Over 50 farmers from Kericho East, Bureti, Soin-Sigowet, and Belgut sub-counties benefitted from a day-long training on modern livestock breeding to enhance productivity thus enhancing their lives financially.
The Kericho County Department of Agriculture in collaboration with CKL Africa Limited a principal supplier of animal health and crop farming sensitised the livestock farmers on ways to increase production and productivity through improved breeding such as Artificial Insemination and selective breeding, disease management, and nutrition.
CKL Africa official Benson Landa educated the farmers who a majority of them reared cattle for milk, to focus on selective breeding and use high-quality rams to significantly improve the health, size, and productivity of their livestock which in turn would increase profitability and sustainability.
”Maintaining clean, spacious and well-ventilated housing conditions is crucial for the health and well-being of the animals and ensuring that animals are housed appropriately based on their age, sex, and developmental stage which helps to prevent disease and promote better growth, ”added Landa.
The farmers were also enlightened on modern techniques of rearing calves from birth till maturity, and they learned how to minimize stress on the calves which can affect immunity and also ensure a smooth transition from liquid to solid food.
“When it comes to disease prevention and management, calves can easily be infected with various diseases such as septicaemia bacterial infection, diarrhea, and pneumonia, and it is vital to quickly contact a veterinary doctor to treat the calf,” said Landa
Landa advised the farmers to control tick-borne diseases such as ECF from infecting the calves saying that ticks are responsible for the transmission of a large variety of diseases that affect livestock including babesiosis, anaplasmosis, theileriosis, and heart water.
“The best control program is to reduce immature cattle tick numbers on the paddock by planned treatments which kill the egg-laying female ticks by treating cattle for 4-5 consecutive tick life cycles depending on the length of the tick season,” said Landa
Farmers were also urged to prevent pneumonia by providing proper hygienic housing for the calves by avoiding wet floors, and disinfecting calf pens adding that the common symptoms to watch out for include coughing, difficulty in breathing, and fever.
During the seminar, the farmers were trained on how to feed their heifers from 6 to 18 months with good quality fodder such as chopped, dark green, and one meter Napier grass among other products that would provide protein and energy.
For pregnant heifers, farmers were urged to continue feeding them well until the last 4 to 6 months of the cow’s pregnancy when they can introduce supplementation to build up reserves for use in the period of high milk production and the growth and repair of the udder tissue.
Farmers were excited to learn ways of increasing milk production through the provision of clean water continuously with an adequate flow rate, feeding them at least six times a day, ensuring the cows are comfortable in their shed and have no diseases, and milking them properly.
By Diana Chelangat and Dorcas Cherotich
