Dr Channegowda, a field veterinarian specialized in poultry nutrition, spent over 27 years in the Department of Animal Husbandry before taking up poultry farming and consulting to cattle and poultry feed manufacturers. He is currently working as Vice President–Technical at Zeus Biotech and as Regional Expert (Dairy Platform, India) for the USSEC. In this wide-ranging conversation with Think Grain Think Feed, he talks about genetics, feed, milk quality, DDGS and Govt policy and why animal welfare and “Right tech, Right Feed” matter as much as productivity.
Could you please share your journey as a field veterinarian and nutritionist. What are the changes you have witnessed in your professional career?
I began my career in 1992 as a field veterinarian with the Department of Animal Husbandry, Govt of Karnataka, heading a veterinary dispensary and treating dairy cattle, companion animals and poultry.
Before that, in 1991, I worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Agricultural Sciences under an ICAR fellowship, assisting state and centrally sponsored poultry research projects.
Later served as a Research Associate at the University of Kentucky, USA, under an exchange visitors program, worked on mycotoxins and phytase. This experience shaped my understanding of feed quality, safety, and analysis.
Later continued my field duties as Veterinary extension officer at block and district levels focusing more on feeding, management and nutrition of poultry and dairy animals. Training thousands of farmers, rural women, youth, para-veterinarians, and AI technicians.
At the state level, served as a resource person for implementing centrally sponsored schemes: INAPH (NDLM-Bharat Pashudhan) in collaboration with NDDB.
Control and containment of Avian Influenza (outbreak investigation with FAO).
Registration/licensing of animal-feed manufacturers in Karnataka, bringing them under BIS-based standards aligned with FSSAI requirements.
Currently, into broiler production: 20,000 birds in EC house. Consulting a few small/ medium cattle/poultry feed manufacturers. Also, a Regional Expert (Dairy Platform) for the USSEC, external member of Research Council, KVAFSU, Joint Secretary to Institute of Veterinarians in Poultry Industry (IVPI) and Vice President–Technical at Zeus Biotech, overseeing their research trials, providing technical support, quality control, and feed formulation to their customers.
My experience spans field veterinary and extension services, research, nutrition, and management services.
You’ve been closely involved in managing avian influenza outbreaks. When bird flu hits, there is often panic among both industry and consumers. How did you approach awareness and risk communication?
After the first major outbreak in Navapur, Maharashtra (2006), the GOI published the action plan for control and containment of avian influenza as per OIE guidelines.
We ran extensive awareness campaigns in print and visual/electronic media, emphasising two key points:
- Till date, no human bird flu cases have been recorded in India.
- There is no human-to-human transmission recorded across the world.
We also sensitized veterinarians, para-vets, poultry farmers, district administration and general public on early reporting of any unnatural mortality. ‘Cook and eat’—proper cooking destroys almost all viruses and bacteria. At the field level, we followed strict surveillance within a 10 km radius with quarantine and movement restrictions.
You mentioned that flock sizes and productivity in poultry have increased dramatically. What’s your take on this intensification, especially with respect to animal welfare and antibiotic use?
When I began my career, broiler flock size was around 500 to 2,000 birds which now increased to 10,000 to 20,000. Contract system of rearing (integration) introduced around 1995. Earlier, we produced 1.8 to 2 kg in 60 days. Today we produce 2+ kg in about 35 days whereas the FCR improved from 2.2 to 1.4–1.5. Layers, once kept for 70 weeks now keeping upto100 weeks producing >300 eggs per bird per year. Thanks to improvement genetics, management, and nutrition.
In my opinion putting more animals in less space (stocking density) may be good for economics, but it is not good for animal, its welfare or the environment (One Health). In layers, I would still prefer three birds per cage with a little more height and width of the cage, so that, birds can exhibit their natural behaviour. 4 bird/cage is acceptable but not 5-6 birds.
On antibiotics, it’s important to distinguish Therapeutic antibiotics and Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGPs).
Therapeutic antibiotics like penicillin, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins and quinolones are used for treating sick animals for a brief period (3 to 5 days) at clinical doses. AGPs like BMD, zinc bacitracin, avilamycin, enramycin and halquinol are used at sub-therapeutic levels to modulate gut flora and to enhance the growth.
