There’s nothing like seeing the birth of a new calf! With four new arrivals and six pregnant cows, we’re grateful to see that our breeding herd of 25 female and 3 male Boran/Sahiwal cattle is prolific.
Our other cattle operation is a dairy farm, which is already self-sustaining. For that herd, we continue to keep the new dairy females while selling off all the males.
For the breeding herd, we plan to keep the female Boran/Sahiwal calves and maybe a couple of males. When the males are weaned, Maasai herders will purchase them. They will make good breeding bulls, bringing some of the Boran/Sawihal strengths into the Maasai cattle herds. We anticipate 20 new calves by next year.
When necessary, we purchase food to supplement the breeding herd diet. This depends on the grass out in the open grazing lands. We want to share good food management experiences with our fellow herders, as we all face fluctuations in natural wild food availability and quality.
This breeding herd is becoming self-sustaining and profitable very quickly because calves have a high worth and labor and veterinary costs are low. What it brings into the Maasai financial framework is very valuable.
