Short answer: Zero grazing keeps dairy cows housed and feeds them cut forage, concentrate and water, which suits a small plot near a town or a milk route. It works only if forage supply, water, cooling and milking hygiene are planned before the first cow arrives. Build the forage area first, keep the shed open and dry, and sell milk to a buyer you have confirmed, checking current rates locally.
Key takeaways
- Zero grazing is a labour and forage decision. Work out the cut-and-carry hours and the forage area before you buy a cow.
- Plan the forage supply across the dry season with Napier, Gliricidia and other crops, and introduce any legume tree slowly.
- Water and shade decide how much milk a housed cow gives in Ghana's heat. Treat the water supply as a daily requirement.
- Clean milking and fast cooling protect the price you get. A buyer who rejects milk for hygiene pays you nothing for it.
- Watch the calving, heat and udder records closely, because most dairy losses come from a small problem left for a week.
Zero grazing is a labour decision dressed as a feeding system
Zero grazing sounds like a feeding method, and in a sense it is one. The cows never leave the shed, and everything they eat is cut, carried and placed in front of them. In practice it is a decision about labour. Every kilogram of forage has to be cut by someone, carried by someone and placed in a trough, and the cows have to be milked and cleaned twice a day, every day, without a break for the rains.
That is why zero grazing works well for some people and fails for others. A family that has the land for a forage plot close to the shed, the hands for the cut-and-carry work and a buyer for the milk can make a steady income from a small herd. A family that wants the cows to walk out to the grass while the owner sits on the verandah will find the system expensive, slow and unforgiving.
This guide is written for the small and medium dairy keeper in Ghana, especially those close to towns and milk routes. It covers the choice of zone, breed, forage, housing, feeding, water, milking, breeding, health and marketing. It is written by a hatchery that sells day-old chicks and does not sell dairy cattle, feed or equipment, but the questions are the same ones our poultry customers ask when they add a second enterprise. For anything specific to your own shed and herd, the local extension officer is the person to ask first.
Where zero grazing makes sense around Ghana's towns
Zero grazing suits places where land is short or expensive, where the rains are reliable enough to grow forage and where a buyer can collect milk or the keeper can get it to a market quickly. Around the bigger towns in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central regions, and along the roads that feed milk into the cities, that combination is common. In the north it can work too, but the forage has to be planned around a shorter wet season, and the water supply becomes the first thing to solve.
Grazing and zero grazing are not the same system, and it helps to compare them before you commit. The table sets out the main differences in plain terms.
| Point | Grazing on open ground | Zero grazing in a shed |
|---|---|---|
| Land needed | Large, with grass and water across it | Smaller, with a dedicated forage plot |
| Labour | Herding and walking, but less cutting | Daily cutting, carrying and cleaning |
| Feed control | Limited, depends on what the grass offers | High, you choose the ration and the timing |
| Disease exposure | Higher, from ticks, worms and other herds | Lower if the shed is kept clean and closed to strays |
| Dung | Spread across the land | Collected in one place, which suits biogas or compost |
| Milk quality | Harder to keep clean in the open | Easier, if the milking area is kept tidy |
The honest answer is that zero grazing is only worth doing when the forage plot can carry the herd through the dry season. If the plot cannot feed the cows in March, the system falls apart, and the owner ends up buying expensive feed to make up the gap.
Breeds for a housed herd: crosses that handle Ghana's heat
The breed you choose sets the milk you can expect and the heat you must manage. Holstein and Friesian cattle give large volumes of milk on good feed, but they are sensitive to heat and to poor water supply. Jersey cows give less milk but a richer milk, and they tolerate warmer conditions better than the big black-and-white breeds. Many Ghanaian dairy keepers use crosses, most often a Zebu-based cow bred to a dairy sire, because the cross keeps some of the heat tolerance while adding milk.
The cross is not a guarantee. A cow with a high proportion of exotic blood, kept in an open shed with no shade and little water, will struggle in the harmattan heat and the humid coastal afternoons alike. Choose the cross with your vet and your AI technician, and ask to see the milk records of the dam and the sire if they exist. A heifer from a good cow with a known record is a safer buy than a fine-looking animal from an unknown source.
