FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 203 



THE DRY COW 



It is generally considered that a cow should be dry for 

 a period before calving, for four principal reasons: (1) To 

 give the organs concerned in milk secretion a rest; (2) to 

 permit the nutrients of the feed to be used for the develop- 

 ment of the fetus instead of for the production of milk; (3) 

 to enable the cow to replenish any stores of minerals which 

 may have become depleted through the production of milk; 

 and (4) to permit the cow to build up a reserve of body 

 tissue before calving. 



Length of Dry Period 



That a cow should be dry for a certain period has been 

 demonstrated to be sound economic practice. The proper 

 length of the dry period seems to depend on the quantity of 

 milk which the cow has produced and her condition as re- 

 gards flesh. It is probable that the greater the yield of 

 milk the greater is the depletion of the stores of nutrients 

 used in the secretion of milk and the longer the dry period 

 required. Cows of low or medium production are not 

 thought to require so long a dry period as high producers. 

 Such cows should be dry a month or six weeks, provided 

 they are in a good state of flesh. Thin cows may need a 

 somewhat longer period. High producers may require two 

 months or more to permit them to get in proper condition 

 for calving. 



Feeding the Dry Cow 



Cows normally lose flesh for three or four weeks after 

 calving because they can not consume sufficient feed to pro- 

 vide adequately for both the milk flow and the maintenance 

 of body weight. In order, therefore, that the cow may not 

 become too thin after calving, it is necessary that she carry 

 considerable flesh at time of parturition. It is well known 

 also that cows in good condition at time of calving will start 

 off the lactation period at a higher level of production than 

 thin cows; this results in a larger yield of milk for the year. 

 There is no economy in having a cow thin at calving time. 



