SECTION XXIX. 



FEED AND CARE OF DAIRY COWS. 



Requirements. The ration for a dairy cow should supply the 

 proper amounts of nutrients for good milk production and for 

 the needs of the animal body. It should be palatable and adapt- 

 able. The ration should be as cheap as possible and should not 

 contain enough feed to disturb the digestive equilibrium of the 

 animal. 



Amount of Feed. As already stated the amount of nutrients 

 should be controlled by the quantity of milk produced, and its 

 butter fat content. A cow producing 15 Ibs. of milk should not 

 receive as much digestible feed as one giving 25 Ibs. of milk, and 

 of two cows producing equal quantities of milk, the one produc- 

 ing the higher fat content should receive the more non-nitrogen- 

 ous food. 



The dairy cow when producing a good flow of milk is a hard 

 working animal. Hence the larger the yield of milk the greater 

 should be the proportion of concentrates to roughage. A dry 

 cow is a lightly worked animal and a suitable ration may con- 

 sist of much less grain and more roughage than for a cow in 

 milk. A pregnant cow needs nitrogenous food to support the 

 calf in utero and a suitable ration may be furnished with some 

 well cured leguminous hay and carbohydrate roughage as corn 

 stover, good grass hay, or straw. When the roughage is inferior, 

 grain should be supplied in small amounts. A ration for a dairy 

 cow should be made up of more than two feeds as an animal 

 does better and enjoys variety just as people do. 



Cows usually prefer their feed in a dry condition and by supply- 

 ing the feed in this way, the mangers are easily kept clean. The 

 general practice is to feed dairy cows in the morning and late 

 afternoon, with a little roughage, such as hay, at noon time. The 

 cows should be fed and milked regularly. With some cows 

 (usually fresh young cows) uniformity in the milking time is 

 necessary for the best returns. 



Conditions Which Influence the Ration. The size of the cow. 

 the milk produced and the market price of the milk will necessari- 