- Ask the seller for the age, the breeding and the milk record of the mother.
- Have the cow checked for tuberculosis, mastitis and any notifiable disease before purchase, as your vet advises.
- Check the feet, the udder and the teats, because a poor udder costs you milk for the whole life of the cow.
- Bring the cow in gradually to a new shed, with the same feed she was used to for the first week.
Keep the herd small enough to manage well at first. A three- or four-cow herd, run carefully, teaches more than a larger herd run in a hurry, and it lets you learn the feeding and milking routine before you expand.
Cut-and-carry forage: a year of supply
Forage is the largest single cost of a zero-grazing herd, and it is also the part that is easiest to get wrong. A forage plot that looks generous in the rains can run out by the second month of the dry season, and the owner who did not plan the bank is the one who ends up buying feed at short notice. The forage plan has to cover the whole year, not just the good months.
Napier grass, also called elephant grass, is the workhorse of most Ghanaian dairy plots. It grows tall and fast when the soil is good and the rains are steady. Cut it at the stage the vet or extension officer recommends, which is usually when it has regrown for a number of weeks, and chop it into short lengths before feeding so the cows do not waste it. Napier responds to manure and to a little nitrogen, so the poultry and cattle dung from your compound is useful here. Plant several plots at different times so that you always have one at the right stage for cutting.
Gliricidia is a leguminous tree that is common across the south and middle belt. Its leaves are rich in protein and it can be cut and fed fresh, and it doubles as shade and as a fence. Introduce it gradually, mix it with grass, and check with your extension officer how much a cow can eat safely in your area. Leucaena is another legume tree with good protein, but it can cause problems in cattle if too much is eaten, so limit it strictly and use it as a supplement rather than the main forage.
Sweet potato vines, the leaves of cassava where safe to use, and grasses such as brachiaria can all contribute. Each has its own cutting stage and its own limits, so ask your extension officer before you build a plan around any one of them.
| Forage | Role in the ration | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Napier grass | Main bulk, high yield in the rains | Cut at the right stage, chop short, heat or rot quickly |
| Gliricidia leaves | Protein and shade, dry season support | Introduce slowly and mix with grass |
| Leucaena leaves | High protein supplement | Limit strictly, because of the risk to cattle |
| Sweet potato vines | Protein and bulk where the crop is grown | Feed fresh, and rotate with other forage |
| Brachiaria grass | Persistent grass for steady supply | Establish on good land, and keep cutting regular |
| Hay or crop residues | Dry-season bridge | Store dry and off the ground, and check for mould |
Work out the forage area before you buy the cow. Estimate the daily kilograms of cut forage the herd needs, multiply it by the days in the year, and then compare the total with the yield your plot can give across the seasons. Leave a margin, and hold a reserve of hay or residues for the dry months. If the plot falls short, reduce the herd or buy in forage, rather than starving the cows through the hungry season.
The shed: floor, drainage and airflow
A dairy shed is a place where cows lie down for many hours a day, and the state of its floor and bedding decides the health of their udders and feet. A wet, dirty floor is the surest way to bring mastitis and foot trouble into a herd. The shed should be built on raised ground, with a floor that drains and a clear route for the dung and the washing water to leave the building.
Cows need a firm surface that they can stand on without slipping, and a bed that gives them comfort when they lie down. A concrete floor with a rough finish, or a raised floor with a bed of dry straw, sawdust or other clean bedding, both work. Slope the floor gently towards the drain, and keep the lying area clean enough that the cows do not lie in their own dung. Clean the lying area daily and top up the bedding before the cows settle at night.
Airflow is the other half. A shed that is open along the upper walls lets warm air rise and leave, and it keeps ammonia from the dung from building up at the height of the cows' noses. Use roofing that is high enough to keep the interior cool, and add shade over the feeding area. A wide-open front facing the prevailing wind helps in the coastal humidity, while a windbreak on the windward side helps in the north during the harmattan.
Keep the shed closed to dogs, goats and strays, because they carry disease and they will steal feed from the trough. A simple fence with a secure gate is worth the money, and a gate that a child can open is a gate the cows can open too.
