body Of Animals At Least Thrice In An Hour Is Useful. Auto Sprinklers With Mini Pumps And Cyclic Timers Should Be Preferred.

· Air Circulation In Covered Sheds Should Be Increased. Ensure One Ventilator Of 3 X 1 Feet Per Cow. Use Ceiling Fans Or Blowers Wherever Power Is Available.

· Create Barriers Against Hot Wind. Thatched Wall Should Be Preferred. Wet Gunny Cloth Is Another Option.

· Feed The Animals During Morning, Evening & Night Time.

· Prefer Grazing During Early Morning & Evening Hours.

· Shave The Hair Coat (Remove Hair).

· Ration To Be Changed So As To Provide Same Nutrients At Reduced Dry Matter Intake.

· Potassium Rich Mineral Mixture Should Be Preferred.