ESTABLISHING A DAIRY HERD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3518, 16 August 1921, Page 9

ESTABLISHING A DAIRY HERD.

There ure several ways in which a Lord of dairy cows may bo established, and, needless to say, the most expensive would be to go into the open market and buy cows in full profit at the present prices, which range from £6O to £BO, or even £IOO lor the best animals. The most economical way would be to purchase a batch of useful in-calf heifers, or even two-year-olds fit for service, as these, if bought worth the money, should show a decided profit when, they calve. If heifers heavy in calf, commonly called “springers,” are to be purchased, it is better to do so some weeks before they are due to calve, so that they may become accustomed to their surroundings. Such animals should be carefully treated towards the end of the gestation period, and may also require attention during parturition, as many a good heifer has been lost at the time of calving for want of a little attention. In selecting a culver careful judgment is necessary, and it. is by no means the best looking animal that turns out the best as regards milk yield. The animal should be in good condition, as to buy a poor milking cow is a very bad start, and, above all, its constitution should be sound. The fat condition of some cows, acquired through heavy feeding is apt, to throw the purchaser out as regards milk yield. The typical milking cow will have a kindly expression, not too coarse a head, while the neck should also be line in outline, and the shoulders not too heavy. The ribs should he well sprung, and there should be plenty of width at the hips. It is always a good plan to look carefully at a typical milker, and. having fixed this type of animal in one’s mind, it is well io keep to it at all times when considering the purchase of a milking cow. As soon as one gets away from this type trouble and disappointment are sure to occur, as the coarse, bull-headed, and wildeyed animals with excitable temperaments never make good milkers. A well-developed udder is an important feature in a heifer, and it may be judged even before calving. Those who are experienced in the purchase of young heifers are aide (o judge what the heifer is likely to be long before calving takes place, and are therefore able to reject all indifferent animals. Many of these heifers will show

what is termed “half a bag,” while the teats will be well-balanced as regards their position on the udder, and also in the development >T>f the teat. It is very necessary to observe that there is nothing in the form of a knot or pea-like growth in the vicinity of the teat, as this will certainly be the forerunner of a blind teat. Avoid lug, coarse, and fleshy udders in heifers. Too large an udder in a heifer io never good, while the teats should be long and slender rather than short and thick, as the former characteristics denote an easy and free milker. Another important point is that the quarters of the bag should be thoroughly developed behind and before, while in the hind parts they are more likely to be at fault. The best age for calving is from two and a-half years to three years, by which tune the animal will become reasonably well matured, when she is not only more capable of fulfilling the purpose of breeder and dam, but is all the better qualified lo give a free flow of milk of good quality, and to maintain her milk yield over a reasonably long period. There are many cows which milk heavily after calving, but soon fall off after the fourth or fifth month. The calf of a well-developed heifer is more likely to make a good cow than one which is the offspring of a diminutive or stunted animal. The reason why many people object to rearing a heifer calf is largely on account of its having been born by an immature or undeveloped dam. Young growing lieifere are usually of a kindly disposition, and the hide is supple and loose. It is soft to the touch, and, if need he. can be grasped by the hand and raised from the back ribs. Where the skin is tight and fixed to the rib-., such animals rarely thrive, or should such a condition be caused by partial starvation it takes a long time to get such animals back into condition, and even then they never make the growth they should do.— Farm, Field, and Fireside.