Improved Boran Cattle An Important Component Of Meat In Arid Areas
The Boran cattle is a medium-sized breed. They come from East Africa and is mostly seen in the Kenya´s semi-arid counties. The importance of the adaptability of the animal to the local environment is crucial to commercial ranchers who prefer these or the Bos Taurus.
This wasn´t always the case, but through generations of natural and artificial selection, they have achieved more enduring animals than indigenous, exotic breeds.
Cost Of Production
Most people only pay attention to the money they make selling the product.
Most people only pay attention to the money they make selling the product whether it is dairy or beef, but very few ever consider how much it costs to maintain the animals.
In fact, most Kenyans fall into this trap and end up broke and disillusioned.
Because of this particular crossroads these business people face, the Tegemeo Research Institute conducted a study that indicated that farmers who were involved in zero grazing would spend up to Sh19 in the production of one liter of milk.
This led them to losses.
The Solution
For Otieno, the way to stop losing money is to invest in high quality breeds.
Is there a solution to this difficult crossroad for the dairy farming industry? Well, according to Dr. Eric Otieno, the answer is yes. For Otieno, the way to stop losing money is to invest in high quality breeds.
The difference between this pedigree high-quality breeds and the rest is the cost-production ratio. The minimal ingest and the optimal outcome is what makes these breeds more suitable for commercial ranchers.
It is all a matter of adaptability and performance.
If farmers go for pedigree animals that are known to perform better in the zone of the country that they are, like the aforementioned improved Borans, then the outcome will make numbers turn in their favor.
It is all a matter of adaptability and performance.
Mazao Yetu is the name of the farm where Dr. Eric Otieno, a vet and also an animal breeder works on a daily basis.
From his days of working for the farm, he concluded that cattle that is versatile and tolerant but don´t feed as heavily as others are the best way to invest the feeds.
For example, says Otieno, if a cow produces 30 liters of milk, farmers should not look at that number, instead they should check how much it costs them to generate that outcome.
Because, if the ratio is better, someone producing 10 liters of milk in a different farm could be making more money than them with less investment and effort.
Boran Breed
A Boran Bull
A Boran Bull with a pedigree can cost somewhere around Sh300,000 and can be the animal to start a long line of selection to improve the production of any farm.
According to Francis Ekwam, who presented a Boran Bull with a pedigree of 600 kilograms at the latest livestock breeders show.
a good breed is always the result of a good selection.
He states that raising such a pedigree animal is not a question of magic, but of grazing it on free range, spray them with anti-tick products on a weekly basis, treating feet and mouth diseases and deworming them every three months.