Show DA ES faff 3 RATION COW NEEDS DURING MILK PERIOD matter of high importance in milk production it lias has been demonstrated repeatedly that it does not pay to have A dairy cow freshen in low condition she may produce less than 70 per cent as much milk as she would produce had she freshened in good condition this fact act has led dairymen to say eay that their most profitable feeding ta Is done during the dry period the cows own physical condition la Is one of the best guides to the amount of feed needed during the dry period if in good flesh she will carry along all right on legume buy bay and silage or pasture and a small amount of feed the ration should be light and laxative if you have a good quality of legume tiny hay a ration made up largely of corn and oats or barley and oats will be satisfactory A mixture tor for a ration might contain pounds of corn or corn and coh meal pounds of oats pounds of wheat pounds of wheat bran pounds of linseed meal or soybean oll olline meal nl where only poor roughage such as timothy hay oat straw or corn fodder Is available it la Is advisable to increase the oll oil meal or soybean by 50 per cent it Is especially important to take rood good care of the cow at calving time confine her to a good clean box bos stall about a week before freshening change the ration so that it Is very light tind and laxative tills this may mean withholding corn and feeding only oats wheat bran and ol lineal oll meal permit the cow to take exercise in a pasture or in the yard soon after the calf Is dropped the cow should he be tied up in this way the dairyman will observe whether or not the afterbirth Is delivered if tile the afterbirth Is not delivered normally and within twelve or twenty four hours the cow cow way may need sonie some medical attention wisconsin farmer |