170 



VETERINARY HYGIENE 



A. 



hoofs and fetlocks, and to the obvious discomfort of the beasts 

 both when standing or lying. 



Slope of Stalls. The floor of a stall should be practically level 

 from front to back, with the exception of the rear 3 feet which 

 should slope toward the channel behind so as to carry off urine and 

 water. A drop of | in. in the 3 feet is ample. If there is no 

 gradient at all, the rear part of the stall is sure to be constantly wet. 

 Flooring of the Stall. The most suitable material for the floor- 

 ing of stalls is cement concrete. Some dairymen prefer to have 



the front 3 feet, from the manger 

 backwards, formed of softer 

 material such as common build- 

 ing bricks, asphalt, clay or chalk 

 rubble the idea being that cows 

 develop enlarged knees, or 

 hygromas, from constant contact 

 with cement. It is true that a 

 few cows are found so affected 

 but it is not common, and dairy 

 cows do well enough when the 

 whole flooring is of cement. 

 Any porous material in this posi- 

 tion would necessarily reduce the 

 hygienic efficiency and make the 

 stall less easily cleaned. 



Drainage of the Byre. The 

 construction of the drain channel 

 at the rear of the stall is of great 

 importance owing to its close 

 bearing on the cleanliness of the 

 cows and, consequently, the 



FIG. 



drain 



73. Three types of 

 channel for cow-sheds. 



A is a bad type as cows slip on the 

 rounded edge. 



B shows a good type of channel that 

 is simple and efficient. 



C shows a separate channel for urine ; 

 it is not a good method. 



cleanliness of the milk. It must be clearly understood that no form 

 of underground drainage is permissible in any cow house. The 

 drain must be an open channel running the length of the byre behind 

 the stalls. The importance of the relation between the length of 

 the stall and the drain has already been made plain. The channel 

 must be wide enough to hold dung and such bedding as may get into 

 it without becoming overloaded and blocked between the usual 

 periods of cleaning it out. This is usually done twice daily, in the 

 morning and again in the evening before the cows are finished off 

 for the night. Two feet is the minimum breadth that should be 

 allowed if the channel is to be satisfactory, and it may with advan- 

 tage be increased. The average depth should be 5 or 6 inches at 



