In October 2026 the Tamil Nadu government issued the rules for its new livestock schemes: free goats or sheep, free milch cows, feed for buffaloes, chaff cutters and a green fodder subsidy. This page puts them in one place, as the official orders state them (checked on 9 November 2026). The orders give no last date yet, so watch for your District Collector's notice. No one can promise you a place in a scheme: a committee chooses.
The schemes at a glance
| Scheme | For whom | What you get | Status on 9 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vetri Magalir Goat Rearing Scheme | Destitute widows, deserted women, transgender persons and persons with disabilities in villages of 100 chosen blocks | 5 goats or sheep, free | Rules issued on 28 October 2026; apply online |
| Free milch cows | Rural women and transgender persons whose household has no milch animal | 1 crossbred cow, free | Rules issued on 13 October 2026; apply online |
| Feed for buffaloes | Buffalo owners who pour milk to Aavin, in 10 districts | Feed for a heifer or a pregnant buffalo | Rules issued on 29 October 2026; apply online |
| Power chaff cutters | Small and marginal farmers with at least 2 large animals | Half the cost of a 2 HP chaff cutter | Rules issued on 13 October 2026; apply online |
| Perennial green fodder | Livestock farmers with irrigated land | ₹1,750 for each quarter acre, up to 1 acre | Rules issued on 13 October 2026; Tiruppur announced it on 5 November 2026 |
| Country chicken unit | Rural people with 625 sq ft of their own land | Half the cost of a 250-bird unit | New round in Tiruppur from 5 November 2026 |
| Kalnadaigal Kappom | Livestock owners | Livestock insurance | Announced; rules not yet published |
How to apply
The new orders work in much the same way; the free goats and free cow orders set it out like this (G.O. 133, G.O. 06):
- Online only. You apply on the Animal Husbandry Department's online portal. Paper forms are not taken, unless the selection committee allows one.
- Help to apply: you can apply yourself, or at your block veterinary hospital, the district animal husbandry office, or through the Panchayat Level and Block Level Federations of women's self-help groups. For the free goats, chaff cutters and green fodder, help centres open at the block headquarters.
- What you give: your name and address, Aadhaar, mobile number and ration card, and your own statement of income, land, community and animals. The office checks these against government records, and the village administrative officer checks your land and income.
- After you apply: you get an application number by SMS, to follow your application. A committee headed by the District Collector selects people, using marks for each priority group. The list is put up at veterinary hospitals and block offices, and you can object within 7 days.
- When: the District Collector announces each scheme in local newspapers and media, with the last date. On 9 November 2026 we could not find the portal's address or any last date. Ask your block veterinary hospital.
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Vetri Magalir Goat Rearing Scheme: free goats or sheep
- Official name: Vetri Magalir Goat Rearing Scheme to Rural Women, at 100% subsidy (G.O. (Ms) No. 133, 28 October 2026).
- Run by: the Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department; ₹109.75 crore for 2026-27.
- Where: in phase 1, the villages of 100 blocks (50 Focus Blocks and 50 blocks under the State Balanced Growth Fund) in every district except Chennai, for 30,000 people, about 8 in each village panchayat. Other blocks come in later phases.
- Who can apply:
- destitute widows, deserted women, transgender persons and persons with disabilities, or a woman who cares for a child or family member with a disability (with a UDID card of at least 40%);
- aged 18 to 60 and living permanently in the village panchayat;
- with no animals except poultry (fewer than 100 birds);
- no land in your own or your family's name, except a house or house site from the government;
- household income up to ₹2.50 lakh a year, and no one in the household a regular government, public sector, cooperative or local body employee;
- at least 30% of places are for SC and ST applicants.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): 5 goats or sheep (1 male and 4 females, or 5 females), about 6–8 months old and at least 10 kg each, bought for up to ₹30,000 with you present. Each animal gets a 12-digit ear tag, a deworming, a PPR vaccination and 2 years' insurance, paid by the scheme. You also get ₹1,000 before the purchase, ₹1,500 after it and ₹2,000 after one year, and a one-day training.
- Your promise: keep the animals for at least 2 years; do not sell or give them away.
- Documents: Aadhaar, ration card, mobile number, your own statement of income, residence, land and community, and certificates for your priority group.
- Official page: https://cms.tn.gov.in/cms_migrated/document/GO/ahf_e_133_Ms%20_2026.pdf
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Free milch cows for rural women
- Official name: Distribution of Milch Cows at no cost to Rural Women (G.O. (4D) No. 06, 13 October 2026).
- Run by: the Animal Husbandry Department with the Dairy Development Department and Aavin; ₹57.00 crore for 10,000 women in 2026-27.
- Where: first in 50 Focus Blocks, then in State Balanced Growth Fund blocks if there are not enough applicants; every district except Chennai.
