Feeding Dairy Cattle 



FEEDING FOR LONG-TIME RECORDS 



In feeding for long-time records the methods are much 

 the same as those practiced for the short-time records except 

 that the cows are not forced quite so much, and are usually 

 milked and fed not more than three times each day and often 

 only twice. As was suggested for the short-time records, 

 the cows should be fed a liberal amount of good grain mix- 

 ture supplemented by good roughage. As in the case of the 

 short-time record it pays to respect the likes and dislikes of 

 the animal for certain kinds of food. The grain mixtures 

 are much the same as those already mentioned. 



The question of good roughage cannot be ton strongly 

 emphasized in feeding for long-time records. Roughage is 

 the most important factor in maintaining a large milk flow, 

 which can be increased in most cases by feeding better and 

 more succulent roughage but which cannot be materially 

 increased, as a rule, by increasing the grain ration. This is 

 especially true when the cows have been milking three or 

 four months. Because of the scarcity and the cost beets 

 are not used extensively in feeding for long-time records but 

 corn silage usually makes up the succulent part of the ration 

 and it may be fed in rather large quantities with profit. 



In changing from stable feeding to pasture in the spring 

 it is well to keep in mind that the grass early in the season is 

 not very nourishing, especially if the weather is very wet. 

 The change should be gradual in any case and the cows 

 should still have all the hay and silage they will eat for a 

 week or more after being turned out to pasture. 



As the season advances another problem confronts the 

 feeder. The poor pastures of late July, August and Septem- 

 ber must l)e supplemented if the best results are to be 

 obtained. Orain alone is not sufficient but some good rough- 

 age in the form of corn silage, green corn, or oats and peas 

 should be used. 



C.ood water is always such a necessary and often such a 

 neglected requirement for the dairv cow that it seems worth 

 while to mention it again. AMiether in the pasture or stable, 

 good water should be where the cow can have an abundant 

 supply at all times without expending a great amount of 

 energ)' to obtain it. 



The best results can not be obtained without heeding the 

 well-known fact that regularit}- of milking and feeding is an 

 important factor affecting production. Not only should the 

 milking and feeding be done regularly but the intervals 

 between milkings should be as nearly uniform as possible. 



Page Sixty-six 



