FARMING NOTES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4818, 2 August 1939, Page 3

FARMING NOTES

DAIRY HERD. TREATMENT OF SICK ANIMALS. •CARE AT CALVING. From now on for some five or six weeks the dairy-farmer will be largely preoccupied with the calving of his herd, says a Wellington writer. Year after year August brings from some district or another reports om severe losses' of valued dairy stock from post or ante-partum paralysis, milk fever or "grass staggers"—all related troubles, to which mature, high produced cows are most susceptible, and troubles, strangely enough, most often and most severely experienced upon good farms. The whole group is broadly to be viewed as manifestations of deficiency. Bacteria and germs play their part but, by and large, this is a secondary part. An undermined constitution gives them their chance to do damage.

The word deficiency is not to be interpreted merely as underfeeding. Under- exercising is responsible for a good deal of trouble, just as with ewes in lamb.

Trouble can be experienced even though the cows appear in fairly good nick. They may be getting all fresh, young grass, over-rich in protein and lacking in mineral. A widely experienced stock inspector told the writer that he usually experienced a sharp increase in calls for assistance when the hay out at the winter's end. This dry, bulky fodder is a splendid corrective for digestive troubles. Unfortunately there is far too little hay available on most farms.

The supreme weakness of the feed position is, however, the insufficiency of lime available to the cow when her calf's requirement is so very great. A recommendation on this point is to serve a good stock lick, preferably one containing bone-flour; this is the most readily digested form in which lime can be supplied. The pasture provided just before and after calving is also of importance. Cases occur of cows being lost, killed, through being put on too good pastures a fortnight or so before carving. This refers to built-up pastures; cows are best kept off these till they have been a week in milking.

An. Example.

Here is the routine followed on one of the most highly productive farms known to the writer, rich land, with a herd averaging over 4001 b a milker.

Cows are wintered on fairly short grass, well supplemented with hay and ensilage. As they "spring," a day or two before calving, they are brought to a handy paddock near the shed, likewise bearing short pasture. A molasses drench is compounded of molasses, bone-flour, plus a tablespoon of ginger and 12oz of epsom salts. If calving is normal, the calf stays with the "dam 12 hours and then the cow is milked; but not quite milkedout. A second drench is then given, the same as before, and the cow returned to the calving paddock, wearing a cover. Here she remains, on the fairly short feed, for two or three days, nad then joins the milking herd proper.

In Case of Trouble.

As soon as symptoms of paralysis, staggers or milk fever are noted, a drench should be administered. One well recommended is: Dissolve in a quart of warm water, two cups of molasses and half a cup of bone-flour. After drenching, inflate the udder. Allow a short interval and then give a stimulating drench. Strychnine is a general ingredient of this type. One recommended is made by adding to the molasses drench three drams of carbonate of ammonia, and two drams of powdered nux vomica. If the cow is still down, repeat the stimulating drench each five hours.

If the cow is still on her feet when first noticed in trouble, get her to the handy paddock for ready observation and treatment. A well-sheltered paddock is to be desired, and it is all to the good if this be reasonably dry. It is a good practice, also, to cover the cow; this reduces the risk of pneumonia—a considerable risk with any sick animal, especially so in the weather lately prevailing. Another grave pneumonia risk lies in careless or unskilful administering of the drenches given. Greatest care should be taken that the drench does not go down the windpipe to the lungs

On no account administer any drench to an animal in an unconscious or semi-conscious state. That is too great a risk to be taken.