- Who can apply:
- women or transgender persons aged 18 to 60;
- no milch animal in the household;
- household land up to 2.5 acres and income up to ₹2.50 lakh a year;
- no regular government employee, salaried local body employee or elected local body member;
- you must have a place, feed, fodder and water for the cow. Destitute widows, deserted women, transgender persons and women with disabilities (or caring for a family member with a disability) come first, and so do milk society members who have no animal now.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): one crossbred Jersey or Holstein Friesian cow giving at least 8 litres of milk a day, up to 5 years old, bought for up to ₹50,000; if you want a dearer cow, you pay the rest. The cow is insured for 2 years, and you get ₹3,000 for transport and feed.
- Your promise: pour the milk to your village milk society (Aavin), and do not sell or give the cow away for 2 years.
- Documents: Aadhaar, ration card, mobile number, community details, your UDID card if you have one, and your milk society's name and membership number if you are a member.
- Official page: https://cms.tn.gov.in/cms_migrated/document/GO/ahf_e_06_4D_2026.pdf
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Feed for buffaloes
- Official name: Improving Buffalo Breeding Efficiency (G.O. (Ms) No. 135, 29 October 2026).
- Run by: the Animal Husbandry Department with Aavin; ₹2.04 crore, for 1,000 heifers and 1,000 pregnant buffaloes in 10 districts with many buffaloes.
- Who can apply: buffalo owners in a village with a working milk society who pour milk to Aavin regularly. One buffalo per person; 30% of places for SC and ST; transgender persons come first. If two people qualify, the one who has poured milk longest is chosen.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): for a heifer of 16–18 months and at least 100 kg, 2 kg of feed a day for 180 days and mineral mixture; for a buffalo near calving, 3 kg of feed a day for 90 days and mineral mixture. Aavin delivers the feed.
- How to apply: online, when the Collector announces it; you promise to pour the buffalo's milk only to Aavin.
- Official page: https://cms.tn.gov.in/cms_migrated/document/GO/ahf_e_135_MS_2026.pdf
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Power chaff cutters at 50% subsidy
- Official name: Distribution of 3000 Power Driven Chaff Cutters to Small and Marginal Livestock Farmers at 50% subsidy (G.O. (4D) No. 08, 13 October 2026).
- Run by: the Animal Husbandry Department (1,500 machines) and Aavin (1,500 machines, for members who pour milk regularly); ₹4.83 crore; every district except Chennai.
- Who can apply: small or marginal farmers with at least 2 large animals, at least a quarter acre of fodder and electricity where the machine will stand, who have not had a chaff cutter from any government scheme in the last 5 years. Women, persons with disabilities, transgender persons, destitute widows, deserted women and SC and ST farmers come first.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): half the cost of a 2 HP chaff cutter, at the price fixed by tender; you pay the other half.
- Documents: Aadhaar, ration card, mobile number, your electricity service connection number, your own statement of land, animals and community, and a promise to pay your share.
- Official page: https://cms.tn.gov.in/cms_migrated/document/GO/ahf_e_08_4D_2026.pdf
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Green fodder subsidy
- Official name: Augmentation of Green Fodder Production through Promotion of Perennial Fodder Cultivation (G.O. (4D) No. 07, 13 October 2026).
- Run by: the Animal Husbandry Department; ₹7.00 crore, for 10,000 acres across the state.
- Who can apply: farmers who own animals and have irrigated land, their own or leased for at least 3 years, and who will grow perennial fodder sorghum such as CO (FS) 29 and keep the plot for at least 3 years. Small and marginal farmers, milk society members who pour milk regularly and dairy scheme beneficiaries come first; 30% of places are for SC and ST farmers.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): ₹1,750 for each quarter acre, for preparing the land, seed, fertiliser and sowing; at least a quarter acre and up to 1 acre for each farmer. In Tiruppur this is ₹1,525 as subsidy and half a kilo of multi-cut fodder sorghum seed worth ₹225, on 460 acres (Tiruppur, 5 November 2026).
- Documents: Aadhaar, ration card, mobile number, your electricity service connection number, your own statement of land and animals, and a promise to keep the plot.
- Official page: https://cms.tn.gov.in/cms_migrated/document/GO/ahf_e_07_4D_2026.pdf
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Country chicken units: 50% subsidy
- Official name: 50% subsidy for establishing small-scale (250 birds per unit) country chicken farm units in rural areas.
- Who can apply: rural people living permanently in the village, with at least 625 sq ft of their own land for the shed, away from homes. Widows, destitute people, transgender persons and persons with disabilities come first. People or families helped by the scheme in 2023-24, 2024-25 or 2025-26 cannot apply.