The AGPs are not employed for therapeutic purpose. Factors that contribute to AMR are human antibiotics, effluents from pharma industry, antibiotics used in agriculture, livestock and poultry. It is inappropriate to blame poultry alone.
You’ve seen India’s dairy sector evolve from both field and policy perspective. How have milk yields changed over time, and what role has genetics played?
The average daily yield of cross-bred/exotic cattle was around 4–5 litres/head and that of Indigenous cattle was 1.5–3 litres/head. Today, our national averages are above 10 litres and 4 litres, respectively.
Again, thanks to frozen semen technology, artificial insemination (AI) and sexed sorted semen have dramatically improved the genetic potential of the animals. However, we also need to be honest about two issues:
- Excessive foreign blood: The original idea was to cap exotic blood at around 50 to 70%. Today, many animals carry 90%+ exotic genetics. It is difficult to manage under Indian smallholder situations without advanced infrastructure – housing, cooling, and high-quality forages.
- Feeding imbalance: Earlier, cattle used to be fed on plenty of home-grown forages and a little concentrate at the end of the day. Today, many systems have flipped — lots of compound feed and very little true forage. That is no good for rumination, saliva production, rumen health and milk fat/SNF.
There’s a renewed interest in indigenous cattle. In your view, what is the right balance between indigenous and exotic genetics for India?
Pure indigenous breeds produce excellent-quality milk but their average yields are not enough to meet the country requirements. On the other hand, exotic animals (90%+ Holstein) demand an environment and diet that most Indian farmers simply cannot provide. So, a balanced admixture is more suitable. 50:50 to 70:30 exotic: indigenous, moderate body weight like 400- 500 kg with 15–20 litres/day. More emphasis should be given to fertility, adaptability, and longevity than on record-breaking production
Most Indian dairy producers are smallholders with less than five animals. How can their dairying become more cost-efficient and sustainable?
Yes, even today, > 60% of Indian dairy farms have <5 cows, 25–30% have 6–15 cows, 8–10% have 16–50 cows, and only < 2% have > 50 animals. For most of these, dairying is subsistence farming and livelihood. Owning a productive animal is an asset at the same time owning a non-productive animal is a liability.
Keep only productive animals (pregnant and lactating). Dedicate land for fodder production. Adopt high yield fodder varieties like multi-cut sorghum, super/red Napier, berseem, fodder moringa. Use cooperatives or farmer groups for specialised rearing of calves, growers, and heifers. Provide enough space, light, ventilation, and clean flooring. Smallholder dairy is the backbone of rural economy — but it must be treated as an asset-based enterprise, not just a sideline activity.
As genetics improve, which life stages and management aspects are most critical from a feeding perspective for dairy cattle?
Every stage is equally important but pregnant, calves, and transition cows are more critical stages. Ensure ad-libitum amount of forage is available throughout the year, quality comes next. Offer enough quantity. How to know you have fed enough? A minimum of 5% should be the leftover. Never feed concentrate to an empty stomach. Offer forage first, then offer concentrate, or mix concentrate with forage (TMR) to avoid ruminal acidosis. Feed only 3 kg of concentrate per meal, increase number of meals as per Dry Matter Requirement (DMR). Maintain optimum Forage–concentrate ratio: Historically, farmers fed something like 80% forage, 20% concentrate on DM basis. Today, ratios in many places have slipped to 50:50 or even below, some places even 30:70 like Kerala.
The optimum Forage: Concentrate ratio is 80:20 (excellent, but rare), 60:40 (acceptable, practiced in Punjab), 50:50 (most commercial dairy farms settle with this) and 40:60 or 30:70 (is practiced in Middle-East Dairy farms)
Drinking Water: Milk contains 88% water. Dairy cows must have free access to clean, cool water throughout the day (ideally 24×7). In tie-stall systems where watering is done only 2–3 times a day, aim for at least 5–6 times. Use sufficiently large and deep troughs so cows can immerse the muzzle up to the nostrils and gulp several litres at once. Use separate bins for water and feed. Cows have more taste buds than humans and are very sensitive to smell. Provide shade to overhead water tank.
