We started keeping buffalo in 1991 with 12 six month old heifers purchased from Mrs. E. di Stefano in Latina. Since then we have imported heifers from Romania and Salerno. Our herd has now grown to over 140 animals of which 65 are currently being milked. these 65 include a number of heifers born in the UK.
Milking is carried out twice daily in a herringbone milking parlor with 8 standings and 8 milking points which are linked to milk meters. The herd is independently milk recorded by National Milk records (associated to ICAR). Our herd average is 2800 kg in 305 days. This is with 75% of the herd comprising heifers. The best cows are yielding over 4500 kg. in 305 days.
The average composition of our milk is 8.59% fat, 4.55% protein and 5.10% lactose.
At present we are producing 3000 liters of milk per week which is used for :
Hard cheese manufacture (12 weeks matured) ~40%, Mozzarella ~40%, Live Thick Set Yogurt 1 20%.
Buffalo meat will be eaten in UK but as yet we have had no meat available. It is proposed to sell meat from young bulls (450 kg) at a premium over cow meat on account of the lower cholesterol levels and "guaranteed" freedom from BSE.
Our health status is high. No animals have ever been vaccinated against Foot & Mouth Disease, and we are free from Brucellosis, Tuberculosis and Leucosis.
All calves (bull and heifer) are reared on the farm. They are kept in small communal groups of 5 to the pen on straw bedding. For the first 2 weeks they are fed 3 times per day, then between weeks 3 and 8 twice per day and in weeks 9 thru 12 just once per day. They are then weaned and put into larger groups. All calves are fed on fresh cows milk, hay and a concentrated blend similar to that fed to the lactating cows.
The largest cause of calf mortality was due to difficulties in getting calves to feed artificially. This problem has now been resolved and mortality rates are currently less than 1%, The calves from Italian buffalo are generally more difficult to start feeding artifically than those out of Romanian buffalo.
Heifer calves born in the UK are calving down at 24-30 months of age.
All buffaloes being milked are fed between 1kg. and 5 kg. per day of blended feed in the milking parlor. The quantity depends on yield and stage of lactation. This feed is comprised of pelleted dried sugar beet, wheat distillers dark grains, maize gluten feed, wheat feed, sunflower, barley and molasses (the crude protein is 18%, fiber 10.5% and metabolizable energy 12.5%) In addition to this , buffaloes are fed during the winter an ad-lib uni-feed ration consisting of wheat or barley straw 55%, hay or haylage 25%, vitagold 20%. Vitagold is a moist distillers wheat grain waste (DM 35%, CP 345, Fiber 11%, ME 14.5%.)
During the winter (mid-October to mid April) the buffalo are all kept in large straw bedded covered yards. during the summer the buffalo are kept outside and graze grass and clover swards. They are also allowed access to a mixture of straw and vitagold.
We AI most cows but do have 3 young bulls on the farm, these are used mainly with heifers. Our first time conception rates with AI are around 80% in the winter but much lower in the summer. AI is only practiced on synchronized buffalo cows or heifers due to the difficulties in observing heat. Frozen semen is always used.
In addition to AI we have been flushing embryos from our best cows. The number of embryos flushed from each cow is averaging 2.5 per flush and the quality of the embryos which are generally very good appear to freeze well. We are currently experimenting with several ideas to improve the flushing rate and the percentage of buffalo holding to ET. We currently have 3 buffaloes in calf by ET and intend to carry out further transplants during this winter.
By UK standards, our farm is considered small (50 ha-70% grass, 30% winter cereals) and is run by my wife, myself and one full time worker. It was the first buffalo farm in the UK.
Before the end of the next summer we will be milking 120 buffalo at this farm, and we are already making provisional plans to expand production to 500 animals at another farm.
There are now 10 other people keeping buffalo although only 2 of those are milking buffaloes. There will be several more dairy buffalo farms starting up in the UK next year.
My estimate is that the UK market for buffalo milk is 300,000 ton pa. This is for processing into hard cheeses, a small amount of mozzarella but mainly products for the Asian community. I would therefore expect there to be scope for a national herd of about 100, 000 lactating buffaloes.
R.J. Palmer, Upper Nineveh Farm, Idlicote, Shipston on Stour, CV36 SEH, England.