222 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



rectly into a manure spreader or wagon or may go to a 

 manure pit. Inclosing or screening the manure pit will help 

 in controlling the fly nuisance. 



FEEDING 



Method and Order of Feeding 



The quantities of grain to be fed should be determined 

 for each individual cow wherever possible. A general herd 

 mixture can be made up and proper quantities weighed out 

 to each cow. A number of methods for feeding the grain 

 are in use, but the most practical is to place a sufficient 

 quantity in a truck or cart that is pushed through the feed- 

 ing alley, where the quantity for each animal is weighed or 

 measured out. If this method is used, there may be certain 

 cows that will need some feed not in the general herd mix- 

 ture, and these can easily be fed later. There should be a 

 feeding card or sheet available showing the quantity of 

 feed each cow is to get. A small blackboard can be attached 

 to the feed cart and the figures placed on this board with 

 chalk every two or three days. A spring balance scale 

 suspended above the cart on an arm will be of great help. 



Silage can be fed from the same or a similar cart. If 

 a scoopful of silage is weighed occasionally as a check, the 

 quantity can be measured with a fair degree of accuracy. 



Baled hay is convenient for feeding. If loose hay is 

 fed, the hay chutes should be conveniently placed so as to 

 require as little work as possible. The allowance of hay 

 should also be weighed occasionally. 



Feeding should be done regularly, because, as has al- 

 ready been pointed out, cows are probably more sensitive 

 to change in the feeding routine than to variation in the 

 hours of milking. Grain is usually fed first, leaving the 

 roughage until after milking. This practice wll tend to keep 

 down the dust and dirt during milking. Silage and other 

 feeds that might taint the milk should be fed after milking. 

 About half the grain and roughage should be fed in the 

 morning and half in the evening. If cows are milked of- 

 tener than twice a day, the grain feedings should corres- 



