CARE OF LIVESTOCK 11 



and of course take less building material. They are easily lighted, easily 

 ventilated and are very convenient for doing the work. 



It is true that the needs of animals vary with their kind and condition. 

 Species vary as to constitution. Swine need more protection than any 

 other animal, as the hog's coat is very thin; dairy cows come next; beef, 

 horses and sheep follow in the order given. Warm and comfortable quar- 

 ters are absolutely necessary to swine if they are to be kept thrifty and 

 growing all through the months of winter. An open shed is the best 

 shelter for sheep, which need plenty of fresh air. An old stable too cold for 

 horses can often be remodeled for sheep, care being taken that it is not 

 made too compact and air tight. The main points with sheep are to keep 

 them dry and out of the wind. 



Animals show greater production and gain from the food consumed if 

 they are given proper shelter and care. Also note that while exercise in 

 winter makes better assimilation of the feed, a greater amount of food is 

 needed to maintain body heat when the stock is unduly exposed to the 

 cold, so that there is an increase in cost of production with no correspond- 

 ing gain. Age and health must always be reckoned in considering tem- 

 perature. Young animals need safer shelter than animals that have fully 

 matured, this fact being true of all species, foals, calves, pigs and lambs. 



FRESH AIR One of the chief essentials is ventilation. We know from 

 physiology that the waste matter in the blood is carried 

 through the vein canals to the lungs and there subjected to the process 

 of oxygenation. Oxygenation as you know is really washing in air. You 

 wash a thing to get it clean. You can't wash a handkerchief clean in 

 dirty water. Thus, blood cannot be "washed clean" if the air in the lungs 

 is not pure, that is, does not contain the necessary amount of oxygen. 

 Animals must have pure fresh air to breathe. Now consider: A horse 

 requires twenty times as much oxygen as a man. Five horses then, shut 

 up in a stable, would have the same effect on the atmosphere there as 

 one hundred men confined in the same space. Have you air enough in your 

 stable for five horses? Would you like to be shut up in there with ninety- 

 nine other men? 



Ventilation should be in proportion to "the number of animals. Cows 

 should have 500 cubic feet per head. Look to it that your stock have 

 plenty of fresh air in barn or stable. Animals are sometimes confined for 

 long periods, such as cattle during the winter or other inclement weather. 

 In- respect for Nature's law, in protection of your investment, you must 

 side by side with sanitation look to ventilation in your stable manage- 

 ment. Have you windows enough? If necessary, saw holes in your barn 

 and cover them with muslin. Watch drafts, but let in plenty of fresh air. 



TO THE DUMP! If your stable has a strong smell take the necessary 

 steps to get rid of the odor. Clean up thoroughly. 



Disinfect. (See index for Conkey's Nox-i-cide Dip and Disinfectant.) 

 Send old broken brooms, mouldy shoes, old coats and hats, old straps, 

 collars and whatnot to the dump. They collect dust, favor fungus growth 

 and are a breeding place for germs. Wash the windows free from cobwebs 

 and dust. Why keep out the sunlight? Science claims the actinic ray in 

 sunlight is one of the most powerful disinfectants and germicides. Apply 

 a coat or two of government whitewash (see index for receipt) to 



