Vaccination Schedule for Dairy Cattle: What to Give, and When

A missed vaccination is the single most avoidable loss on a dairy farm — every one of the diseases below is cheaper to prevent than to treat, and for most of them there is no treatment at all once symptoms appear. This is the practical calendar; the dairy management portal covers breed choice, feeding and economics alongside it, and the full vaccination calendar for all four animals on the livestock hub covers goat, poultry and sheep alongside cattle.

Birth: the first two hours matter most

Before any vaccine, colostrum within 2 hours of birth is the calf's real first line of defence — it carries the antibodies a newborn cannot yet make itself. Disinfect the navel with tincture iodine at the same time to keep out navel-ill infection.

First vaccination: FMD at 4 months

The calf's first Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) dose is given around 4 months of age, with deworming about a week beforehand so the vaccine isn't fighting a worm burden at the same time. FMD causes blisters on the mouth and between the hooves, fever and a sharp drop in milk yield — and once symptoms show, there is no cure, only supportive care while the animal recovers over two to three weeks.

Booster: FMD every 6 months, HS and BQ once a year

FMD is repeated every 6 months for the animal's entire life — immunity from a single dose does not last a full year. Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS) and Black Quarter (BQ) are given once annually, timed ahead of the monsoon when both diseases are most active.

Annual: closing the loop

The annual round is FMD (twice a year, so this is really two of the six-monthly doses), HS and BQ (once, pre-monsoon), and — for heifer calves only, once in their lifetime — Brucellosis vaccination at 4–8 months of age. Brucellosis causes abortion and infertility and is one of the few diseases here that can also infect humans handling an infected animal, which is why the heifer-calf window is not optional.

Building this into your calendar

A few habits keep the schedule from slipping:

• Write the dates down the day you get a vaccine, not from memory — a missed FMD booster is the most common gap on Indian dairy farms.
• Time HS/BQ deliberately before the monsoon, when both diseases spike, rather than whenever it's convenient.
• Keep a per-animal card, especially in a mixed herd — a bought-in animal's vaccination history rarely comes with it, and starting it on the standard calendar from the day it arrives is safer than assuming it is covered.
• Budget for it alongside feed — the Feed Requirement Calculator and a basic vaccination budget together are the two smallest line items that prevent the two largest kinds of loss on a dairy farm.

None of this replaces a veterinarian's judgement — state programmes and disease pressure vary, so confirm the current local schedule with your veterinary hospital or mobile unit rather than treating this as a substitute for their advice.

Frequently asked questions

What vaccinations are mandatory for dairy cattle in India?

FMD (twice a year) and, in most states, HS (Haemorrhagic Septicaemia) and BQ (Black Quarter) once annually ahead of the monsoon are treated as mandatory by state animal husbandry departments, because of how fast and expensive an outbreak of any of the three is. Brucellosis vaccination for heifer calves at 4–8 months is also standard practice.

Why is FMD vaccinated twice a year and not once?

FMD immunity from the vaccine does not last a full year, and the disease circulates constantly in most Indian cattle populations — a single annual dose leaves a real gap where an animal is unprotected. The twice-yearly schedule closes that gap, which is why it is the one vaccination almost no state programme relaxes to once a year.

What happens if I miss a vaccination?

The animal is unprotected until the next scheduled dose — for FMD that can mean up to six months of exposure. Do not wait for the next annual round; get the missed dose from the nearest veterinary hospital or mobile unit as soon as you notice it, and resume the normal calendar from there.

Compiled by

Technical Kisan Editorial

Editorial Desk

Guides are compiled by the Technical Kisan editorial desk from ICAR and state agricultural university recommendations, and from central and state government scheme notifications. Every figure is labelled with the season it applies to. Always confirm against the official notification before acting on it.

• Compiled from ICAR and state agricultural university guidance
• Scheme details sourced from official notifications
• Figures labelled with the season they apply to

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