Feeding the milking cow in steps
A milking cow needs a steady diet of forage, concentrate, minerals and water, and the proportions change with her stage of lactation. A cow in early lactation with a high milk yield has the largest energy demand of the year, and she will lose weight if her feed does not keep up. A cow near the end of her lactation needs less concentrate, and a dry cow needs enough to keep her in condition without fattening her.
The rule that matters most is that changes happen slowly. A sudden shift to a rich concentrate, a new forage or a much larger feed can upset the rumen, reduce appetite and lower milk yield for days. Change one thing at a time, over a week or more, and watch the dung, the appetite and the milk.
The concentrate is best given in measured amounts at milking, so each cow receives her share and you can see what she eats. Many dairy keepers in Ghana use wheat bran, maize bran, brewers' grains or a commercial dairy meal, with a protein source such as groundnut or soya cake. Check the quality of every bag, because mouldy concentrate reduces milk yield and can cause harm.
| Component | Role for the milking cow | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Cut forage (Napier, Gliricidia) | Bulk and most of the energy | Fed fresh, at the same times each day |
| Concentrate | Extra energy and protein for milk yield | Measured per cow and raised slowly |
| Protein supplement | Supports milk protein and growth | Groundnut or soya cake, checked for mould |
| Mineral mix or dairy lick | Calcium, phosphorus and trace minerals | Choose one made for dairy cattle and follow the label |
| Clean water | Essential for milk and digestion | Always available, scrubbed trough |
Keep the feeding times fixed. Cows that eat at the same hour every day settle into a routine, and they produce milk more steadily. Record the forage and concentrate given to each cow, and weigh the milk at every milking, so you can see how the feed and the yield move together.
Water: the number you cannot skip
Water is the most important nutrient in a dairy herd, and it is the one most often under-planned. A lactating cow can drink several times the volume of milk she gives, and that figure climbs quickly in the heat of the north or on a hot coastal afternoon. A herd that cannot reach water will give less milk, lose condition and fall ill more easily.
Build the water supply before the first cow arrives. A borehole, a well or a tank filled from a dependable source should be within a short walk of the shed, and the drinker should be sized for the herd at its peak. Keep the water clean. A trough that is full of dung, algae and dust is a source of disease, and cows refuse to drink from it. Scrub the trough at least weekly and check the level twice a day.
In the dry season, water sources fall and the herd drinks more. Plan the storage for those months, and ask the Community Water and Sanitation Agency or your district assembly to test any source that is shared or unknown. Water that is cloudy, smelly or gritty should not go to the cows, and it should not go into the milking area either.
Water also cools the cows. On hot days, a sprinkler or a wet sack placed over the back of a cow, combined with shade, brings her temperature down faster than rest alone. The cows that are kept cool give more milk and come into heat more regularly, which is why the water supply belongs at the top of the plan.
Milking, hygiene and the cooling step
The price you get for milk depends on the milk you deliver. A buyer who receives milk with a high bacterial count, off-flavours or traces of dirt will reject it or pay less. The routine that protects the milk starts at the udder and ends at the cooler, and it has to be followed at every milking.
Use the same routine each time, with the same person where possible. A cow that is handled calmly lets down her milk more easily, and a cow that is frightened holds it back. Wash the udder and teats with clean water before milking, dry them with a clean cloth or paper, and discard the first few squirts from each teat, because they carry the most bacteria. Milk the cow quickly and steadily, and keep the milking equipment clean.
- Bring the cow into the milking area calmly, and give her a short settling period.
- Wash the udder and teats with clean water, and dry them with a clean cloth or disposable paper.
- Strip the first few squirts from each teat into a separate cup, and watch for clots or colour changes.
- Milk the cow fully and steadily, without stopping and starting, and without wetting the udder with dirty hands.
- Strain the milk into a clean, covered container and move it out of the sun quickly.
- Cool the milk as soon as you can, using the method your buyer or extension officer advises.
- Wash and dry the buckets, cloths and equipment before the next milking.
Cooling is the step most small keepers underestimate. Milk left warm in a tin or a bucket will spoil within hours, especially in the Ghanaian heat. Cool it quickly, keep it cool until it is collected, and deliver it on time. A buyer who collects in the morning expects the milk to be cold when it arrives, and a cooler that fails on the day can cost you a full delivery.
