Help, my cows are not producing enough milk
Smart Harvest
By
Dr Othieno Joseph
| Aug 02, 2025
Thank you for always keeping us informed on various issues relating to livestock health and production.
I am a retired teacher currently engaged in livestock farming. Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to get my cows to produce more milk. I am not sure what the problem is. Kindly advise.
Dunstan Amakove,
Kakamega County
Thank you, Dunstan, for reading Smart Harvest and, most importantly, for writing back to us with your good question.
Milk production in dairy animals is a complex process and one controlled by many factors. You have not told us how much you currently produce, or the breed you keep.
Breed is the first determinant of milk production; there are breeds like Friesian, which are known for the production of relatively more milk; even so, it does not happen automatically and must be complemented with good animal husbandry. Apart from the breed, many other factors can cause reduced or no milk production.
Poor nutrition in a lactating cow will certainly result in reduced milk production. Nutrition is a key factor in cow milk supply problems.
If a cow’s diet lacks the necessary nutrients, it will impact both the quality and quantity of milk. Dairy animals require high-energy feeds like grains and also adequate proteins, minerals and vitamins for milk synthesis.
Always make sure you have water close by, as this also increases feed intake.
The milk production and subsequent let-down process are hormone-dependent. Oxytocin, which is the milk let-down hormone, may not be produced in sufficient quantities if the cow is stressed, ill and poorly fed.
It is the act of physical stimulation of the teats by the milker or the calf suckling that triggers the production of oxytocin, which acts on the udder, hence milk production.
Slow milking time and incomplete milking are indicators of interrupted milk letdown. Frightened, fearful or stressed cows produce the adrenaline hormone, which counteracts the activity of oxytocin and inhibits letdown.
Udder sickness and injuries are other determinants of milk production.
Mastitis, which is the inflammation of the udder, is a major udder disease that affects milk production.
This painful condition not only reduces milk quantity but also negatively affects milk quality. Clinical signs of mastitis include swollen, hot or discoloured udder and clots in milk.
Mastitis affects the milk-producing tissue, impacting the amount of milk produced. Injuries on the udder will cause a dairy animal to resent being milked, and this alone can inhibit the production of milk.
While mastitis will directly affect milk production, the general health of the animal will also determine the production of milk.
Most diseases result in reduced milk production as a clinical sign. All diseases, especially metabolic diseases, will result in reduced milk production.
A cow’s age and milk yield are closely connected. Older cows may naturally produce less milk. As animals age, they tend to eat less as their teeth wear out, and this will directly have a negative effect on milk production. On average, the productive lifespan of a dairy animal is around four years.
Other factors that may affect milk production include the housing, the environment within which the animal lives and is milked, as well as the breed of the animal.
[Dr Othieno is a veterinary surgeon and the head of communications at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Kenya. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of FAO but his own.