FUTURE MILKERS

Southland Times, Issue 23026, 21 October 1936, Page 13

FUTURE MILKERS

“Breaking in” Heifers EARLY DISCIPLINE At this period of the year many heifers will be brought into the milking sheds for “breaking in” purposes, first to the shed and then to the machines. In the vast majority of cases the disposition of the milking heifer is made or marred during calf-rearing operations, writes “Pied Piper” in The New Zealand Herald. This may seem to be going back rather far and yet I am certain that the average person to whom the rearing of the calves is entrusted should be made to realize this fundamental fact. When this is common knowledge, there will be far less trouble experienced in what is called the “breakingin” period when all too often not only the spirit of the animal is broken but her ultimate power as a producer is greatly reduced. For, remember that the process of milk secretion is largly governed by the nervous system, and this is easily affected. In the first place then, we should subject the young calf to control by firm yet quiet treatment. Dehorn every calf born on the property with caustic potash, which process can be performed in a minute or two, and always feed in bails from separate buckets. Before Calving.

Keeping the young calves in the bails for a short time during and after feeding is a part of their training in discipline that they will not soon forget. Again, there is no doubt that a mob of dehorned heifers, when brought up together, will bo far quieter when handled in the yard than those not dehorned. There may possibly be bunting and running about, but there will be none of that fear so apparent when new heifers are brought into a yard of horned dairy cattle. Calves that have been used to being bailed up will be 50 per cent, better to handle when first brought into the shed. A week or so before calving the incalf heifers should be brought regularly into the yard and left there for an hour or so. They will soon settle down after the first time or two. Then give them the run of the shed and bails as well.

After a short spell of this treatment leave the shed doors open each time for them to go through. All this may sound a deal of trouble, but surely it is better to do this than to have endless trouble after calving, when the heifer will be naturally upset, without being forced into yards and a shed she has never seen. «

When the calf arrives bring both into the yard and chain the calf in the head of one of the bails, whence the heifer will usually follow with little trouble. Speaking of chaining up the calf suggests that farmers should provide themselves with about a dozen dog chains for handling calves. Do not leave the work of getting the heifer into the shed until the herd is ready to come into the yard, as delays often occur. Allow plenty of time to get the job done without fuss or noise.

Occasionally stubborn heifers will be met with, and to deal with these it is necessary to have a good length of rope or stout ploughline. Slip a noose or loop over the heifer’s head and pass the other end round the foot of one of the bail or dummy posts and work the heifer up slowly. For the first few milkings I do not advise the use of the leg-rope. If this is used, in all probability no milk will be given down. As much milk as possible should be drawn off quietly on to the floor The loss of this drop of coloctrum will be nothing, and it will be better to lose it than to attempt to use a bucket and have it kicked over. Turn the heifer and calf into a handy

paddock for a day or two. The calf will tend to make her contented and the will settle down all the quicker. Putting on the Machines. And now comes the question: How soon should the milking cups be put on the new heifer? I claim that they should be put on just as soon as she will stand quietly when leg-roped. If this can be done after say the third milking, then put the cups on carefully and run the milk off into a bucket. Afterwards put cold and then boiling water through the set, but do not allow any of this to go through the milk line. Why I adv.ocate putting the machines on heifers as soon as possible is that in the great majority of cases at the start they will, yield their milk more freely to the action of the cups than they will to most milkers. The light sets of cups that are so pouular to-day are ideal for starting off heifers with machines. For a wees or two great care is necessary in preventing the cups from falling off, for this can be the cause of that most objectionable of shed habits, kicking oil the cups. Where time is available, and I believe it should be made available, I am strongly of the opinion that it pays to sit down to the heifers and actually hold the cups on. for the first week or so. After all this only takes a few minutes as most heifers milk out quickly. Practice of Stripping.

Tire practice of stripping is an art. To know how to strip is only half the question. The other half is to know when to stop. Why is it that the majority of heifers when first brought in milk out cleanly and thereafter deteriorate rapidly from a stripping point of view. I believe this is mainly due to the mistaken idea that even after no milk can be got the stripping should continue. This is a mistake. Many udder troubles are due to this bad practice of encouraging a second flow of milk, which, unless it is removed every time, will be given down by the cow and cause trouble when the udder is perhaps bruised or chilled. The heifers’ teats should be kept soft by the application after each milking of apinch of good vaseline. In fact, this is sound policy for every cow in the herd. In conclusion, it might be as well to note the tremendous annual wastage in Dominion dairy herds. Much of it is preventable by paying more attention to the “beginners in producing, the heifers.