Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-11-26
The Proper Temperature for the Cow
Stable.

For many years practical farmers
have come to the conclusion that feed
ing steers do better by being kept in an
open yard with the protection of a.
tight board fence on the north and west
sides, than when put in basement barns
or ordinary stables. They have been
told for the last twenty years that pine
boards are cheaper than corn at twenty
cents q bushel, and advised by many
agricultural writer's to stable all their
cattle. We have never so advised
them.
The reports of the experiment sta
tions have demonstrated quite clearly
that the farmers are right and that
practice and science are once more to-
gether. We pointed out some weeks
ago the reason why steers on full feed
do not need the protection of stable:
namely, that the steer is burning up
whole lot of fuel in the shape of corn
ana hay in the production of beef, and
that the digestion and assimilation of
this fuel develops more heat than the
animal needs, and hence he is really
much more comfortable on dry, even
frozen grou5d well bedded, or in well
bedded, open shed during severe rain
storm, than he would be in any kind of
stable that the farmer can construct.
1t is otherwise with the cattle that are
being stocked through and insufficiently
fed. These steers don't get enough
feed to develop the amount of heat
that they need and hence are in need of
bari. protection. In this case protection
is valuable because it saves the use of
corn for heating purposes. The ami
NAL that is fed enough to make pound
q day will not suffer in the open In the
latitude of Iowa, when there is no rain
falling or blizzard blowing. He should
have tight board fence, and the shell
ter of grove and some kind of shed
protection during heavy rains or
storms. Wer regard this question as
settled both by science and by practice.
Thd question now arises: How about
the dairy COW? Does she need to
be stabbed and kept warm?. Dairy men
have always told US that we can't expect
any flow of milk from COW that is
shivering, in which they are exactly
right. But will the COW that is fed, as
as all cows ought to be fed, pretty near
ly up to the measure of their capacity
for milk production, need as close stab.
les as we are in the habit of giving
them? We are free to say that we
don't believe they do, The poorly fed
animal doesn't develop much heat, and
If the farmer will not feed his dairy
cows properly, he may need to keep
them in warm stable; but if they are
being fed to anything like the full
measure of their production, they do
not need at least as warm stables as
many farmers are in the habit of Civ
ing them.
Professor Clinton Smith, of the
Michigan Agricultural College, had the
noted Holstein Frlesisn COW, Rosa Bon
heur, in butter fat test. He kept her
in a board stable, the thermometer out
side being often twenty degrees below
zero. He thought she needed warmer
stabling, and to his surprise, she went
back in her butter yield. Professor j,
w. Decker, of the Ohio Dairy School,
had like experience with dairy COWS,
securing the best results In winter
weather. We presume that the straw
stack fed COW would give better results
In the stable, but inasmuch as large
mixer consumes about as much feed
asa steer on full feed, we fail to see
why she should have treatment very
much different, except for the con-
venience and comfort of the mixer
and the comfort of the COW
in case of severe storms. The
whole point is this, If we are feeding
cattle for beef or milk up to any
where near their capacity, incidentally
we are developing all the heat the cat
tie need. Toput cattle of this kind in
apoorly ventilated and very warm sta
BILE will almost invariably lead to bad
results. If we are short of feed snd
cannot feed the cattle what their sp
petites demand, but are getting then
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