Cows should be sitting for 12–14 hours a day and ruminate at least 8 hours a day. Provide dry and soft floor preferably sand as cows do not prefer wet concrete or stone floor.
You have served on the Animal Husbandry Department and contributed to policy decisions. In your view, which has been the most impactful dairy or poultry policy in recent years?
Compartmentalisation (zoning) for avian influenza free status: A single outbreak in one corner of country, entire country was declared “bird flu-affected” and exports were hit. Now, with AI-free compartments notified under DAHD as per WOAH norms, specific integrated operations can get recognised as bird-flu free, provided they meet prescribed biosecurity, testing and surveillance norms. This is a game-changer for trade and export.
Recognition of poultry as agriculture: In several states, poultry is now formally treated as part of agriculture, easing land conversion, agricultural power tariffs, and other benefits.
NAIP: National Artificial Insemination Programme through MYTRI
ABIP: Accelerated Breed Improvement Programme: sex-sorted semen at subsidised price with 95% female calves.
NLM: National Livestock Mission: funding for fodder development, compound feed mills, feed-testing labs, processing infrastructure for egg, meat and milk including cold chain.
AHIDF: Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund: interest subvention and partial guarantee, encouraging private investment in modern infrastructure. NADCP: National Animal Disease Control Programme: Targeting free vaccination against FMD, Brucellosis, PPR and ASF. NDLM: National Digital Livestock Mission (Bharat Pashudhan): A 12-digit ear-tag-based national database covering all animal details.
Milk quality remains a concern, especially regarding SCC, Aflatoxin M1, antibiotic residues and heavy metals. What should be done at policy, processor and farmer levels?
A large survey conducted by FSSAI in 2019 tested more than 6,000 milk samples across India. Around one-third of samples failed to meet minimum standards for fat, SNF, and water. About 3 to 5% of samples exceed tolerable limits of various antibiotics, heavy metals and aflatoxin M1. In other words, over 70% of India’s milk is at par with global standards, and roughly 90% is safe for human consumption.
Policy level: Segregated collection infrastructure, separate lines for procurement of premium and ordinary milk. Incentives to milk processors to pay differential prices depending on the quality of milk.
Processor level: Stop mixing good and bad milk in the same tanker. Create at least two collection lines at the village level (e.g., green line and yellow line). Use the premium line for export and high-value added products, and the regular line for bulk domestic use. Several private players already follow this. Cooperatives must adopt this.
Farmer level: Educate farmers for clean milk production, udder hygiene, proper storage and quick chilling. Awareness about withdrawal periods after antibiotic treatment. The key message is: rural smallholder milk is not inherently “bad”. Often, excellent milk from a two-buffalo household is being mixed with poor-quality milk from elsewhere in the same can. That’s a system problem we need to solve.
Punjab’s dairy sector is considered an exemplary model for India. What can other states learn from the Punjab experience?
Dairy is growing at about 4–5% per year, and poultry at 7–8%. But if you look at organised dairy growth, north-western India especially Punjab stands out.
Their average calving interval is 15–18 months. In many other states, it’s often >24 months. Shorter calving intervals mean a steady flow of replacement stock and more days in milk. Transplanting the Punjab model “as is” to small land-holding regions with mostly landless dairy farmers is not straightforward. But the principles like DM-based feeding, better reproductive management, and housing that allows natural behaviour can and should be adapted. Public–private partnerships in genetics, forage and infrastructure development can help replicate the best elements of Punjab in other geographies.
Corn is expected to contribute around 46% of ethanol production—approximately 5 billion litres—consuming 13.1 million tonnes of the nation’s 42 million tonnes of corn output. How do you see this impacting the Indian feed sector and suggestions for the same?
India produces around 42 million tonnes of maize, and a growing share — about one-third of the corn is being diverted for ethanol. At the same time, alcohol plants generate Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), which can be a valuable feed ingredient.
DDGS has moderately high protein, energy, and fat with good amino acid digestibility. If properly used, it can replace part of maize and part of soybean meal. I have used up to 14% DDGS (maize + rice) in dairy rations without affecting the performance. The pellet durability index (PDI) drops when inclusion exceeds around 8–10%. Rice DDGS in broilers, can be used up to 2–3%, whereas in layers can be used up to 5-6%.
