Low cost cattle feed-1

Hydroponic Fodder System:

Traditional method

                                       Cattle rearing plays key role in the life of a farmer.Once upon a time ,during the agriculture crisis ,cattle rearing saves the farmer economically.The cattle are also used in agriculture work and catlle waste is used to increase the fertility of land.But  now a days farmers leaving cattle rearing due to the Modern mechanization,Artificial nutrients, insufficient land for grazing,and increase of food supplements cost.The main reason of selling of catlle are insufficient fodder. The toughest part in cattle rearing is,  availability of  fodder & labour. In traditional method  of producing   fodder to cattle  is burden to a farmer.Some of the drawbacks or problems faced  by a farmer from present system of fodder production are as follows.

Drawbacks/Problems  in Traditional method of fodder production:

1. Separate land to be alloted for growing fodder

2. Huge & continuous water resource to be available.

3. Labour requirement increases for harvest & bring fodder  from the field .

4. Cost of cultivation of fodder is more.

5. There is no continuous availability of fodder throughout the year.

              To avoid the above problems & to decrease the cost ,some of the new methods of fodder production should be taken into practice.The below is one of the method of  the modern method of fodder production.

What is HYDROPONIC FODDER SYSTEM ?

                Hydroponics means growing of plants with only water ,without using soil or any other medium .By using this hydroponics as base ,hydroponic fodder system is made.In this Seedling(maize,bajra,barley,jowar ,pulses etc.) are sprouted  in trays and grow for 8 to 9 days .This Sprouted and grown fodder  are fed to cattle as feed.This method of growing fodder  is called as hydroponic fodder system.

How to make HYDROPONIC FODDER SYSTEM ?

                    This Hydroponic fodder system can be set up at any place of required size with less availability of water.The following materials are required for constructing this Hydroponic fodder system.

Materials required:

1. Shelf type structure (any material wood ,plastic)

2. Trays(PLASTIC) with holes .(size as per requirement and availability)

3. Maize or barley or jowar ,pulses seeds.(as per your availability & cost)

4. Green shade net (minimum 50%)

5. Water sprayer or small fogger system

6.220V submersible pump.

                     According to your fodder requirement the system size can be selected.The location of the system is to be near to the livestock.The rack can be build of any size and material.While constructing shelves see that rack shouldn't be too high ,as it makes difficult for spraying water.The trays used in this should have 8 to 10 holes for draining water.Metal trays are not be used because due to the continuous water flow they may rust easily.Trays arrangement is to be done in a manner ,so that water should flow from one tray to other tray and finally reached to main tank.In this system water can be sprayed using sprayer or install fogger system and set timer as they sprinkle water for every one hour.By taking above conditions into consideration structure of the hydroponic system is to be constructed.The structure is then kept under 50% shade net.The below are some of reference pics of structure & water setup models

         

                                                fig a & b Hydroponic fodder system structure

                                                    fig C&D water setup models

How to produce HYDROPONIC FODDER ?

Production:

                   

                     For production of Hydroponic fodder maize,barley,wheat,horse gram,pulses etc. seeds can be used .Good quality & chemical free seeds are to be used.The following steps are to be followed for production of hydroponic fodder.

1.Seeds are cleaned thoroughly so that no mud or chemicals are present in it.The cleaned seeds are soaked overnight in water .Then the water is drained out and packed in cloth or gunny bag for 24 or 48 hours(depends on seed used) .

2.After 24  or 48 hrs these seeds started sprouting which is indication to shift them to the trays which are placed under the green shaded net structure.

3.The seeds in the trays are to be frequently sprayed water using sprayer or automatic fogger system.see that seeds are not to be dried.

4. The sprouted seeds are ready within 7 to 9 days for feeding to livestock.See that the fodder should be grown more than 9 days.

5.One kg of seeds will produce nearly 6 to 7 Kgs of fodder.

Sprouted wheat seeds

stages of hydroponic fodder

Fully grown maize fodder

How  to feed Hydroponic fodder ?

                           The grown fodder is removed from trays and given directly to the livestock.

Which type of live stock can fed with this hydroponic fodder ?

                            Cows,goats,Hens,Sheep,Pigs etc can be fed with this hydroponic fodder.

1.20 Kgs of hydroponic fodder can be given to cows in a day.(with dry fodder)

2.Hens put up weight very fast by giving this feed.

3.Mostly this feed is suitable for Pigs.

Some Suggestions in feeding hydroponic fodder to cattle:

1.Hydroponic fodder shouldn't be fully replaced .

2.Its better to grow both grains and pulses fodder so that necessary proteins are available for cattle.

3.This fodder should be given to livestock along with other dry or green fodders.(50-50).

4.Maize seeds are mostly used as they grow fast and more.

