Table 19. Summary Estimates on Man Minutes to do Daily Chore Tasks 

 During Winter Period for 40-Cow Farm (35 Cows Miii<ing)l 



Daily Chore Task^ 



Milking 

 Milking 

 Care of milk 

 Equipment 



Feeding 



Hay preparation 

 Hay feeding 

 Silage preparation 

 Silage feeding 

 Grain preparation 

 Grain feeding 

 Push feed to cows 

 Sweep manger 



Cleaning 



Manure disposal 

 Hoe to gutter 

 Sweep alleyway 

 Bedding preparation 

 Bedding 

 Superphosphate 



Miscellaneous 

 Cows in and out 

 Currying 



Total daily chore work on cows 

 Other 



Time for spreading manure 

 Time on small calves 

 Young stock 



Man Minutes Daily 



175 

 5 



45 



10 

 10 

 10 

 5 

 1 

 6 

 2 

 2 



40 

 4 

 2 

 2 

 5 

 1 



15 



20 



20 

 16 

 35 



225 



46 



54 



35 



360 



71 

 431 



1 Woodworth, H. C. and Morrow, K. S. Efficiency in the Dairy Barn, N. H. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 

 387, June, 1951, Table 1, p. 51. 



^ Estimates do not include occasional chores. 



The preceding values are derived for very efficient conditions, and 

 may understate observed times on many operating farms. In any event, the 

 transition to relatively efficient grain feeding will yield small time savings. 

 For example, one farmer, with 25 cows, has an overhead bulk bin from 

 which he fills his feed cart. Grain feeding takes him 10 minutes per day. 

 Formerly, when he had to carry bagged grain downstairs to fill the cart, 

 it took about twice as long. However, the relatively small net savings of 

 time may still be a profitable one under some circumstances. Any additional 

 investment in building materials, equipment, or labor must therefore be 

 weighed against the value of time saved in feeding, and, if the shift in- 

 volves a change to bulk feed, possibly take into account the savings in cost 

 of feed. In the preceding example, time savings at $1 per hour, would 

 amount to $60.83 annually. At 1930 lbs, of grain per cow and a net savings 

 of $3 per ton, the savings in cost of feed would be $72.37* Between the two 

 savings, the farmer can obviously pay for the cost of his bulk bins within 



* Not adjusted for savings of damage to grain bags when under bagged system. 



34 



