Page 164 - Agriculture_Form_3

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

2. Chapakazi dairy farm uses AI to breed its cows, but many of them return on
heat. Later, it was found that heat signs were not properly observed before
insemination.
(a) Why is proper heat detection practice important?
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(b) What should be done for the farm to improve the situation?

3. A heifer is moved to another farm one month before calving. She becomes
stressed, eats less, and calving becomes difficult.
(a) What mistake do you think may have been made?

(b) What should have been done instead?

4. A farmer continues milking his cow every day until the day it calves. After
calving, the calf is weak, and the cow produces very little milk.

(a) What important management practice was missed in this case?
(b) How might it have helped both the cow and the calf?

Raising young dairy cattle from birth to weaning
Proper calf care from birth to weaning builds the future of a successful dairy
herd. Healthy calves grow into productive cows and bulls. They increase the
available animals to be sold. This section explains the key practices for calf
rearing immediately after birth, including feeding, housing, and training calves.

Care of the calf immediately after birth
The calf should receive colostrum within the first three hours after birth for at
least three to four days. Colostrum contains special proteins called antibodies and
necessary nutrients that play a part in protecting calves against disease and help
to clean the stomach. Feeding can be done by allowing natural suckling or using
a clean bottle or bucket. If colostrum is not available, artificial colostrum must
be prepared and used. Figures 9.8 (a) and (b) show a calf feed using a bucket and
bottle, respectively.

Student’s Book Form Three 155

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AGRICULTURE F3.indd 155 17/09/2025 14:12
AGRICULTURE F3.indd 155