Feeding Dairy Cattle 



and caring for them during their use in the herd. The 

 individual female in a given herd of twenty animals influences 

 the outcome of only one mating in any single year. The 

 individual bull puts his influence into twenty matings every 

 year and stam])s his individuality on twenty ofi'springs, where 

 an individual cow affects only one oft'spring. The care, feed- 

 hig and management in this herd, then, of the bull, is as 

 important from a breeding standpoint as the care and man- 

 agement of all the cows put together and twenty limes as 

 important as the care and management of anv single female 

 of the herd. We do not wish to exaggerate this point and we 

 do not think we have, \^'e are only tr\'ing to emphasize and 

 drive it home. The income from the breeding of the herd 

 is always more important than the income from milk, and in 

 many of our best and largest herds the milk is practically a 

 by-product. 



THE YOUNG BULL 



For the first six months of his life the young Inill will be 

 treated as his sisters are treated. Skimmed milk, or whole 

 milk in some cases, with good ha\', a little silage and all rlie 

 grain he will eat, and an opportunity to grow and exercise 

 some, is all that he will require. Calves born before Janu- 

 ary first may be pastured the first summer if grained a little 

 to secure maximum growth. If l)orn after January first, it is 

 better to keep them up, at least during the day, to be rid of 

 the fly nuisance. A good grain mixture is three parts of an 

 equal mixture by weight of hominy feed, wheat bran, ground 

 oats, with one part of oil meal. Good legume hay, silage 

 and four to six pounds of the above grain mixture should be 

 very liberal feeding for the second six months. Perhaps the 

 above suggestions are too liberal. Maximum growth is what 

 is wanted and if that can be attained with less feed, that is 

 all that is necessary. 



The bull at twelve months is not to be considered mature 

 by any means, but he should be ringed and taught that the 

 one who controls him is master. If he has not been taught 

 before, he should be taught to lead and be handled every day. 

 If this is done and he knows who is master, a bull will rarely 

 become ugly or hard to manage. At ten to twelve months 

 he can be used for light service. 



From now on exercise is the all important thing. Unless 

 there is a particular reason for it, all animals, males and 

 females, should be dehorned as calves. The sooner this 

 becomes the fashion and it becomes the recognized thing, a 

 Page One Hundred Five 



