DAIRY ANIMALS

Dairy Cattle
• Dairy cattle (also called dairy
cows) are bred for the ability to
produce large quantities
of milk, from which dairy
products are being made.
• Dairy cows generally are of
the species Bos taurus.
• Cattles produce 82 percent of
world milk production.
 Nutrition of Dairy Cows
• Forages, which refer especially to hay or straw,
are the most common type of feed used.
• Cereal grains, as the main contributors of starch
to diets, are important in meeting
the energy needs of dairy cattle.
• Barley is an excellent source of balanced
amounts of protein, energy, and fiber.
 Dairy buffalo
• The domestic water
buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
contributes a significant share
of global milk production and is
the major milk producing
animal in several countries.
• Buffaloes produce 14 percent
of world milk production.
• Water buffalo like hanging out
in water and wallowing the
mud.
 Nutrition of Dairy Buffalo
• The main diet for the buffalo is roughage such
as grass, legumes and straw. The roughage can
be fed either fresh as pasture or in a cut-and-
carry-system or conserved as hay or silage.
• Requirements for buffaloes are more or less the
same as for cattle, therefore, nutrient
requirement tables for dairy cattle may be used
as a guidance.
Nutritional Chart
Nutrition Buffalo Milk Cow Milk
Water 81.1% 87.8%
Protein(g) 4.5g 3.2g
Fat 8g 3.9g
Carbohydrate 4.9g 4.8g
Energy 110 kcal 66 kcal
Sugar lactose 4.9g 4.8g
Saturated Fat 4.2g 2.4g
Monounsaturat
1.7g 1.1g
ed Fat
Polyunsaturate
0.2g 0.1g
d Fat
Cholesterol 8mg 14mg
Calcium 195 µg 120 µg
 Dairy Camel
• Camels are found in Africa
and Asia and are kept mostly
by nomads. There are two
species of camels:
– one-humped Arabian
camels or dromedaries(Camelus
dromedarius) – the camels of the
plains; and
– two-humped Bactrian
camels (Camelus bactrianus) –
the camels of the mountains
• Camels are raised for milk,
meat, fibre (wool and hair),
transport and other work; their
dung is used as fuel.
 Dairy Camel
• Camels can produce more milk from poor feed
than any other dairy species.
• There is growing recognition of the value and
benefits of camels for their milk, meat and fibre.
• Camel dairy products could not only provide
more food for people in arid and semi-arid areas
but also give nomadic herders a rich source of
income.
Nutrition of Dairy Camel
• The yield and quality of milk produced by an
animal depend on the composition of the feed
available, including liquids.
• The main forage is obtained from trees and
shrubs. The diet is made up of species
of Acacia, Indigofera, Dispera, and Tribulus.
• Camels have been successfully grazed on pure
Alfalfa and overmature Panicum maximum in
Ethiopia (Knoess, 1977).
Compositions of camel milk

Specific gravity
Range % Average %
(15.5°C)
Fat 0.1 – 0.4 1.079
Protein 15.79–19.52 0.15
Lactose 3.98–5.13 17.78
Ash 1.44–2.80 2.60
(lactic acid) 0.38