Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-17
COMFORT OF THE COWS
On Winter Care Depends Output of
Butter and Milk and Loss
or Profit.
(Ry cena s. cornman.l


duction of milk and butter is
only a side issue, too little pro-
vision is made for the comfort of the
cows. Comfort makes profit, and one
way to secure it is to furnish good,
warm shelter.
This shelter need not mean expen-
sive barns equipped with all modern
improvements, but 1T does mean
place where the cows may be dry and
warm when the weather is inclement.
1t may be ever so rudely constructed
OF any material at hand, but 1t must
keep out the wet and wind. 1t Is an
insult to COW to expect milk of her
when her only refuge in bad weather
| Ia In the lee Of some building, and her
only resting place is the damp or
frozen ground.
Take two cows whose producing
capacity Is the same, feed them alike
but while one shifts for herself, give
the other such attention as is due
her, viz: dry, warm shelter and
plenty of good bedding, and then COM
pare the value of their products, and
| If figures do not lie, the merciful man
who is merciful to his beast, will find
his mercy" paying investment.
4 @
health, and dairy cows should be free
no more, when the weather is bright
at any time and it is pleasant to see
the enjoyment animals get from it.
An open, dry yard, with tight fence,
hedges or out-buildings to break the
wind, makes an ideal place for the
~ To oH To-. A..
warmest parts of the day. This gentle
exercise is essential to all of them,
but more especially to those that are
to be fresh before spring; for without
1t, one is not sure of strong, healthy
calves. And parturition, always a try
ing ordeal, becomes more trying still
when 1T occurs under the unfavorable
conditions which lack of exercise pro-
duces.
1t is the boast Of some farmers that
their cows milk right UP to calving
time, but there Is a question whether
there is any special merit in that.
Personally. we made a practice of
letting the cows-go dry from month
to six weeks. With heifers we formed
this habit; with the older cows it was
more dithcultito establish a fixed rule
but by persevering from one season to
another, we succeeded. Some cows
We're inclined to dry up as soon as
pregnancy was at all advanced. These
were encouraged to go on producing
milk by feeding so as to excite the
flow of milk. With others, an oppo-
site course was pursued SO that the
production of milk was limited as
much as possible until it could be
wholly checked,
Our aim was to give nature q
chance to make ready for the change
soon to come and the result was
|strong. healthy calves and cows thai
lquickly did their best, and no milk
fever or other kindred troubles
4 1t is mistake to think that the
daily rations of cow should be Iimi-
4 ted by anything but her capacity. Give
her all she will eat and not of bulky
matter alone. See that she gets plent,
of concentrated grain foods so thai
her milk production is up to her limit
One COW fed in this manner is more
profitable than two or three poorly
fed, for food, first of all, must sustain
life and only the surplus beyond thi.
first want, goes to milk production
So it becomes an easy calculation tt
determine whether given quantit,
Of grain and fodder becomes mos
profitable when fed to one COW o.
two, when it is only as much or {
little more than one alone could con
sumo.