Management and husbandry practices in some dairy farms in Khartoum state

Abstract

The study involved dairy farms management and husbandry practices namely: herd size, 
herd structure, breed type, lactation performance and feeding policies of crossbred dairy 
cows at randomly selected dairy farms from different localities in  Khartoum metropolitan 
area. The total number of cattle in 100 herds surveyed was 9145 heads with overall mean 
of 91.45 ± 107.43 heads / herd. The overall herd structure was: 37.86 % lactating cows, 
7.14 % dry cows, 11.85 % replacement heifers and 33.15 % for the calves and bulls. 
Average daily milk yield per cow was 9.49 ± 3.0 kgs. The average lactation length was 
269.85 ±18.97 days while the average dry period was 42.84 ± 28.56 days. 
Total amount of green fodder fed per cow / day was 11.0 ± 4.4 kg and the concentrated 
feed offered to a cow / day was 5.23 ± 1.54 kg for the milking herds.