Cows can be hard to care for and depending on their purpose will determine how much work will be involved. If you have cows that have plenty of land to graze on they will be less susceptible to diseases and will get exercise along with plenty of food. For those who are being farmed and kept in dry lots need more care as there are more potential and higher risks of diseases and illnesses to occur. There are steps to follow to make sure that you are providing the best animal care possible for your cows.
Provide plenty of food for the cows. Depending on the conditions the cows are living in will also determine how they will get their food. In snowy areas they will need to be kept inside where there is dry food and grazing will not be possible. While kept in a dry lot provide hay and silage along with feed and grass as additional food.
Keep water available at all times and make sure that it is kept clean. It’s important for your livestock to have loose minerals available as well including salt added to the water or cows really like a salt block that they can lick on as their food can be rather dry.
Maintain fresh bedding for the cows and remove any feces that has occurred throughout the day. This will help prevent diseases from spreading and provide a healthy surrounding for your animals.
Additional animal care necessities for your cows is:
- Keep up with vaccines
- De-worm and De-lice as needed
- Create a breeding program for dairy cows as they need to breed for developing milk
- Milk cows two times daily or every 12 hours
- Make sure that fences and machinery are maintained otherwise your cows can wonder outside your land and roam in unwanted territory.
By following all of these steps in caring for your cows you will display healthy treatment and proper animal care.