Basics of livestock farming

Modern livestock farms should be mechanised and automated; productivity depends on breed, feeding and housing conditions. Feed is prepared in special mixers: for example, for one milking cow a mix of 4–6 kg straw, 25 kg silage, 15 kg root crops, 6 kg concentrate and mineral vitamins. A cow is milked by hand or with a milking unit; preparation takes one minute and machine milking 4–7 minutes. Individual milking units are used on small and family farms with at least 25 cows. Water use is set by the number, age and keeping method of the animals; river water changes with the season, becomes muddy and has bacteria and organic matter. A dead-end network supplies water from one side, a ring system from two sides. Manure is a useful organic fertiliser but a good medium for disease-causing microbes, so it is disinfected before use, otherwise it pollutes the environment. Children keep away from farm machines, pumps and electrical equipment.