Breeds and herd selection
- Indigenous cattle: Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Tharparkar, known for disease resistance, heat tolerance, and quality milk production.
- Crossbred cattle: Holstein Friesian (HF) and Jersey crosses, delivering high lactation yields under intensive management.
- Buffalo breeds: Murrah, Nili-Ravi, and Mehsana, producing milk with high fat percentage (7 to 8 percent) favored by Indian consumers and dairies.
Housing, nutrition, and routine management
- Housing design: Loose housing systems with adequate ventilation, non-slippery concrete floors, and shade trees ensure cow comfort and reduce heat stress.
- Balanced feeding: Daily diet should comprise green fodder (hybrid Napier, maize, berseem), dry roughage (paddy straw, wheat bhusa), and protein-rich concentrates with mineral mixtures.
- Preventive healthcare: Follow strict vaccination schedules for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), and Black Quarter (BQ), alongside regular deworming.
Government schemes and credit support
- Dairy processing and infrastructure are supported under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) and Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
- Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for Animal Husbandry provides working capital loans at subsidized interest rates for cattle feed and veterinary care.
- National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and local cooperative milk unions facilitate reliable daily milk procurement and cold chain logistics.
Official source
Check the latest rules, benefits and forms here. KisanPe is an independent platform and is not a government website.
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying ↗Related on KisanPe
Common questions
Which dairy breeds are best suited for commercial milk farming in India?
Murrah buffaloes for high-fat milk, and Gir, Sahiwal, or HF/Jersey crossbred cows for high lactation volumes.
What is the role of green fodder in dairy cattle nutrition?
Green fodder provides essential vitamins, promotes rumen microbial health, and reduces dependence on costly commercial concentrate feeds.
Can farmers get a Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for dairy animals?
Yes, the government provides KCC credit limits for animal husbandry and dairy farmers to cover working capital needs.
Which diseases require mandatory routine vaccination in cattle?
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), and Black Quarter (BQ).
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
More General Agriculture guides
Ask Sakhi AI in your language, check live mandi prices or plan a loan with KisanPe tools.