Is there any limitation in feeding this hydroponic fodder ?

YES!

Limitations:

1. By feeding with only hydroponic fodder there will be  deficiency of Vitamin A.

2. Due to high moisture content there is chance of diarreah in  cattle.

3. Fibre content will not be available by only feeding this hydroponic fodder.

4.Maize plant(imature plant) have some toxic substance ,which in large quantities is not good for cattle.

What are the Advantages of using this Fodder ?

1. The cost  of green fodder production can be decreased.

2. Labour numbers can be Sliced.

3. 365 days there is availability of green  fodder.

4. Cattle feed  supplements can be decreased by adding hydroponic fodder to diet.

5.  Huge amount of water sources are not required.

6. Easy & fast  to grow in less place.(mostly helpful in farms near to cities).

7.Having more nutrient values due to consuming of every part(roots,stem,leaves) of plant by cattle.

8.Fodder storage cost can be minimized.

9.Transportation cost can be decreased.

Conclusion:

                       Hydroponic fodder system may not be fully replaceble fodder for cattle but it can fill some part of the green fodder requirement .It is simple to grow and Animals too like to eat them.

Thanks for Reading  

Also read my other blogs(healthyfarmtips.blogspot.com)

1.Mushroom cultivation

2.Green house gas emission in agriculture.

3. Intercropping or mixed cropping.

                 "  Farmer are backbone of the country & Cattle are the backbone of the farmers "                                                                                   

                                                                                                            -Kranthi

                                                                   

MUSHROOM CULTIVATION.

                     

                                                MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

  Mushrooms are called as vegetarians meat.Due to its texture it looks like meat  when cooked.Mushrooms have good amount of Proteins and nutrients.Mushrooms is grown naturally by a fungi named MYCELIUM.It naturally grows in autmn season(we grough 365 days by creating artificial temperatures).This fungi is can't seen through naked eye.Mushroom cultivation is one of the profitable business.These days women are activily starting this Mushroom cultivation .This helps them to grow financially . mushroom cultivation takes less investement & more profits.

                       In this post I   explain the method of cultivating mushroom in both Chemical & organic manner.This is not a Natural method of mushroom production because,to grow mushrooms some environmental conditions are needed.Here we create the conditions artificially so it is not a natural method.

Some of the  mushrooms that are mostly grown.They are as

  Mushroom cultivation


Method 1

1.  Required materials for cultivation of Mushroom

1.Paddy straw
2.Spawn(Mycelium is coated on grains and that seed is called as Spawn.)
3.Formaldehyde or Bavestine(only it is used in chemical method)
4.Black soil & Coco peat
4.Drums,Gas stove for sterilizing purpose.
5.Covers(Any size)
6.Hygrometer.(for measuring humidity ,temperature.
7.Two small rooms.

STEP 1

Preparing bedding & caseing material for  purpose:
   
                Paddy straw is used as bedding  material.Paddy straw is first chopped into small pieces .Now the paddy straw is to be sterilized.Sterilization can be done in two types,

Sterilizing :

a)Chemical method
b)Organic method


a)Chemical method

a(i)Formaldehyde   : Chopped paddy straw is Soaked in Formaldehyde solutuion(50ml formaldehyde per one litre of water) for 24 Hrs.

a(ii)Bavistine  : Chopped paddy straw is soaked in Bavistine solution(2gm bavistine per one litre of water)

b)Organic method

b(i)Boiling : Paddy straw is soaked in water for a night and then it is boiled at 120 degrees  F temperature for 45min.

b(ii) Steaming : Chopped Paddy straw is soaked in water  and steamed at 120degrees  F in a steamer for 1hr.

Casing material :

Blacksoil mixed with Cocopeat is used as casing material .This mixture is also steamed in a  steamer at 120 degrees F.This sterilized casing material can be used for upto 1 month.

 The sterilized paddy straw is to be  placed on paltform(platform to be cleaned with dettol water)  & dried ,so that the excess water is eliminated.See that water is fully eliminated and  straw to be moist.

Preparation of  Beds :
                             

                                   For preparing beds biodegradable covers of any size can be used.First take a  cover and fill a layer with sterilized straw and the next layer is filled with  spawn .Repeat the process  untill cover is full and then tie the cover mouth with rubber band.This spawn filled packet is called as Bed.Each bed contains around 140gms of spawn.Now , Small Holes are kept around the cover .

Milky mushroom spawn

Preparing beds for spawning

Mushroom growing beds

A.)SPAWNING:

                      Prepared beds are now taken to spawning process.For spawning ,the bed are kept in a dark room  for 20days.The beds are placed on racks.The room ventilation and lighting vents  are fully sealed.Room to be cleaned with dettol water before placing beds.The temperature inside the room  is to be maintained between  26 to 32 degrees celicius & humidity  is to be 60%.The are to be frequently sprayed with  little amount of water(seeing that beds are not dried). In this stage mycelium spreads throughout the bed and becomes ready for pinning . These mycelium formed healthy beds can be stored  upto 2 months (in dark room).Beds to be checked frequently that there is no contamination.

