Traditional milk production in cattle in a semi-arid area in Kenya

Abstract: Livestock of pastoralists provide meat, milk, blood, dung and are useful for transportation purposes. In semi-arid and arid areas with very low precipitation the herder must often walk far distances to feed the livestock. This affects the animals’ production, especially of milk. Previous studies have investigated how to improve milk production in terms of milking strategies in cattle. Letting the calf suckle at milking improves milk yield and is also positive for udder health, but shows different impact on growth rate of the calf compared to no suckling at milking. The present study is part of a bigger study and was carried out in Kajiado district at Shompole Conservancy and Ngurumani Escarpment, Kenya. Cross-bred Zebu cattle were used in the study with the objective to control the milking strategy locally. With help of literature, an evaluation of the effects of the milking strategies on calf growth was made. Maasai people are using restricted suckling system, meaning that the calves were separated from the dam during the day, but during milking they were allowed to suckle before, during and after milking. During milking, the milker must balance the needs of the calf against nutritional needs of humans. Most common was to milk three out of four teats, giving the calf access to suckle one teat. Normally the milkers emptied the milked udder quarters completely. Calf size determined both number of teats for the calf and if the milked udder quarters were emptied by the milker or by the calf.