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Breeding, calving and the first sixty days
A dairy cow must calve before she gives milk, and she must calve about once a year to keep producing. Breeding is what makes the herd work, and it is the job that most often goes wrong when the owner is not watching. The cow's cycle lasts about three weeks, and she shows standing heat for a short window within it. Miss the window and you lose a month, sometimes more.
Watch for heat signs twice a day. A cow in heat may mount others, stand still when mounted, bellow, lose appetite for a while or show a clear mucus discharge. Write each sign in the record with the date and the time. Artificial insemination is the most common route in Ghana, and it is worth arranging through the district office or a licensed technician. Ask about the sire's breeding value, because the quality of the bull shows up in the daughters' milk.
Calving is the most dangerous day in the cow's year. Watch the cow in the last week, and have the vet or an experienced helper on call. A cow that strains for more than an hour without progress needs help, and a calf that is stuck needs help faster. Once the calf is born, make sure it breathes, let the cow lick it dry, and make sure the calf gets colostrum in the first hours of life.
Milk fever is a common problem after calving in high-yielding cows. The cow goes weak, stops eating and may collapse. It is caused by a sudden drop in blood calcium, and it needs veterinary treatment straight away. Ask your vet to show you the signs, and to advise on the feeding in the weeks before calving, because the right approach depends on the cow and the diet.
Most cows are dried off about two months before the next calving. The dry period gives the udder time to rest and the cow time to build her body back up. A dry cow fed too well becomes fat, and a dry cow fed too little enters the next lactation weak. Adjust her feed to keep her condition in the middle of the scale.
Mastitis, heat stress and the health calendar
Mastitis is the infection of the udder that costs dairy keepers the most milk. It can be clinical, with a hot, swollen quarter and visible changes in the milk, or subclinical, where the milk looks normal but the cell count is high and the yield drops. Both matter, and the subclinical form can run through a herd for months without anyone noticing.
Check the udder at every milking, looking for heat, swelling, pain and any change in the milk. A simple field test such as the California Mastitis Test, which your vet can teach you, helps spot the subclinical cases. Treat clinical mastitis early on your vet's advice. Keep the cows' lying area clean and dry, and milk the infected quarter last, so the infection does not move to the healthy quarters.
Heat stress shows up as a cow that stands with her head low, pants, eats less and gives less milk. In a housed herd, the shed design and the water supply are the main defences. Keep the shade and the airflow working, and give the cows access to cool water and a wet sack or sprinkler in the hottest hours.
Keep a health calendar on the wall of the shed. It should list the vaccinations recommended for your area, the routine checks for worms and ticks, the hoof trimming dates and the reminders for the dry-off and calving periods. The vet should review the calendar once a year. An unplanned loss costs far more than the time it takes to keep the calendar up to date.
Manure, biogas and where the milk goes
A housed dairy herd produces a great deal of dung, all in one place. That is a problem if it is left to pile up, and a resource if it is managed. Collect the dung daily, keep it covered and moist, and decide early what it is for. It can be composted and spread on the forage plot, or it can feed a biogas digester that produces cooking gas and a useful slurry.
Our article on turning poultry manure to biogas explains how a digester works and what it needs, and the same principles apply to cattle dung, although the volumes and the feed mix differ. For the soil side, the timing and rate advice in our poultry manure article carries over to rotted dairy dung.
The milk itself needs a buyer before the first calf is born. Talk to nearby milk processors, dairy cooperatives and traders, and ask them what they collect, when they collect, what quality standards they set and what they pay. Check current rates with each of them, because milk prices move with the season and with the supply from other herds. Do not rely on a figure from a guide, including this one.
Keep the sales records in the same book as the feed and the milk yields. Each litre sold should be linked to the cow that produced it, the day and the buyer. That record lets you see which cows earn their keep and which ones are costing more than they return, and it gives the buyer a clear account of the supply.
Dairy beside poultry: labour, feed and manure
A zero-grazing herd and a flock of layers or broilers can share a compound well, provided the labour, the feed and the manure are planned together. The morning routine of milking and the morning routine of feeding the birds can be done in the same hour, and the dung from the cows and the litter from the poultry house can go to the same compost heap, although they should be kept apart until both have rotted.