B.)Caseing of beds for pinning of mushrooms:

                              Now the mycelium formed beds are removed from dark room and cut to half.The caseing material is applied on the top of the halved beds.These cased beds are placed in another room where some lighting & ventilation is availble.The mycelium in the beds starts to pinned out in  just 15days of time.Here,also water is sprinkled frequently for keeping the beds moist.The room temperature to be maintained 26 to 32 degree celicius & humidity to be 70% to 80%.

C.)Harvesting :

                    

                          The pinned out mushrooms will be ready in two days for harvesting.The harvesting is to be done in on time for good shelve time & size of mushrooms.From each bed  1.5 to 2 kgs of Mushrooms can be taken in  two cuttings.The Harvested Mushrooms can be stored in normal temperature upto 3 days.The shelve time of mushrooms can be increased (1week)by storing in refridgerator.

Packing and marketing:

                         .

Organic Process : 

                                The same  above process  can be followed in organic  method also by avoiding  chemical method of sterilization.

Method II

                    In this method they are Five  steps.

1.Composting

2.Spawning

3.Casing

4.Pinning

5.Harvesting

  step 5 are same as above method.

STEP 1

                Composting is prepared by using Hay(paddy straw), cow or horse dung,Gypsum,Chicken manure.The straw is used  for proper structure of compost .The two manures are used for mushrooms to grow.Gypsum ensures the proper acidity of compost.The above materials are mixed and heated (50 degree celicius) for sterilization .The sterilized compost is kept six days before using in spawning procedure.

                                     

STEP 2.
             
                 The growing of mycelium is called as spawning.  The sterilized fresh compost is now moved to other closed place and spawn is mixed .Mycelium grows very quickly,In two weeks of time it spread all over coompost and ready for CASING..

STEP 3.

Mature compost in boxes for spawning

                           The matured compost is placed in a stainless steel boxes.In the top of the box peat is added to keep compost moist.These boxes are placed in a dark room.The temperature is maintained around 25 degrees celicius & humidity 60%.Water is sprinkled so that compost is not dried.After six days pinning of mushrooms will be started.

                 

                  After pinning in around two days mushrooms are ready to harvest.By keeping minimum teperature large amount of pinning takes place but the mushroom size is decreased.By keeping average temperature conditions gives less pinning & large mushrooms.

                After two to three cuttings the beds are to be removed and the compost can be used for agriculture purpose.

                 Method II produce tasty mushrooms compared to method I .But it is some what tough task to grow mushrooms by method II. Due to the use of manures the nutrients in mushrooms are increased.     

Precautions:

1.Good quality Paddy straw  to be used.

2.The hygenie rooms &  instrument   should be used.(fumigated after removing every batch)

3.Work man who prepares bed & enters the rooms are to be hygiene(wash hands with dettol)

4.Huge amount of water shouldn't be sprinkle on beds.

5.Water shouldnot be sprinkle on mushrooms.(it makes mushrooms dirt )

6.Frequent checking of beds to be done for any contamination.(if any contaminated bed,that bed is to be removed)

7.The racks used for placing beds should be half the height of room.(because the temperature varied in height)

7.Monitoring of temperature and humidity to be done.

8.Spawn selection:Spawn to be bought from good supplier.

     Drawback : If  any contamination takes place ina single bed and not observed ,the whole batch is contaminated .There are only prevention methods for avoiding contamination of beds,there is no cureing procedure.

Thank u ,

                 If any suggestions please write in comment box.If u want u can refer my before posts containing about Intercroping(Three sisters method of cultivation)

                                                                                                                 -Kranthi

INTERCROPPING OR MIXED CROPPING

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Intercroppingor  Mixed cropping  :

             

Intercropping  : Inter cropping or Farming is Sowing Two or More crops in a same piece of land with a systematic spacing.The main aim of intercropping is to increase the productivity in a  unit area.In Intercropping crops are grown in rows and columns with a specified distance.In this one crop helps the other crop to grow.Weeds can be minimized & the organic matter in the soil is also increased by intercropping.Applying of manure or fertilizers & harvesting the crop  is simple because the crops are grown in systematic manner.Some of the crops grown in intercropping method are ,In maize ,legumes(beans) crop & squash plants can be grown as intercropping.I will explain how it can be planted.
Growing of Maize ,legumes & squash in a single piece of land is named as "Three sisters".It is a method of farming done by Native American Tribes.