- What it gives (checked on 9 November 2026): half the cost of the shed and of feed for the first 4 months. Tiruppur's round of 5 November 2026 gives ₹1,57,000 and 250 four-week-old chicks from the district livestock farm at Hosur (Tiruppur, 5 November 2026). In September, Tiruvarur put the unit at ₹2,93,750 with ₹1,46,875 as subsidy (Tiruvarur). The amount differs by district and round; you pay the other half from a bank loan or your own money.
- How to apply: at your nearest veterinary dispensary, to the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon. Tiruppur asks for Aadhaar, the chitta or adangal of the land, proof that you can pay your half (a bank balance or loan sanction), a promise to run the farm for 3 years, and a certificate that you were not helped in 2023-24 to 2025-26.
- Official page: https://tiruppur.nic.in/subsidy-for-establishing-a-country-chicken-farm/
For loans and the rest of the chicken scheme, see Country chicken subsidy, loans and insurance in 2026.
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
You cannot take every scheme
The free goats and the free milch cow orders do not take people who were already helped by the department's other livelihood schemes (G.O. 133, G.O. 06):
- an earlier free milch cow, or a milch cow from another department in the last 3 years;
- the free goats: Vetri Magalir rules out free goats or sheep in the last 5 years, and the cow scheme rules out Vetri Magalir;
- a chaff cutter, or a 250-bird chicken unit, from these schemes at any time;
- the National Livestock Mission's entrepreneurship scheme, or the Integrated Livestock Farming scheme.
So one person cannot get both free goats and a free cow. If you also want a chicken unit or a chaff cutter later, ask your vet which scheme to apply for first.
Insurance for your animals
- With the free animals: the goats, sheep and cows from these schemes come with 2 years' insurance, paid by the scheme. Keep the ear tag on, and tell your Veterinary Assistant Surgeon at once if an animal dies; the claim money buys a new one.
- Kalnadaigal Kappom: a new state livestock insurance scheme, with ₹31.00 crore in 2026-27, run by the Animal Husbandry Department and Aavin (Policy Note 2026-27). Up to 2 November 2026 the department's list of orders had none for it (orders list), so who can join and the premium are not yet known.
- Central livestock insurance (NLM): open in 2026-27 through the new Pashudhan Bima Yojana portal, launched on 28 September 2026 (PIB). You pay 15% of the premium, for up to 10 cattle units a household (1 cow or buffalo, or 10 goats or sheep); you and the insurer agree the animal's value in front of a vet. Apply in the 1962 (NDLM) app with your registered mobile number and the animal's ear tag, and make claims there too (portal FAQ). In Tamil Nadu the insurer is the Agriculture Insurance Company of India (portal). Birds are not covered.
Rules change — confirm with your nearest veterinary hospital or animal husbandry office.
Announced, but no rules yet
- ₹5,000 for native animals of women's self-help groups: for 5,000 animals, ₹2.50 crore (Policy Note 2026-27). We found no order on 9 November 2026.
- 40 half-price chicks for poor widows and destitute women: last run in 2024-25 (Policy Note 2025-26). We found no order for 2026-27.
Ask your veterinary dispensary whether either has started.
Loans
Milk societies arrange Kisan Credit Card loans and loans to buy milch animals, and the Mini Dairy Scheme gives 4% interest help from the state (Dairy Policy Note 2026-27). For the Kisan Credit Card, bank loans and the central schemes, see Dairy farming loans, insurance and schemes in 2026, Goat farming subsidy, loans and insurance in 2026 and Country chicken subsidy, loans and insurance in 2026.
Outside Tamil Nadu? Ask your state's animal husbandry department or the nearest government veterinary hospital about the schemes there.
Apply safely
- Apply only on the department's portal, at the veterinary hospital or the block help centre, and keep your application number.
- The animals are chosen with you by a committee of vets; never pay anyone to be selected or to get "a better animal".
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply for the free goats scheme in Tamil Nadu?
Online on the Animal Husbandry Department's portal, yourself or through your block veterinary hospital, the district office or your self-help group federation. The scheme is for destitute widows, deserted women, transgender persons and persons with disabilities in 100 chosen blocks. Watch for your District Collector's notice, which gives the dates.
Who can get a free milch cow?
Rural women and transgender persons aged 18 to 60 whose household has no milch animal, holds up to 2.5 acres and earns up to ₹2.50 lakh a year. Widows, deserted women, transgender persons and women with disabilities come first.
Can I get both free goats and a free cow?
No. Each scheme leaves out people who got the other, and both leave out earlier chaff cutter and 250-bird chicken beneficiaries.
Is there a last date?
The orders leave it to each District Collector, who announces the scheme and its last date. On 9 November 2026 we found no last date; ask your veterinary hospital.
Next
Before you take animals, read Goat farming for beginners: is it right for you? or Dairy farming for beginners: is it right for you?. To see animals near you, look at goats for sale and cows for sale.
