This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
Kezia Wangechi, a resident of Kipipiri constituency in Nyandarua County, has found a way to increase milk production and reduce costs by making her own dairy meal.
Her 10-by-10ft barn, which appears small at first glance, is home to 12 dairy cows of Friesian and Ayrshire breeds, eight of which are currently in-calf.
On Mondays, Kezia makes her own dairy meal, which she attributes to the rise in milk production, along with good management practices.
She belongs to the 30-member Kimago Farmers Help Group, which provided her with training on livestock production and management.
‘I make at least 50kg of the dairy meal at any one time from 9kg of maize flour or maize meal, 10kg of maize germ, 8kg of wheat bran, 3kg of cotton seed cake, 4 kg of premix, 11kg pollard and 5kg of sunflower, all valued at Sh1,840,’ says Kezia, who was trained by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in partnership with the county government.
Kezia saves between Sh160 and Sh400 by making her own dairy meal, as commercial rations cost between Sh2,000 and Sh2,300 depending on the manufacturer.
‘I started making the dairy meal last September, soon after training and my milk production has been rising gradually. When I began, I was feeding one animal that produced eight litres of milk daily and this increased to 16 and the rest have followed suit. I am now collecting over 60 litres a day from about 30 from five animals,’ says Keziah.
Kezia, who started dairy farming in 2013, feeds each animal a kilo of dairy meal in the morning and another in the evening during milking time.
‘I am happy because I have not only cut production cost but also improved my milk production,’ says Kezia, who is one of the tens of farmers in the county now preparing their own dairy meals after the training.