THREE SISTERS Garden;

                  In this method first maize is sown in rows or randomly.After maize is grown to a height of 5 inches ,Start sowing legumes(beans,blanck gram,bengal garm) plants .These legumes plants are sown near to the maize plant.Then after a week plant the squash seedling in middle of these crops.I will show some models of sowing the three plants in pics.Now we will see why they call it as a Three sisters.

                Here the first sister is maize crop ,it has some strong stem and it provides a structure to  the beans( second sister) for climbing.The Beans(2nd sister) helps the other two sisters by providing Nitrogen to soil i..e used by them.

Squash(third sister) plants  covers the ground like a mulch and eradicate the weeds and also helpful to hold the moisture in soil.Squash plant is also a best repellant of pests due to its  hairy structure .As every crop is helping the other crop growth  it is called as "Three Sisters"In this method maize can be replaced with "sunflower Crop".

                  Intercropping can also be done in yearly  or seasonal crops .In banana crop ,vegetables(ginger,turmeric,bhendietc) can be grown as intercrops.In coconut farms  also banana, mariegold,pepper,coco  crops can be grown as intercrops.In paddy ,blackgram & green gram can be grown as intercrop in large rows.Here blackgram helps paddy by fixing nitrogen to soil.

                     In paddy , Maize,sunflower , Red gram carrot,groundnut,green gram,bhendi crops can be grown as intercropping.This can be practiced in Rhabi season or places where availability of water is less.In this paddy is sown by practicing old method at a distance of 3x3 feet .After 45 days of transplanting paddy intercrops are sown in middle spaces.This is subhash parekar method of Natural farming paddy using only 5% of water.In this method "Ghanajeevamrutham "  is to be applied to the soil .As Ghanajeevamrutham increase the organic matter in soil which hold the moisture for long time.It is already practiced by a natural farmer named Vijayram & suceeded.The main aim of this method is to take different crops using less amount of water .

                   In his experience he explained that this method of  paddy intercropping is not used for farmers who thinks about huge profits.He also said that it is useful for only small farmer families who lives in village and does farming.

                    Intercropping helps in pest control .
                    Intercropping  increase the productivity in a unit area .
                    Intercropping increase the health of soil by increasing organic matter.
                    Intercropping eradicates Soil erosion.
                    Some of daily food needs of farmers can be met by Intercropping.
                    Cost of the cultivation can be decreased.


Thank u for viewing .In next blogs i write about integrated farming  & making of  an egg incubator.If any suggestions plaease write in comment section.
                 
        "  Once a farmer is always a FARMER"

                 
                 

                                     

Healthy farms

   
       

Healthy Farms Intro.

                               The present Agriculture system is aroused  by  going through many revolutions ,according to the conditions(population,land density) of  the nations.During these evolutions Farmers made many flaws in cultivation like using Huge amount of Fertilizers,pesticides,Herbicides &  Hybrid variety of seeds to increase the productivity .Due to which the cultivated farms got ill by losing its fertility.
 Its time to go back again and increase the ferttility of soils & make Farms healthy.Always Healthy farms means healthy people & healthy people means healthy nation.Soil is the medium for many living organisims(earthworms,microbes etc.) which helps in growth of plants.
                         

                                     Healthy farms can be acheived by making some changes in present cultivating practices.By Organic & Natural farming ,the healthiness of the farms can be restored.It is already  proved by a japanese farmer & philospher Mr.Masanobu Fukuoka & a Indian Agricultrist  Mr.subhash palekar , through   Natural  & ZBNF(Zero budget natural farming) method of farming.

                                     

                                   

        Some say that by Natural farming the productivity will be decreased which leads to  food crisis .But I say in the place of productivity we  can increase the production, by utilizing the every bit of the land through intercropping .Because every crop is dependent of other crop.For Example as pulses has Nitrogen fixing  capability can be grown in Maize fields as intercropping.It is already proven by a method of farming which will be discussed in my next page.Also Terrace gardening can be implemented in cities, which will meet the daily needs of dining.

                                               

Intercropping (paddy + red gram)

                               The Main draw back of Natural farming is Marketing &   also it is not adaptable to small farmers .But in the present times  most of the people are getting aware of the  health benfits  of natural foods. May be there is chance of expansion of this market in next 5 years.

Always I belive  that  " Everything will be started small" & Everything takes its Own time".

                                 Healthy farms blog is started to explain some farming practices through which healthy food can be provided .Some natural methods of farming and some agriculture related information is provided in this.

                                 

                            Lets strive for Healthy farms and indirectly make the Nation healthy.

  

              As this is my first blog post ,so I didn't write much .In future pst i share about natural & organic farming,intercropping,integrated farming,mixed farming ,aquaponics,High density plantation. if any suggestions from ur side please free to drop in comment section.

                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                   -   Kranthi