RAISING DAIRY CATTLE 443 



heifers, they should be fed a somewhat heavier allowance of grain. The 

 bull should be sufficiently mature for very light service at 10 to 12 

 months of age. He should be halter broken as a calf and when about 

 1 year old should have a stout ring inserted in his nose. He should 

 be so handled from calfhood that he will recognize man as his master 

 and should never be given an opportunity to learn his great strength. 

 Stall and fences should always be so strongly built that there is no possi- 

 bility of his learning how to break loose. 



708. Feed and care of the bull. The ration for the bull in full service 

 should be about the same as for a dairy cow in milk. He should be given 

 good legume hay or hay from mixed legumes and grasses and fed from 4 

 to 8 Ibs. of concentrates, supplying an ample amount of protein. When 

 idle or but in partial service less concentrates will be required. Some 

 breeders hold that feeding corn silage impairs the bull's breeding powers 

 and therefore prefer roots. However, other men have had good results 

 when they have fed bulls 10 to 15 Ibs. of silage per day in a properly 

 balanced ration. 



Except in severe climates the best quarters for the bull are an open 

 shed with an adjoining paddock where he may exercise. Tho this 

 open-air treatment is admirable for the health of the animal, it results 

 in a heavier and rougher coat of hair, and hence breeders offering ani- 

 mals for sale usually prefer to keep the bulls in comfortable box stalls, 

 turning them out only on fair days. Rather than confine the bull in 

 isolation, it is well to have his stall so located and built that he can see 

 the other members of the herd. The hoofs of the bull spending most 

 of his time in the stall need regular trimming. The bull should be tied 

 by a strong halter to one end of the manger and by his ring to the other 

 end, so that the attendant may approach him from either side without 

 danger. The bull should be dehorned and should always be handled 

 with a strong, safe staff. Even with a quiet, peaceable bull safety lies 

 only in handling him without displaying fear and yet as if he were 

 watching for an opportunity to gore his attendant. Nearly all the acci- 

 dents occur with ' ' quiet ' ' bulls that have been too much trusted. 



To maintain health and virility, the bull must have ample exercise. 

 This is perhaps most conveniently furnished by a tread power, where he 

 may run the separator, pump water, do other useful work, or run the 

 power for exercise only. Many declare that the purchase of a tread 

 power merely to furnish exercise for the bull is a wise investment. 

 Others fix a long sweep on a post and tie the bull at the end, allowing 

 him to walk around the circle. Another device is a light cable stretched 

 between 2 high posts, the bull being attached to it by a sliding chain 

 so that he is able to walk back and forth the length of the cable. The 

 bull may also be harnessed and hitched to cart or wagon for such odd 

 jobs as hauling manure or feed. Whatever the plan adopted, it is 



