May, 1929] SIMPLIFIED TECHNIQUE FOR MEASURING ENERGY 



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are usually nuiintained under conditions quite different from those found 

 in general dairy practise. The stalls are provided with a standard make of 

 steel swivel stanchion which allows some freedom of movement. The 

 floor is heavily padded to provide comfort, and the stalls themselves are 

 entirely open, airy and che(>rful. 



The stalls, as will be noted, are provided at the rear with an opening in 

 the floor through which excreta is deposited on an apparatus below de- 

 signed especiall}^ for the separate collection of urine and feces with cows. 

 (»See Fig. 6 and Plate 7.) This opening is supplied with a grid, spaced so 



Plate 6 — The tnetabolism stalU for cows 



These stalls may be adjusted for animals of different lengths by pushing the two feed 

 boxes whifh nre built as a unit backward or forward so as to keep the hind feet about 6 or 

 8 inches from the grid. The guards on the sides keep the animal centered over the grid 

 while standing without discomfort, and thus allow a wide spreading of legs while Udng 

 down. When a cow is to be taken out the splashboard is removed (as on right stall) and 

 a piece of j la ik is placed on the grid. 



as to prevent the cow's rear feet from stepping down in but providing a 

 sufficient aperture for the urine and feces to pass through readily. 



The process of collecting excreta without significant loss represents the 

 critical feature of a metaboHsm stall. These particular stalls were aimed 

 to provide conditions which would compel the animal to deposit its ex- 

 creta through as small an aperture in the floor as practicable, in order to 

 prevent scattering which would tend to greater w^astage. The dimen- 

 sions of this opening are 12" x 24", i.e., just one-half the width of the stall 

 itself, which necessitates keeping the animal fairly well centered in the stall 

 while standing. This is attained by a pair of automatic bumpers made of 

 1^" iron pipe (see Plate 6) which project a sufficient distance into the 

 stall to accomplish the purpose. They are hinged to the posts on the side 

 of the stall so that they can freely rotate up and down within an arc of 90 



