Maharashtra HSC Animal Husbandry & Dairy (Vocational) cheat sheet

Proximate analysis partitions feed into moisture, crude protein (N × 6.25), ether extract, crude fibre, nitrogen-free extract, and total ash.

Total digestible nutrients (TDN) estimate energy supply; for ruminants, 1 kg TDN is roughly equivalent to 4.4 Mcal digestible energy or 3.6 Mcal metabolisable energy.

Maintenance energy for cattle approximates 1.3 × metabolic body weight (W^0.75 in kg) expressed in Mcal metabolisable energy per day.

Crude protein requirement equals maintenance plus production: maintenance roughly 3.2 g digestible CP per kg W^0.75; milk needs about 85-90 g DCP per kg of milk.

Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in a ruminant ration should be kept between 1.5:1 and 2:1; wide ratios impair absorption and cause urinary calculi.

Rumen microbes synthesise B-complex vitamins and vitamin K; fat-soluble A, D, and E must be supplied in the diet.

Urea can replace part of dietary protein but must not exceed 1% of total dry matter and needs a readily fermentable carbohydrate source.

A sudden ration change must be spread over 7-10 days to avoid rumen acidosis; concentrate is introduced gradually with roughage.

Selection differential is the superiority of selected parents over the herd average; annual genetic gain = (selection differential × heritability) / generation interval.

Heritability values: milk yield about 0.25-0.30, fat percentage 0.50-0.60, age at first calving 0.30-0.40, and fertility traits below 0.10.

Sire selection contributes roughly 90% of genetic progress because one bull produces many offspring while a cow produces few.

Inbreeding coefficient rises by 1/(8Nm) + 1/(8Nf) per generation, where Nm and Nf are numbers of breeding males and females; keep inbreeding under 5%.

Crossbreeding exploits heterosis; F1 animals show the highest hybrid vigour, which declines in F2 and later generations.

Progeny testing ranks a bull by the performance of his daughters relative to contemporaries; it requires reliable milk recording and AI.

Breeding soundness evaluation covers libido, semen quality, and physical soundness; a bull should be replaced when conception rate falls below 60%.

Sexual maturity: cattle 12-18 months, buffalo 18-24 months, sheep 6-9 months, goats 6-10 months; first service follows 2-3 months later.

Normal rectal temperature: cattle 38.0-39.0 °C, buffalo 37.5-38.5 °C, sheep and goats 38.5-40.0 °C, poultry 40.5-41.5 °C.

Normal respiration: cattle 10-30 breaths per minute, sheep and goats 12-20, poultry 15-30; fever plus rapid breathing suggests acute infection.

Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by an aphthovirus; control relies on vaccination, quarantine, and movement restriction, not treatment.

Mastitis detection uses the California Mastitis Test or somatic cell count; milk with over 500,000 somatic cells per mL indicates subclinical mastitis.

Anthrax and blackleg are clostridial diseases; carcasses must not be opened because spores survive and contaminate soil for decades.

Haemorrhagic septicaemia in cattle and buffalo is prevented by an annual alum-precipitated or oil-adjuvant vaccine before the monsoon.

Deworming schedule: first dose at 2-4 weeks of age in calves, then repeat every 3-4 months; rotate anthelmintic groups to limit resistance.

Withdrawal periods must be observed before milk or meat sale; commonly 3-7 days for milk and 7-28 days for meat depending on the drug.

Gestation length: cattle about 280 days, buffalo about 310 days, sheep 148-152 days, goats 150 days.

Oestrus cycle: cattle and buffalo 18-24 days (average 21), with heat lasting 12-18 hours; ovulation occurs 10-14 hours after heat ends.

Best time to inseminate cattle is 12 hours after standing heat begins; for buffalo, inseminate later, 24-48 hours after onset.

Dry period of 60 days before calving is required for udder regeneration; continuous milking reduces next lactation yield.

Peak milk yield occurs 6-8 weeks after calving; body condition score should stay near 3.0-3.5 on a 5-point scale through lactation.

Colostrum must be fed within the first hour of birth; calves need about 10% of body weight in colostrum in the first 6 hours.

Dairy buffalo breeds: Murrah, Jaffarabadi, Mehsana, Surti, and Nagpuri; Murrah is the highest yielder with 1,500-2,500 kg per lactation.

Clean milk production: wash udder with potable water, fore-strip, discard the first few streams, and use a covered steel pail to reduce contamination.

Cow milk composition: about 87% water, 3.5% fat, 3.5% protein, 4.9% lactose, 0.7% minerals; buffalo milk has higher fat, about 6-7%.

