A buffalo gives more milk when she gets her upkeep feed plus extra feed for every litre, plenty of water, and a way to stay cool. Buffaloes feel heat more than cows, so in summer cooling matters as much as feed. Heat signs and calving on time matter too.
1. Feed for her milk
A buffalo needs more feed per litre than a cow, because buffalo milk is richer in fat and solids. Her daily feed has two parts:
- Upkeep: with plenty of green fodder, about 28–30 kg of green fodder a day. With only dry fodder, 9–10 kg of dry fodder. With some of both, about 14–15 kg green plus 4–5 kg dry. With no fodder at all, 8–9 kg of complete feed.
- Milk: about 1.25 kg of Truemeal TMR-E complete feed for every litre she gives, on top of her upkeep.
Example: a buffalo giving 6 litres, with some green and some dry fodder, needs about 14–15 kg green and 4–5 kg dry fodder for upkeep, plus about 7.5 kg of TMR-E for her milk (6 × 1.25).
These amounts are for TMR-E. Another feed has its own amounts, so follow what its bag says. Whatever you feed, it needs energy, protein, fibre and minerals in balance. A feed mixed at home changes from day to day; a complete feed is the same in every bite.
Make my free Feed Plan — enter your buffaloes and your fodder, and it works out kg a day, bags a month and the cost.
2. Water and cooling
Buffaloes have dark skin and few sweat glands, so they get hot quickly. A hot buffalo eats less and gives less milk. In summer:
- Let her wallow in clean water, or splash or shower her two or three times in the hot hours.
- Give a roof or tree shade with moving air.
- Keep clean, cool water in front of her all day.
- Feed more in the cooler morning and evening.
3. Change feed slowly
Change any feed over a week, a little more of the new feed each day. A sudden change can upset the stomach and drop milk. Read: Switch to TMR feed over a week.
4. Calm, regular milking
Milk at the same times each day, by the same person if you can. Many buffaloes let down milk better with their calf close by. Milk out fully: the last milk is the richest in fat.
5. Watch for heat, and get her pregnant on time
Buffaloes often show heat quietly, sometimes only at night or early morning. If you miss it, months pass without milk and without a calf. Watch her closely, keep a note of dates, and ask your vet or AI worker if she has not come into heat after calving.
6. Feeding in pregnancy
Give extra feed a day: +1 kg in months 1–3, +2 kg in months 4–7 and +3 kg in months 8–10. This is the same whether she is giving milk or dry. Read: Feeding a pregnant cow or buffalo.
7. Health
- Udder hard, hot or swollen, or clots in the milk: call your vet early.
- Deworm calves and adults as your vet advises.
- Vaccinations such as FMD and HS (haemorrhagic septicaemia), on time, as your vet advises.
- Not eating, fever, or a sudden fall in milk: call your vet.
Does Milk Booster help?
Milk Booster is a sachet sprinkled on her feed: 1 sachet a day for a buffalo giving up to 4 litres, 2 sachets above that. It works on top of good feeding, not in place of it. See Milk Booster.
What not to do
Do not use injections or powders from unknown sellers to push milk up. Some are not allowed by law and can harm her. Every buffalo has a limit set by breed and age; a well-fed local buffalo gets close to her best, but will not give as much as a good Murrah. For buffalo fat, read How to increase fat and SNF in milk.
