Sidd
Staff
Junior
45 posts
"Sustainable dairy business."
Posted on 31. May 2023
Registered dairy cattle have a higher market value than unregistered ones. This is because their pedigree can be verified by the available records, which gives their buyers more confidence during acquisition.
Some of the benefits of registering dairy cattle include:
- Higher market value for the registered livestock
- Ease of tracing ancestry of animals
- A farmer can breed their stock up to pedigree level without spending a fortune
- Farmers with registered bulls can be contracted to contribute to the National Breeding Program (i.e. Kenya Agricultural Genetic Resource Centre - KAGRC).
- Farmers can also participate in contests and shows (e.g. Agricultural Societies of Kenya - ASK show), which gives them a larger platform to market their stock at a premium
- Registration records are important for the conservation of the national biodiversity assets.
- Farmers are better informed when making decisions on breeding, feeding, culling, and claiming insurance.
The registration entails a number of documentations to keep track of various critical dimensions of the animal of interest. For instance, the registered animal has records to show their milk production data (including quantity and quality of the milk), certification of lactation, and certification of lifetime productivity.
With these certifications, the farmer can avail the records to the local livestock breeding centre to be incorporated into the National Breeding Program.
They also get to enjoy professional extension service delivery to ensure proper livestock management at the farm.
Procedure for getting your cow registered in the Kenya Stud Book
- Make sure your animals are properly marked for easy identification. Read the following rules and guidelines to have a better grasp of what is expected of you during the process.
- Fill the Kenya Stud Book application form to request for an official name for your herd. This form supplies the registrar with details such as the name of the farm, its location, size of the herd and specific animals kept.
- A KLBA official will be dispatched to the farm to verify the information. The official will classify the animals as belonging to either Foundation, Intermediate, Appendix or Pedigree class. Foundation is the lowest class while Pedigree is the highest class.
- Duly filled forms are forwarded to the registrar. A prefix will be given for the herd and then each animal is registered individually.
- KLBA will then issue registration certificate for the herd. The registration fee for each animal depends on class, breed and sex of the animal. Check the KLBA website for current rates.
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