THE COST OF RAISING A DAIRY COW. 



15 



and the second year two loads per head. This straw was valued at $1 

 per load, making - a bedding charge of $1 for the first year and $2 

 for the second. 



Miscellaneous expenses. — Miscellaneous expenses include registra- 

 tion fees to the American Jersey Cattle Club at $2 per head for the 

 eligible pure-bred heifers, veterinary fees, medicine, and other minor 

 expenses. The average expense of this kind for the first year is only 

 28 cents per head and for the second year 16 cents. 



General overhead expense. — An item often overlooked is a share 

 of the general overhead expense of the entire farm business. On the 

 Brigham farm this general expense is not far from 5 per cent of the 

 located expense; that is, the first-year group of heifers must be 

 charged 5 per cent of the located expense, $34.24, which is $1.71. 

 For the second year it is 5 per cent of $24.47, or $1.22. 



Losses hy death and discarding. — In practice a dairyman is seldom 

 able to select a number of calves at birth and not have one or more 

 prove to be unfit before the group reaches maturity. Some animals 

 may die. These losses bring in an item of expense that every dairy- 

 man who raises calves should consider if he expects to come out even 

 on the raising of his calves. The size of this item will vary mate- 

 rially under different conditions and with different men. Table X 

 is here presented to show the extent of this item of loss due to death 

 and discarding on the Brigham farm for the five years covered by 

 records. 



Table X. — Loss of lieifers by death and disca 



Brigham farm. 



•ding during five years 



on the 



Group. 



Feeding period. 



Number 



disposed 



of. 



Receipts 

 from 

 sales. 



Approxi- 

 mate 

 cost. 



Loss or 

 gain. 



1907 



First 













f do 













(Second 



/First 



14 



$101.68 



$170. 00 







—$68.32 





\Second 



/First 



1 



13 



1 



4 



32.41 



10.00 



51.99 



170. 00 



42.50 

 22.00 

 42.50 

 120. 00 







— 10.09 



- 12.00 





\Second 



First 





1911 



9. 49 

 50. 00 









Total 



13 



366. 08 



397. 00 



- 30.92 









1 One died. 



The removal of a calf did not affect the yearly cost per head of 

 the animals that reached maturity, because all averages per head 

 are figured on the basis of the actual number of feeding days. Dur- 

 ing the five years covered by this report 2 heifers died and 11 were 

 discarded and sold. The approximate average cost of the 13 is 

 $30.54 each. The cost of the 2 calves that died amounts to $54.50. 

 and the total for all 13 is $397; however, the receipts from the sale 

 of the 11 reduce this amount, and the loss is only $30.92 for the 13 

 head. 



