River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-06-29
ADVICE ON FEEDING
OF THE DAIRY HERD
BY PROF. c. c. HUMPHREY,
Wisconsin College of Agriculture.

dairy herd the selection OF cows OF the
proper type and temperament for dairy
production must be first considera-
ton, but where the herd is already es-
tablished the question of the proper
feed and feeding is all important and
decides whether or not the herd will
yield profitable returns on the invest
ment in animals and feed and the
time expended in its management.
Every farmer who keeps a dairy
herd should know, with reasonable ac-
curacy, how much milk and butter fat
each COW In his herd is producing;
this can only be ascertained by regu-
larly weighing the milk from each cow
and testing 1t for butter fat. The
various breeders and cow-testing as
sociations that have been formed In
many localities in this state during re-
cent years can render valuable service
by helping farmers to keep records OF
production of the cows at small ex-
pense or in suggesting how the farm
ers themselves can keep such records.
The keeping of records of production
is one of the foundations OF successful
modern dairying.
The feeding of individual COWS In
the herd according to the capacity and
production of each forms another foun-
dation in the profitable management
of dairy herd. The opportunity for
immediate improvement In the returns
obtained from dairy is doubtless made
greater by the adoption of a correct
system of feeding than by any other
means.
BY feeding the COWS so as to secure
maximum flow of milk and keeping
records of production of the individual
cows, most farmers will discover that
some COWS In their herds do not pro-
duce enough milk and butter fat to
pay for the cost of feed and care given
them. Cows of this type should be
disposed of in order to make place for
better COWS and enable the farmer to
secure the largest production from the
herd of which 1t Is capable and to rea-
lie the greatest possible returns from
the investment In cows and equip
ment, and the expenditures for feed
and labor.
Rule for Feeding Cows.
In the management of the modern
dairy it should be the aim to surround
the cows with conditions most con-
ducive to a large and economical pro-
duction of milk and butter fat in each
individual case. Each cow should re-
ceive as much roughage as she will
eat up clean, and a portion of this
should preferably be Of a succulent
nature, like grass, silage, soiling crops,
or roots.
1t has been found a good working
rule to feed as many pounds of grain
feeds per day to each COW as she pro-
duces pounds of butter fat week, or
one-fourth to one-third as much grain
as she gives pounds of milk daily, the
amount depending upon the per cent.
Of butter fat In the milk In the case
of COWS producing milk with low per
cent. of fat, one-fourth would be re-
quired. Care should always be taken
to avoid an increase in body weight
above the normal for each COW, since
the milk secretion, as a general rule.
is likely to suffer when cows com
mence to utilize their feed for the
formation of body fat.
It follows from what has been said
that no two COWS in the herd can be
fed exactly alike under this system OF
feeding; each cow must receive indi-
vidual attention and be fed according
to her special requirements. 1t Is
possible. however, to lessen the labor
incident to regulating the feed sup
ply in accordance with the require
ments of the individual cows by adopt
ing a general grain mixture which will
serve the needs of most of the cows
in the herd. This may be placed in
a cart and weighed or measured out
from the same to each COW In the
stable.
The following grain mixtures, which
have been fed to advantage in the
university dairy herd in the past, are
given as sample mixtures:
/. Wheat bran, two parts; ground
oats, two parts; corn meal, two parts;
gluten meal, one part; oil meal, one
part.
2. Wheat bran, four parts; ground
oats, two parts; corn meal, two parts;
gluten feed, one part, and oil meal,
one part.
3. Wheat bran, two parts; dried dis
tillers' grains, two parts; cotton seed
meal, one part.
4. Wheat bran, three parts; OATS
three parts; corn meal, two parts;
distillers' grains, two parts.
5. Wheat bran, three parts; corn
meal, four parts; distillers grains,
three parts
AS much OF the various feeds Is
weighed out as is necessary to make
certain amount of feed mixture,
which should last for several days.
These are thoroughly mixed and the
COWS are given the weight of the
mixed feed to which their production
entitled them.
Additional grain feeds like oil meal,
dried brewers grains. gluten feed or
corn meal, are fed in special cases as
required by individual cows, the last
feed mentioned being given where
cow is apparently running down In
flesh. and the other feeds when the
opposite condition prevails, the effort
being to check an undue accumulation
of body fat or tendency to become
too thin in flesh.