Mediterranean

المتوسطي

Draft: needs vet review

Type: Buffalo
Region: Italy
Main use: Milk
Known for: Mozzarella milk

This information is general. For doses and treatment, always ask your vet.

About

Mozzarella milk

Real photos are coming, each with the photographer's name and license.

Benefits & uses

Milk

Food

Berseem, straw and silage plus concentrate. Give water or deep shade to stay cool.

Common vaccines

FMD, haemorrhagic septicaemia, lumpy skin disease, brucellosis.

Draft: needs vet review

Water and general notes: Buffalo are more affected by heat than cattle because their skin is dark and their sweat glands are few: they need shade, water spraying, or dipping in the summer. Water: 60-120 liters per day.

Feeding by stage and goal

Stage	Weight / goal (kg)	Intake (% of weight)	Ration protein (%)	Energy TDN (%)	Daily ration example
Suckling calf (0-3 months)	30-80		18-20	75	Colostrum in the first 6 hours, milk 10% of its body weight, and starter and water from the first week
Post-weaning (3-6 months)	80-150	2.5-3	16	70	2-3 kg concentrate + hay or berseem
Veal fattening	150-400	2.2-2.5	12-14	70	For a 250 kg calf: 3-4 kg concentrate + straw or silage. Gain 0.7-1 kg daily
Heifer rearing (6 months - 2 years)	150-350	2.5	12-14	60-65	Berseem or hay + 2-3 kg concentrate. First insemination at around 350 kg
Dry buffalo (last 2-3 months)	500-650	1.8-2	12	60	Roughage + 2-3 kg concentrate, gradually increase in the last 3 weeks
Lactating buffalo	500-650	2.5-3	14-16	65-70	For a 10-liter buffalo: 6-7 kg concentrate + 30-40 kg berseem or silage and straw. Buffalo milk is higher in fat, the rule is: 1 kg concentrate for every 1.5-2 liters
Breeding bull	700-800	2	10-12	60	Roughage + 3 kg concentrate

Concentrate mixtures (parts per 100 kg)

Mixture	Yellow corn	Bran	Soybean meal 44%	Cottonseed meal	Molasses	Limestone	Salt	Minerals	Approx. protein
Lactating Buffalo	45	25	15	8	3	2	1	1	16

For starter and fattening use the cattle mixtures themselves.

Vaccine and care calendar, from birth to sale

Age / timing	Action
Day of birth	Colostrum within 6 hours, navel disinfection, tagging
10-21 days	Drenching against Ascaris (calf worms) according to the vet. This is one of the most important causes of calf mortality
3-4 months	FMD (and a booster after a month), Lumpy Skin Disease
3-6 months	Hemorrhagic Septicemia (and a booster according to the vaccine), and Brucella for females within the government program
Every 6 months	FMD, and Hemorrhagic Septicemia before the rainy and humid season
Every year	Lumpy Skin Disease
Every 3-6 months	Drenching for worms and control of ticks and lice
Before sale, slaughter, or selling milk	Make sure the withdrawal period for the last drug has passed

Common diseases

Disease	Signs	What to do	Prevention
Hemorrhagic Septicemia	High fever, swelling of the neck and brisket, panting, death within hours. More dangerous for buffalo than cattle	Vet immediately	Vaccination
Calf worms (Ascaris)	Diarrhea, butter-like smell, bloating, weakness	Vet	Early drenching in the first 3 weeks
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)	Fever, drooling, sores in the mouth and on hooves	Isolate, vet, report	Vaccination every 6 months
Lumpy Skin Disease	Fever and lumps under the skin	Isolate and vet	Vaccination, insect control
Heat Stress	Panting, tongue out, reduced feed and milk intake	Cool immediately, and a vet if no improvement	Shade, water spraying, feeding in cooler times
Mastitis	Hot and swollen udder, changed milk	Vet, and milk is not sold during the withdrawal period	Hygiene of milking and bedding
Blood parasites	Fever, anemia	Vet immediately	Tick control