Feed is where the two enterprises must be kept strictly apart. Poultry feed contains additives that suit birds, and some of them are not safe for cattle. Store the poultry feed in sealed bins, separate from the dairy concentrate, and check the label on each bag before it is opened. Never let a cow reach the poultry store, and never let a bird reach the dairy feed bin.
The forage plot can serve both animals. Cut-and-carry grass and leguminous leaves suit cattle, and some of the same crops, such as groundnut haulm, can be stored for the birds in the dry season. Our article on groundnut haulm as poultry forage explains the drying and storage routine, and it is worth reading before you plan a shared dry-season store.
Poultry and dairy also compete for the same labour and the same cash. Keep the records for each enterprise in separate columns, so you can see whether each one is paying its way. Our guide to poultry record keeping covers the habits that carry across to a dairy herd, and the same book can hold both if you keep the columns clear.
Checklist for the first month of zero grazing
The first month sets the habits that last for the life of the herd. Use this list each day for the first four weeks, and then weekly once the routine is steady. Any item you cannot tick is a problem to solve before the next milking.
- Shed floor clean, drained and bedded with dry material.
- Airflow open at animal height, with shade over the feeding area.
- Clean water available at all hours, and the trough scrubbed.
- Cut forage fresh for the day, chopped and placed at fixed feeding times.
- Concentrate measured per cow, with bags checked for mould.
- Mineral lick in place and a dairy mineral mix available.
- Milking routine written on the wall and followed at every session.
- Milk strained, covered and cooled quickly, with the cooler working.
- Buyer confirmed, with collection days and quality standards agreed in writing.
- Heat signs, calving dates, milk yields and udder checks recorded daily.
- Vet's number and the district veterinary officer's number posted at the shed.
- Poultry feed stored separately, with bins sealed and labelled.
If you are building the holding around birds first and want a dairy herd later, our guide to whether poultry farming pays is a sensible place to start the planning. When you are ready for chicks, our chick range is the place to look, the current starting prices are posted, and the order form is open. For a longer conversation about supply, the partner page is the place to begin.
Questions farmers ask
Can I keep dairy cows in a shed all year in Ghana?
Yes, with a plan. Zero grazing keeps the cows housed all year, which means the forage must be cut and carried every day through the wet and dry seasons. The forage plot, the shade, the water and the milking routine have to be in place before the herd is housed.
How much land do I need for a zero-grazing herd?
The land needed depends on the forage yield of the plot, the number of cows and the length of the dry season. Work out the daily kilograms of cut forage, multiply by the days in the year, and compare the total with the yield you can get from the plot across the seasons. Your extension officer can help with the sum.
Is Napier grass the only forage I can grow?
No, but it is the most common for dairy in Ghana. Gliricidia, sweet potato vines and brachiaria are also used. Each has its own cutting stage, its own limits and its own risks, so introduce each one gradually and check the advice from your extension officer for your zone.
Why does my cow's milk yield drop suddenly?
The most common causes are a change in feed, heat stress, mastitis, water shortage and stress from handling. Check the udder, the water, the shade and the feed records first. If the yield does not recover within a few days, call your vet.
How do I know when a cow is in heat?
Watch for mounting, standing still when mounted, bellowing, restlessness, a drop in appetite and a clear discharge. Check twice a day and write the signs down. Artificial insemination works best when it is timed to the heat, so ask your technician how to time it.
What should I do if a cow is struggling to calve?
Call your vet or an experienced helper at once if the cow strains for more than an hour without progress, or if the calf is stuck. Do not pull the calf without help, because it can injure the cow. Once the calf is born, make sure it breathes and receives colostrum promptly.
Who buys milk from small dairy keepers?
Buyers include local milk processors, dairy cooperatives and traders who collect from nearby herds. Ask each one what they require, when they collect, what quality standards they set and what they pay. Check current rates locally, because they change with the season and the supply.
Does Halaal Farms sell dairy cows or feed?
Dairy cows, forage and concentrate sit outside what we sell. Our stock is poultry, chiefly day-old chicks, so for a mixed holding the chick side is where we can help, and the prices are posted on our prices page.