DDGS is highly variable feed ingredient in India. Quality of DDGS mainly depends upon type of grain used (FCI reject grains, broken rice, maize, jowar, etc.), amount of soluble added back and method of drying. This leads to variation in colour, nutrient composition, sulfur and urea content. DDGS often gets labelled as “high-risk” for mycotoxins. Yes, it can be contaminated, but we must remember mycotoxins are not uniformly distributed in any feed lot. Proper sampling, multiple grabs, reducing sample size and lab testing are crucial. In practice, focus mainly on aflatoxin B1, keeping total levels in the finished feed below 20 ppb, and use good-quality toxin binders at appropriate dosage.
I don’t see ethanol expansion as a long-term “threat” because there is simultaneous increase in grain production. Nutritionists should start with conservative DDGS levels, monitor performance, and then scale up based on evidence.
Feed prices and milk prices are disproportionate across India. What advice would you give dairy farmers in such circumstances?
Yes, but this situation is not unique to India. Dairy farmers across the world, whether in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or the Middle East, are facing similar challenges. In India, milk prices are largely regulated by the government. Because prices are controlled, farmers cannot expect high margins, instead, they must work with moderate or low margins and focus on increasing production volume, as the government and cooperatives continue to procure milk consistently.
In contrast, feed prices are market-driven. They fluctuate based on RM availability, demand and supply. Since India has no national Feed Regulatory Act, feed prices vary widely and are not governed by any laws.
My key advice to farmers under these conditions:
Reduce dependency on concentrate feed. Farmers should focus more on producing their own green fodder and silage. Choose right variant of concentrate feed wisely and avoid overfeeding of protein. It has become fashionable to feed high-protein diets, but this is counterproductive. The animal requires ~2,500 kcal just to excrete 1% excess protein. Too much protein diverts energy towards digestion instead of milk production. Protein should match the animal’s requirement, a little less is acceptable; excess is harmful. A common mistake is feeding 24% protein feed to all animals: high yielders, low yielders, pregnant cows and non-lactating cows. This increases the feeding cost. Feeds should be animal-specific, based on production level and stage of lactation.
How is Zeus Biotech supporting the animal feed sector with its nutritional solutions?
Zeus Biotech Pvt. Ltd., founded in 1991, headquartered at Mysuru, is a biotechnology-driven company established by a microbiologist. The company specializes in manufacturing fermentation-based feed supplements.
Zeus Biotech was the earliest homegrown company to manufacture animal feed enzymes by SSF (solid-state fermentation) technology using koji chambers, the process is patented with Zeus Biotech by the Patent Authority of India.
Zeus Biotech isolates fungi, yeasts and bacterial cultures from natural sources such as food grains, feed mills, animal farms and soil. These strains have undergone molecular characterization, DNA sequencing, stability/efficacy studies and safety evaluation before including them in the production. Mother cultures are maintained in Zeus’s culture collection bank and are also deposited with MTCC, Chandigarh, GOI and DSMZ, Germany ensuring authenticity and intellectual property protection. All these strains are not genetically modified (non-GMO).
Using SSF, Zeus Biotech produces organic trace minerals (soy proteinates), feed enzymes, probiotics (spores), prebiotics from yeast cell wall, yeast cultures for dairy nutrition
The solid-state fermentation process uses feed ingredients (rice bran, soybean meal) as substrate, with less than 5% residue making it highly eco-friendly. Air, water and surfaces are fully filtered to prevent contamination, ensuring a clean manufacturing environment.
Zeus Biotech has played a significant role in reducing feed supplements price in turn the feed price in India. Since 2017–18, Zeus operates a NABL-accredited laboratory staffed by biotechnologists, microbiologists, and biochemists.
The lab analyses proximate, mycotoxins, heavy metals, trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids, a few antibiotics and coccidiostats along with certain phytomolecules. The lab receives over 50 samples daily from feed manufacturers, integrators and farmers. It participates in proficiency testing and consistently ranks among the top Indian labs. Zeus has a team of nutritionists who help in monitoring the quality of feed ingredients and feeds. Help in feed formulation, feeding values of various ingredients to support their customers.
by Dr. Channegowda H. K., Zeus Biotech
