Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-12-02

-6lsMAL ENG~
THE DAIRY COW IN WINTER.
to The Rural New Cues.
tions About Her Comfort.

tions About Her Comfort.
How much exercise does the winter milker
need from Dec. Is to April 10?
What should be her stable comforts to in
duce her to do her best?
| do not believe that she needs much
exercise. Where cows are in full flow
of milk they rarely take any more exer-
else than they are obliged to. If in the
pasture, they will eat, lie down, chew
the cud, digest, eat again. The func-
ton of milk giving seems to call for as
much quietude as possible. My w
idea is that COWS should have all the
sunlight possible, and on warm days in
winter | like to see them turned out for
a short time in the sunlight, but never
if the sun does not shine.
AS to stable comforts, l would suggest
the adjustment of the stanchion and
the rigid length of floor involved in a
drop. / would tie the COW with a halter,
giving her 80 feet of space in width,
and separate each cow from her neigh
Dor. | would then secure if possible as
perfect ventilation as could be provided
while preventing the freezing of the
manure. | would give the COW sufficient
bedding for her comfort, and would
rigidly see to it that the stable was well
sprinkled with land plaster morning and
night. This is from the standpoint of
the largest production possible of winter
milk with no other considerations in
volved.-W. D. Hoard, Editor Hoard's
Dairyman. .
have been dairying the whole year
round for the past ten years. At first /
used to think my cows should be let out
to water twice a day for exercise, but
the longer | continued at winter dairy
ing the more clearly ! found that the
less cows go out in the cold the better
the results, and when my old barns were
burned two years ago | resolved to build
u more convenient one, which would be
warm and comfortable for the stock.
This | did and fitted it up with swing
ing stanchions of the latest and most
comfortable pattern, and during the past
two winters | have found that my COWS
do better and give better returns when
kept in their winter home from Dec. 1
to April Is, without being let out except
occasionally on very warm, sunny days
III W. NOIt ihiiitAtC " ipN
and they are always glad to get back to
their warm stalls. | do not think that
cows need as much exercise as some peo-
pie think. Give them a good, clean stall,
with plenty Of room and of pure water
at a temperature of about 80 dogs. twice
a day. and a variety of good grain and
coarse feed, and they will show you how
contented they are.
Now | put my dairy COWS in the stable
about the last of October at nights, and
after about the LIST of November, or the
10Th at the latest, | do not let them out
~,oftener than once a week, and then only
for a few minutes, and they are glad to
come in their stable and enjoy it. Three
times a day | feed cut corn fodder, dry
cured, as green as | can secure, from
NOV. l to April Is, or longer, if ! have
enough; then good clover hay until |
turn them ont. To each COW | feed about
fourteen pounds of grain, composed of
bran, oats, cornmeal, oil and cottonseed
meal mixed. This / give dry, half in
the morning and half in the evening
after each milking. This is the best feed
4 can use, as it produces the best results
for butter, and | give my cows a lick of
salt every day after l feed their grain in
the morning. There is running water
from a good spring in the barn.
About six Of the COWS have been kept
i'm the stable in this way for the last five
years, and they are as healthy and in as
fine a condition as anybody could desire.
| try to give them the best of care and
every comfort, SO as to get the best but
tier yield per year. Last winter they
were kept more closely in the stable
than in any other, and gave the best
butter yield, and came out this spring in
fine condition. John G. McClintock.
A few hours once in two or three days
bin the sun on the sheltered side of the
barn or tight, high yard fence are suffi-
Client. would not allow COW to be out in
"a storm, especially rain in cold weather.
think it better for them to go a longer
time without exercise than to have it
under such circumstances. Stable CON-
forts almost do away with the need OF
exercise: if IA cow has these she will give
las large returns of milk in winter as in
summer.
/. Provide a warm stable, with no
drafts of cold air. That the person in
charge should be warm enough with his
coat off is a good rule to 90 by. 2. There
should be plenty of room for each cow
in her stall. the size of which should
wary according to that of the animal.
b. The bed should be made of clean lit
ter, knee deep, and then a little more
might be added. The advantage of this
cannot be emphasized too much. A.. The
stables should be clean. No stock can
do their best in "a filthy stable. No man
is fit to care for them who allows such a
condition. All dirty bedding and filth
should be removed night and morning
and replaced with fresh, clean straw.
5. The stable should be well lighted.
Cows need light. 6. The COWS should
have clean and moderately warm water
twice IA day. Z. They should get
a bushel of good ensilage night
and morning with what nice mixed
clOvar and timothy haV they will eat m