Proactively prevent hunger and cold for livestock

(Baonghean) -According to forecasts, from now until the Lunar New Year, the Central and Northern regions will have to endure many long periods of severe cold. In the recent and current cold spells, despite the implementation of directive and propaganda measures, in our province, the prevention of cold for livestock and poultry in some localities and people have not been really proactive in implementing... Right from this point, it is necessary to be drastic in the work of preventing hunger and cold for livestock.

Yen Thanh is a purely agricultural district, buffaloes and cows are the main force for plowing and are valuable assets of farmers. Therefore, protecting the safety of buffaloes and cows in the cold winter is an urgent task for the Party Committee, government and people here.

Every year, when the cold winter winds come, Mr. Thai Van Hung's family in Hamlet 8, My Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh is busy fixing up, covering the barn, storing straw, and other food sources for his buffalo. For nearly a week now, the weather has changed, it's been cold and rainy, so he doesn't let the buffalo graze in the forest until evening before returning to the barn like usual, but instead actively keeps them in captivity, covers the barn, adds straw mats, and feeds them with food that the family has prepared. He said: To proactively fight the cold this winter, first, the barn must be covered and covered with tarpaulin to keep it warm. Second, it is necessary to store enough food and straw. Third, fresh food, on cold days, don't let the animals eat outside, but feed them with powdered food, such as crushed corn mixed with bran, so that the buffaloes have enough strength to avoid the cold. Mr. Pham Xuan Ky in Hamlet 1, Bao Thanh Commune, said: In addition to raising buffaloes for plowing, my family also raises 7 cows, so to proactively fight the cold, cover the barn, and always have enough food and straw, the family needs to take advantage of the edges of the garden to grow grass to supplement fresh food, check at night, remove trash, and use straw as bedding to keep the cows warm.



In the complicated weather conditions, severe cold, Yen Thanh district has proactively developed plans, promoted propaganda work, and mobilized people to strengthen measures to prevent and combat cold for cattle. Right from the beginning of December 2012, in the conference to deploy the 2013 spring crop production, the district People's Committee emphasized the content of proactively implementing measures to prevent hunger and cold for cattle such as strengthening hygienic livestock barns, meeting conditions to prevent and combat hunger, cold and epidemics; proactively using agricultural by-products as reserve feed for cattle in the winter. In addition, directing veterinary stations, related sectors and 39 communes and towns in the area to recommend and urge farmers to thoroughly implement the principles in livestock farming, adequate vaccination, bringing cattle to barns, providing instructions on covering barns and methods of fermenting food, caring for and preventing diseases for cattle in the cold days. Mr. Nguyen Khac Minh - Head of Yen Thanh District Veterinary Station, recommended: To proactively protect buffaloes and cows from the cold, the commune has recommended the following measures to the people: cover the barns tightly and warmly, when the temperature is below 15 degrees, burn firewood for buffaloes and cows to warm up, give buffaloes and cows warm water and salt to drink, do not let buffaloes and cows go to the fields to plow or go to the fields to plow when the temperature drops below 20 degrees Celsius.

As a mountainous district, Tuong Duong has a long-standing custom of raising free-range buffalo and cows. Therefore, in the cold season, there is almost no year when this locality does not have buffalo and cows dying in the forest. Mr. Hoang Sy Thin - Head of the District's Agriculture Department, said: The whole district has over 10 thousand buffaloes and over 23 thousand cows, of which most are raised free-range. Learning from experience from many years ago, since the beginning of November 2012, the district has issued an official dispatch to guide communes, direct the preparation of temporary barns, and propagate for people to absolutely not let their cattle roam free during cold days, when the temperature drops below 160C. However, due to the custom of raising free-range cattle, people are almost not proactive in storing food, so the buffalo and cows often go hungry. Therefore, every year, the damage caused by hunger and cold in the district is quite large. In the winter-spring crop of 2010-2011, the whole district had 262 dead cattle and in the winter-spring crop of 2011-2012, there were 14.



Keep warm and stock dry food for buffalo and cows on cold days.

Identifying that preventing hunger and cold for livestock is an issue that requires utmost proactiveness, since the beginning of October, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued documents directing and urging on this issue. Up to now, the sector has established a delegation, expected to go from January 10 to 25, 2013 to inspect and urge the implementation in localities, and at the same time provide necessary guidance and relief. Head of the Department of Livestock (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) - Mr. Luu Cong Hoa said: The province has directed the Steering Committee for Prevention of Animal Diseases from districts, cities, towns to wards and communes to organize and implement tasks of preventing diseases and hunger and cold for livestock and poultry in the area. At the same time, delegations have been established, sending cadres to villages and households to inspect, direct, and guide on techniques of care and feeding, and measures to prevent hunger and cold for livestock.

Currently in the plains, because cattle are valuable assets, farmers have done a good job of protecting their livestock from the cold. However, in mountainous areas, this problem still has many shortcomings. Relevant departments, branches and local authorities, especially commune-level ones, need to focus on propaganda and mobilizing people to build barns to keep cattle in during cold days, and not to let cattle roam freely in the forest. At the same time, prepare enough materials to keep cattle warm when needed, such as making coats, preparing rice husks and firewood to burn on cold, dewy nights to warm the cattle. In particular, on long rainy and cold days and days with temperatures below 120C, absolutely do not use cattle to plow, do not graze cattle in fields or yards. It is necessary to supplement concentrated feed and warm water, bring cattle back to the barn to be kept under control, and at the same time give them extra roughage, minerals and vitamins to improve their health.

In addition, local authorities need to pay attention to and promptly inform farmers about weather and climate, disseminate specific and timely techniques for care and feeding, and prevent cold so that people can easily apply them; In particular, the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level must direct the veterinary committee, the executive committee of the block and hamlet to strengthen inspection and supervision of the health status and disease developments in livestock and poultry; promptly detect and handle signs of exhaustion due to hunger, cold, and disease. Encourage and mobilize local mass organizations to participate in disease surveillance, report epidemics promptly, and not hide epidemics. Localities send cadres to villages and households to guide and take measures to prevent hunger and cold for livestock. Strengthen inspection, supervision, and detection of diseases, cattle and buffalo falling down, promptly handle diseases and cattle falling down due to prolonged cold weather, and report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development according to regulations.

Phu Huong - Anh Tuan (CTV)