Woodworth showed a difference of as much as 70 perceiU in the 

 chore time among efficiently operated 40-cow commercial dairies.-^* Angus 

 and Barr appraised the literature dealing with conventional and loose 

 housing of dairy cattle and found the differences shown in Table 15.^" 

 Cows in loose housing require less time than those in conventional barns 

 for all chores done in the buildings. The ranges in the differences between 

 loose and conventional housing, however, illustrate the effect of manage- 

 ment and barn layout on chore time on individual farms. 



Table 15. Comparison of Chore Time on Dairy Cows in Loose and in Conventional Housing 



Time in Loose Housing as a Percentage 

 of Time in Conventional Barn 



Range 



1 By different investigators of each chore in loose and conventional bams. 



2 Measured from the beginning to the end of dairy chores, not the total of milking, feeding, 

 bedding, and cleaning. 



Available Barn Space and Utilization by Cows and Heifers 



For the sample of dairy farms visited, both those w^hose operators 

 bought replacements and those whose operators bought no replacements had 

 herds that averaged about 25 cows. The farms with all raised replacements 

 carried an average of 24 head of young stock, including calves. The farms 

 with some purchased replacements had on the average about 17 head of 

 young stock, including calves. 



Almost all of the sample dairy farms visited had conventional stanchion- 

 type barns. Fifty-eight farms provided information on conventional stanchion 

 housing. Operators of 34 of the 58 farms bought some replacements while 

 the remaining 24 raised all their replacements. Of the 34 farmers who 

 bought some replacements, only 4 had cows in all the stanchions that were 

 equipped to carry cows. Only 3 of the 24 farmers who raised all their 

 replacements carried the full complement of cows in the stanchions equipped 

 to carry cows. Both groups of farmers had 10 stanchions that could have 

 tied up cows but were in use by young stock, or were idle. The farmers who 

 bought some replacements had 5 cow stanchions used by young stock and 5 

 idle stanchions. The farmers who bought no replacements had 6 cow stan- 

 chions used by young stock and 4 idle stanchions. Table 16 shows the 

 barn space available and the utilization of this space on the sample dairy 

 farms visited. 



2" H. C. Woodworth and K. S. Morrow, op. cit. 



30 R. C. Angus and W. L. Barr, "An Apraisal of Research Literature Dealing 

 with Loose and Conventional Dairy Cattle Housing: A Review," Jour, of Dairv Science, 

 Vol. XXXVIII, No. 4, April, 1955. 



32 



