Is it profitable to keep a cow: how much does it cost per month and year, all the pros and cons, income

Keeping cows at home is hard work. Feeding and caring for cattle take a lot of time and require financial costs. A cow is a large animal, unlike birds or rabbits, so before you start, you need to think about whether you can cope with the entire amount of work, calculate whether there will be a profit. Consider whether it is profitable to keep a cow on your farm, what will be the costs and possible income.

For whom breeding is suitable

Keeping even 1 animal, not to mention several, means being near it almost constantly. It is required to feed and water him, clean, graze, milk at least 3 times a day.All this takes a huge amount of time. And you need to do this every day, without days off and holidays. This must be taken into account even before the acquisition of the animal. If there are several cows, 1 person will not be able to pay attention to everyone, and an assistant will be required.

You also need to take care of food for the cow, a place to store hay and root crops, and, of course, a barn where she will live. Find a pasture to graze. If the animal cannot be provided with something necessary, it is not worth starting it. Any deviation from the standards of maintenance translates into the fact that the cow reduces productivity, starts to get sick, and this entails additional expenses.

Keeping cows for milk and meat, getting calves is beneficial only to those who have land to build a dwelling for them, there is where to graze, since in summer cows can live by eating only grass, which and makes the products obtained at this time cheap.

Immediately it is necessary to resolve the issue of marketing products, this is important, because the total income from a home farm directly depends on the cost of milk and meat. If you find regular buyers who are willing to pay a good price, you can make a profit every day throughout the year.

Purchasing animals

It is profitable or not to keep cows, depends on the number of heads and origin. The more animals, the greater the cost of feed and work performed, but the resulting products are cheaper. As for the thoroughbredness of cows, in any case, it is more profitable to start thoroughbred animals, because they were selected specifically for the necessary agricultural characteristics, for dairy breeds - by the amount of milk yield, for meat - by live weight. Outbred individuals will never be able to compare with purebreds in terms of the amount of production they can give, no matter how well they eat.

Of course, thoroughbred cows are more expensive, you will have to pay a considerable amount for them, but they will pay off in the end.

The cost of buying animals should also be included in the expense item. You can buy an adult dairy cow (on average, 50 thousand rubles) or a heifer (from 15 thousand rubles), calves for fattening. Their cost will be different, depending on age, gender and breed.

Premises and necessary equipment

One cow can live in a small room, but it must be warm, clean, bright. You can not keep the animal anywhere. At the same time, expect that, being in a dark, damp, stuffy room, it will be able to realize its full potential. Each stall should be equipped with individual feeders and drinkers, it is desirable that the floor be equipped with a drain through which the slurry will be removed from the barn.

In addition to the premises for cows, in a private house you need to take care of where hay, root crops, vegetables, and feed will be stored. Why it's important: if you buy feed after harvesting it at a minimal price and keep it at home, keeping a cow will be profitable. If you buy in small quantities throughout the year, feed will cost more.

How to calculate food costs

It will not be superfluous to make a preliminary calculation of the cost of feed that a cow will need. Cattle feed on grass and hay, grain and processing waste, root crops, vegetables and silage, beet pulp. The most expensive product from this list is grain, which an animal will need at least 1 ton (10-15 thousand rubles).

You need a lot of hay - 4-5 tons (5-6 thousand rubles), 1-2 tons of potatoes and root crops (fodder crops are inexpensive - 6 thousand rubles). You can grow vegetables and root crops on your own, manually mow hay, this will reduce the cost of food. If you buy, of course, will increase. If there is no cheap feed, you can, of course, feed with compound feed, but this is expensive and not suitable for everyone.

The cost of feed largely determines whether it is worth keeping cows or not. If it is possible to purchase relatively cheaply and immediately in large volumes, then it is profitable.

4k for beet pulp and 10k for grain. Total - 20 thousand rubles a year. In addition, you will have to spend money on a shepherd (about 700 rubles a month) and vaccinations (500 rubles annually). The cow is grazed only when it is warm: usually from late spring to early autumn.

What are the additional expenses?

If a cow grazes in a herd, you will need to pay the shepherd. You also need to take into account the costs of barn lighting, gasoline for transporting feed and products, veterinary services, vaccinations, preparations for the preventive treatment of animals and the barn. If you plan to breed cows, then you will also need to spend money on insemination.

Sale calves

Any dairy cow has a calf that can be fattened or sold at an early age. The price of young animals depends on age, sex (heifers are more expensive) and breed. Pedigree animals bring the greatest income.You can sell manure, fresh or rotted. Hides, offal, hooves and horns from slaughter.

Profit from the sale of milk

Cows belonging to dairy breeds can produce 3.5-6 thousand liters. in year. Owning a cow and selling milk can be profitable if sold directly to the end consumer at prices that are higher than store prices. If you donate milk to a dairy, the profit will decrease significantly.

From milk you can cook cottage cheese, sour cream, soft and hard cheese, which are more expensive. It takes time and effort to make products, but this way you can expand the range and sell products faster.

Benefit of large stock

One family can keep 2-3 cows, managing on their own to care for them, forage and other things. In practice, animal husbandry has established that it is possible to keep 10-15 heads on the farm, but to take care of the animals, it will be necessary to hire additional staff, look for where to graze the cattle, take care of the feed for it.

Ways to increase profits

The profitability of keeping cows depends on the genetic potential of the animals, the nutritional value of the diet, the conditions of keeping and the average cost of feed and products.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to influence the price of feed, milk and meat, but it is quite possible for a livestock breeder to organize the correct maintenance and feeding, to purchase high-yielding or good beef cows.

The cost of a daily ration ultimately affects the cost of milk. If it is formulated correctly, even with expensive products, such nutrition will pay off in increased productivity. It has been experimentally established that with the effective use of feed, an increase in milk yield occurs.

The quality of milk also depends on the nutritional value of the feed. The components of the products affect the fat content, the content of proteins, vitamins, and mineral elements. Change the taste and other characteristics. The correct ratio of all components can only be achieved by balanced feeding.

Nutrition also affects the he alth of animals. Well-nourished cows rarely get sick, don't stay dry, produce strong calves, and are less likely to have postpartum problems. Due to nutritional irregularities, animals are often culled due to mastitis, infectious diseases and metabolic diseases.

Whether it is possible to make a profit on a home farm also depends on whether preventive measures and treatment of diseases are carried out. Preventive treatments, vaccinations and veterinary examinations, although they cost money, contribute to the he alth and safety of the livestock.

Keeping a cow or several is beneficial for those who live in rural areas permanently, have the opportunity to buy a thoroughbred animal or at least a crossbreed, have access to cheap feed or harvest on their own, can graze animals on a pasture and sell milk or meat at a good price. price.If any of these conditions is not met, you should not count on big profits. But, in general, any cow can provide the owner's family with homemade milk and meat, which will cost less than purchased ones, and the quality, of course, will be much higher.

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