FEEDING WHILE MILKING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7934, 16 December 1909, Page 4

FEEDING WHILE MILKING.

-«, It used to be a standing recommendation to dairy farmers that wo ought to give the cows some food while milking is going on, but m recent years most of us (writes Professor McConnell m The Dairy) have come to the conclusion that no benefit is derived from this, and that the work should bo done m whichever way it is most easily carried out. It may, indeed, be a draw-: back to the cow to have her attention taken up with the food m her manger while she is being milked, and m any case she is likely to-be restless, and will make herself uncomfortable for the milker to handle. Both eating and milking require a good deal of nervous energy, arid it is too much to expect an animal to attend to matters at both ends of her at the same time. Another point is that, with her head m the manger, she is likely to get startled when the attendant comes along to milk. It is best that she should have no food before her, but that she should be resting and chewing her cud, and so, when the milker comes round, she is ready to "let down," keeps on chewing her cud, and enjoys the milking operation.