SHELTER AND MILK.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 248, 18 October 1924, Page 20

SHELTER AND MILK.

Some ono has said, "A loss of a drop of milk for every shiver." This may not. be strictly true, but the general thought of it is. ilany dairy farmers forget that a dairy cow needs greater protection than does a grazing animal. I do not ■wish to say that a dairy cow is a parti- I cularly tender animal. I have in mind that a dairy cow should produce a. maximum of milk from a minimum of ! feed. This can not be done if a dairy ; cow is forced to be outside in cold, ■ Btormy weather without a warm rug or ; some place where she can take shelter : from wintry conditions. The cow may appear comfortable outside, yet it is impossible for her to be bodily exposed to extremely cold surroundings and up the warmth of her body, and at the same time make good use of her feed for i milk. By keeping the cow exposed in cold weather and feeding expensive grain and hay, we are compelling her to use her body as a stove for heating up the atmosphere, and using grain and good feed as fuel. It is easy to imagine how much extra heat will be radiated off • from this warm cow body during ay very .cold day, and how big a fire witUfc the '■cow is necessary to heat up thatlbod.v during such cold, eurroundings. Shelter is important, and even necessarJjW if a dairy herd is to produce ec:ono»iM. a i]y.