Specific gravity of cow milk is 1.028-1.032 and buffalo milk 1.030-1.034; adulteration with water lowers specific gravity.

Pasteurisation: 63 °C for 30 minutes (LTLT) or 72 °C for 15 seconds (HTST), followed by rapid cooling to 4 °C.

Milk is graded by the MBR (methylene blue reduction) test and the resazurin test; a shorter reduction time indicates heavier bacterial load.

Standardised milk fat is achieved by Pearson's square: ratio of cream to milk = (desired fat − milk fat) : (cream fat − desired fat).

Cheese and paneer yield depends on casein; acid coagulation with citric acid or lactic culture is used for paneer, rennet for cheese.

Curd fermentation uses Lactobacillus species; incubation at 37-42 °C for 6-8 hours gives firm curd with pH near 4.6.

Ghee is clarified butterfat with moisture under 0.3% and free fatty acids under 0.3%; the Reichert-Meissl value for pure ghee is 28-30.

Incubation: chicken eggs hatch after 21 days at 37.5-37.8 °C and 55-60% relative humidity, with turning every hour.

Brooding temperature starts at 33-35 °C in the first week and drops about 3 °C weekly until 21 °C is reached.

Layer diets need 16-18% crude protein and 2,600-2,800 kcal metabolisable energy per kg; broiler starter needs 22-23% protein.

Commercial layers reach 50% production at about 20-22 weeks and peak near 90-95% at 28-30 weeks.

Ventilation must remove ammonia; keep the level below 20 ppm because higher levels damage the respiratory tract and reduce feed intake.

Fowl pox and Marek's disease are controlled by vaccination; Marek's vaccine is given at day-old, fowl pox at 6-8 weeks.

Cannibalism and egg eating are managed by beak trimming, reducing light intensity, and providing adequate feeder and drinker space.

Feed conversion ratio for broilers is 1.6-1.8 kg feed per kg live weight; higher values indicate disease, heat stress, or poor feed quality.

Sheep and goats are seasonally polyoestrous, with breeding concentrated in autumn; oestrus lasts 24-36 hours in sheep and 36-48 hours in goats.

Twinning rate in sheep depends on breed and flushing; flushing means feeding extra energy 2-3 weeks before mating to raise ovulation rate.

Goat milk has smaller fat globules and is naturally homogenised, making it easier to digest than cow milk.

Pigs reach puberty at 5-7 months; oestrus cycle is 18-24 days and lasts 2-3 days, with standing heat as the key sign.

Pig gestation is 114 days (about 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days); litter size averages 8-12 piglets.

Iron injection to piglets at 3-5 days prevents anaemia, because sow milk is low in iron and piglets lack soil access indoors.

Shearing of sheep is done once a year, usually in spring; wool yield for crossbred sheep is 2-4 kg per head per year.

Internal parasites are the main constraint in grazing small ruminants; strategic deworming before monsoon and after lambing is standard.

Floor space for crossbred cows is about 3.5-4.5 m² per animal in loose housing; buffalo need 4.5-5.5 m².

Poultry floor space: 0.35-0.45 m² per bird for layers and 0.07-0.09 m² per bird for broilers in deep litter.

Manger length per cow is 70-75 cm; water trough space is about 10-12 cm per animal.

Floor slope in a dairy shed should be 1 in 40 to 1 in 60 toward the drain to keep the surface dry.

A farm record system tracks milk yield, feed cost, breeding dates, health events, and mortality; feed cost is typically 60-70% of total cost.

Cattle shed orientation should be east-west with the long axis, so the roof shades the floor during the hottest part of the day.

Biosecurity basics: footbath at the entrance, quarantine of new animals for 21-30 days, and restricted visitor entry.

Manure management: a cow produces 10-15 kg dung daily; composting or biogas digestion reduces fly breeding and odour.

A dairy unit of 10 crossbred cows requires roughly 1.5-2 acres of fodder land and about 2 labourers for daily operations.

Break-even point in litres = total fixed cost / (price per litre − variable cost per litre); units below this lose money.

Bank credit for dairy is commonly available under priority-sector and dairy entrepreneurship schemes with 25-33% subsidy on unit cost.

A project report must show capital cost, recurring cost, projected income, depreciation, and repayment schedule for loan appraisal.

Extension methods include demonstrations, field days, farmer interest groups, and ICT tools such as mobile advisory services.

A milk cooperative collects milk twice daily, tests fat and SNF, and pays on a two-axis formula based on quantity and quality.

Value addition such as paneer, ghee, or flavoured milk raises income per litre, but requires FSSAI registration and hygiene compliance.

Monitoring indicators for a dairy enterprise: milk yield per cow, calving interval, cost per litre, and mortality rate.