CATTLE PRODUCTION 25 



Guard against cows becoming chilled immediately after calving by blan- 

 keting if necessary. 



Do not milk heavily producing cows completely dry for a few days after 

 freshening. It is not Nature's practice and has often been the means of 

 producing milk fever. 



Feed fresh cows sparingly the first few days after calving. Water with 

 the chill removed, a few quarts of scalded bran or oats, and good hay, is suf- 

 ficient for a cow the first day or two after calving. The condition of the 

 cow should determine the manner in which she is fed following the first two 

 or three days. It ordinarily requires two to three weeks to gradually work 

 cows onto full feed. For best results one should be cautious not to over-feed 

 or allow the cow at any time to get off feed or out of condition. 



Remove the afterbirth if necessary inside of forty-eight hours after calv- 

 ing and do not allow it to be eaten. 



In Winter Time. Do not turn cows out to remain and suffer in cold or 

 stormy weather. It prevents the right use of feed and reduces the milk pro- 

 duction. Remember that cows do not have thick coverings of flesh like beef 

 cattle to protect them from the cold. 



Do not depend on frozen pasture for feed in late fall and the early winter. 

 Cows that go off in milk production at this season are difficult to make profit-- 

 able during the winter. 



Keep cows in clean, comfortable, well lighted and properly ventilated 

 stables. Pure, fresh air is as important as feed. 



Brush cows daily. It pays better than grooming horses, which, as a rule, 

 is not neglected. 



Provide water two or three times daily which is not colder than that from 

 a deep well. A tank heater is a profitable investment if necessary to warm 

 water for cows. 



Feed daily three pounds of corn silage or roots and one pound of clover 

 or alfalfa hay for each 100 Ibs. of live weight. These are approximate amounts 

 and serve merely as a guide in feeding roughage to cows. 



Feed cows 1 Ib. of grain mixture for^ every 3 to 4 Ibs. of milk produced. 

 This will be equivalent to feeding about 7 Ibs. of grain for 1 Ib. of butter fat 

 produced. Cows producing milk with high per cent of butter fat should re- 

 ceive the larger amount of grain. 



In Summer Time. Do not try to save feed by turning to pasture too 

 early in the season. It is bad for both cows and pasture. 



Provide plenty of pure, fresh water, shade and protection against flies. 



Supplement poor pastures with corn silage or green soiling crops like 

 rye, oats and peas, green corn fodder, and other available feed. Keep up the 

 production by feeding hay and grain if necessary. 



A Winter Schedule for Dairy Barn Work. Cows as well as people are to 

 a very large extent creatures of habit, and regularity in all work pertaining 



