Keeping one cow: Being the experience of a number of practical writers, in a clear and condensed form, upon the management of a single milch cow — John Shaqi
Keeping one cow: Being the experience of a number of practical writers, in a clear and condensed form, upon the management of a single milch cowVarious
Science
Keeping one cow: Being the experience of a number of practical writers, in a clear and condensed form, upon the management of a single milch cow
Various
Cows; Dairying
race, weighing somewhat over seven hundred pounds, and if, two or three
generations back there was a cross of Ayrshire, or of Guernsey, it is all
the better. My belief is that she has a streak of Ayrshire blood, and
that she will make a fine cow. Being three years old next month (exact
date unknown), it has been decided that our cow is to be known as “June.”
MAY 1ST, 1876.—When “June” was bought, it was in the full expectation
that pasturage could be hired in a small lot adjoining the rear of mine.
I supposed it was fixed, but the spring had been favorable, the grass
on the meadow promised well, and the owner concluded he would mow it,
so that arrangement fell through. By that time I was too late to secure
room in the only pasture convenient to the village, and I have been
forced to keep her in the stable and a small stable yard, the whole year.
The result is more than satisfactory, considering the disadvantageous
circumstances.
A year ago to-day “June” arrived, in fair condition, save that her coat
looked a little rough, and with a good bag of milk; her daily yield
that month was about twelve quarts. In a day or two I noticed that when
in the yard, she rubbed her neck vigorously against the corner of the
stable and sometimes backed up to a building or fence for the purpose. An
examination proved that she had vermin upon her; so I made a pail full of
strong suds, with soft soap, and put into it an ounce of sulphuric acid,
and with this I sponged the parts infested, twice daily, for a few days.
This seemed efficient and there has been no such trouble since.
For long forage “June” had only dry food, good fine hay, until late
in May, and then I began to give her a green bite whenever I could,
clippings from the yard, trimmings of early vegetables and whatever there
was to spare from the garden. Besides this, everything she ate had to be
bought, except a few roots used since February. A little bran was fed for
the first few days, and gradually increased, so that during the summer
she received four pounds daily, fed in two parts, morning and night.
Later in the season corn-meal was added to the ration, and at times oats
were substituted for the bran. In the winter, eight pounds of meal and
bran, half and half, mixed, was the daily allowance. Buying hay in small
quantities I managed to keep both rowen and clover hay on hand, some of
it very fresh, and could thus vary the dry food. Also, for variety, I
frequently gave one cut feed a day, moistened. Besides this, I obtained
and worked in, during the summer, a lot of half-ripe oats, in the straw,
which had lodged and were cured like hay. The food, although thus often
changed, was changed carefully.
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