Vaccination of 550 cows against the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), deworming of 550 cows, 128 calves, 342 sheep, 669 goats, 17 dogs and six fowls were carried out at a special veterinary camp organised jointly by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Thandalam Yogakshema Trust, Chennai, with the support of All India Radio, Chennai, at Thandalam village in Arakkonam taluk recently.
Ten veterinary doctors and supporting staff carried out the camp under the guidance of G. Kamalanathan, Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, Vellore.
T. Manoharan, Regional Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry, Vellore and Vijayakumar, Assistant Director of Animal Husbandry, Ranipet Division also assisted the camp.
Testing of pregnancy was done for 42 cows, sterility treatment given to 51 cows and artificial insemination given to 21 cows. Besides, vitamin mixes and salt licks were made available for the farmers who were educated on the need for using them.
A demonstration on the preparation of composite fodder and concentrate feed was conducted for the benefit of the dairy farmers.
Saraswathi, Head of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) Centre in Vellore taught women on the preparation of ‘cottage cheese’.
All cattle were provided with green fodder and water at the camp.
Another highlight of the camp was a seminar, wherein the practical aspects of best management techniques in cattle rearing were discussed with the farmers. Training was also given to farmers on the making of fodder mixture and value-added milk products such as rose milk and ‘panneer.’
A total of 570 farmers and 1,712 animals benefited by the camp. The members of the Thandalam Yogakshema Trust had made excellent arrangements for the conduct of the camp in consultation with the veterinary doctors.
They provided a vast shamiana for assembling the cattle in shade, erected separate pens for attending cattle, goats and sheep, provided a demarcated area for vaccination, artificial insemination, deworming, product and information display, and preparation of milk products.
