OCR Text |
Show VACATIONS FOR DAIRY COWS Six Weeks Rest Is None Too Long for Animal to Rest Between Lactation Lac-tation Periods. It is fairly well understood that the dairy cow should be given a vacation or a rest between lactation periods. The longer the rest up to a certain, point the better it is for the cow. Ten and one-half months continuous milking out of every twelve is all that can be reasonably expected. It is claimed that it is as hard on a cow Jersey Cattle on Pasture. to produce a liberal yield of milk daily as it is for a horse to work at hard labor all day. When this is fully understood the necessity for a few weeks' rest on the part of the cow becomes evident. Furthermore, the cow during seven or eight months of the milking period pe-riod is carrying and developing a calf, which Is a further drain on her system. sys-tem. If she is given a few week3 to repair her worn-out body tissues and to store up a little excess fat she will give more in the entire year, than she would milking continuously. If not given a' rest before calving, she begins a new lactation period at a lower level of production, and will maintain a lower level through the entire time. Six weeks is none too long for any cow and if she is badly run down ten or twelve weeks will be better. |