Feedback: When to give your cows heat boosters

MY COW HAS REFUSEDTO COME ON HEAT
Last year, I bought a six-month-old calf and by now, it’s 26 months old but with no sign of going on heat or getting ready for mounting.

What is wrong with the animal? What kind of salt or any other stuff can I give it to get ready for mounting?

Kenneth Mbulika, Nandi 

Profitability of any dairy enterprise relies on high milk production and sound reproduction performance of the herd. Key management factors that influence reproductive performance include timely heat detection, cow nutrition and environmental conditions.

In this case, most likely, not only the heat signs might have been weak and, therefore, unobservable but also the body condition. Meaning, something went a miss on proper feeding and mineral supplementation.

Please note that improper nutrition is costly in dairy farming and contributes to sub-optimal cow performance.

As part of ‘grooming’ the heifer for first service, ad libitum mineral supplementation, adequate quantity and quality roughage should form part of basic feeding programme.

With optimal management, a heifer should be ready for service at 18 months. For the whole herd, a good step to help you minimise issues with reproduction is having a reproduction plan.

This keeps tabs on which cows are in-calf, those that can be bred, reproductive life span and history of each cow.

One step you can take is to use heat booster powders mixed with feeds and mineral salts at the same time and observe your cow carefully for heat signs especially early morning and late evening.

Keeping a bull around this cow will also help you notice heat signs. If all these fail, you can seek the services of a qualified vet for heat inducing hormones.

However, if you sense further delay in reproductive soundness of your animal, please consider culling since the animal would not be profitable for your dairy enterprise.

Felix Akatch Opinya,
Department of Animal Science, Egerton University.

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I WANT TO KEEP CRICKETS
I liked the article on onjiri (crickets). I am interested in knowing more about them with the intention of rearing.

I have the requirements here in Nairobi, kindly link me with farmers.

Bernard Karari

Cricket rearing is on the rise, thanks to their potential value and consumer diet sensitisation. Their demand is steadily rising but the supply is still low, with a crate selling at between Sh700 to Sh1,500.

It takes about three months for these insects to mature translating to good income annually. Unlike other livestock, you are able to rear them independent of changes in climatic factors, thus, sustaining your profits throughout the year.

For more guidance on the requirements and management procedures of rearing crickets, contact Godfrey Were Juma on 0716161592.

Felix Akatch Opinya,

Department of Animal Science, Egerton University.

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GROWING SPINACH USING IRRIGATION
I am Paul from Nyandarua County. I have three questions. First, I own a quarter acre of spinach, which I grow using sprinkler irrigation but of late I have noted I consume a lot of water hence I think of introducing drip irrigation on the farm but without the greenhouse.

My first question is, how efficient is the drip irrigation in an open field?

Drip irrigation can be used in an open field efficiently and help you reduce the amount of water used on the farm. If the place is not that dry, you can open the water when it is dry and close when it is raining. Drip irrigation is advantageous in that there is little or no wastage of water, it does not wet leaves thereby minimising fungal diseases, does not encourage growth of weeds between rows, can be used in fields which are sloppy, requires low labour and operating cost compared to the other irrigation methods, reduces soil erosion and soil salinity, fertilisers can be applied together with irrigation water and that other field operations can be carried out as irrigation is going on because the areas between the rows remain dry.

Second, on the same farm, I have noted some spinach wither and upon uprooting, I get the roots are rotten, what is the cause and the remedy to the same?

This is root rot disease, which is caused by overwatering or accumulation of water in the crop especially in low lying fields.

To control the disease, manage irrigation to avoid water accumulation, practice crop rotation and plant spinach on well drained soils.

Third, I’m interested in farming tree tomatoes, where can I get grafted ones?

Please contact Murigi on 0721348593 for grafted tree tomato seedlings.

Carol Mutua,
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Egerton University.

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FARMING PASSION FRUITS IN KITALE
My name is Joseph. I would like to know if passion fruits can grow well in Kitale.

Passion fruits can do well in Kitale as they need an altitude of 1,200 to 1,800m above sea level east of the rift and up to 2,000m above sea level west of the rift.

Optimum temperature for purple passion fruit is between 180C to 250C and 250 C to 300C for yellow passion fruit.

Passion fruits require well-distributed rainfall of 900mm to 2,000mm per year. Excess rainfall causes poor fruit set and encourages diseases.

Passion fruits do well in a variety of soils, which should be reasonably deep and fertile. A soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 is the best.
In high rainfall areas, the soils should be well-drained as plants will not withstand water logging or flooding.

Carol Mutua,
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Egerton University.