COW-FEEDING IN DENMARK

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144358, 24 March 1914, Page 8

COW-FEEDING IN DENMARK

PASTURE ON THE TETHER. Practically all dairy cows in Denmark are tethered during’ tho spring and summer months. As soon as the crops are off the cows are usually let loose and herded during the fall months. In Denmark a special halter, is used. The ordinary leather halter is too easy on the cow, as after she has been tethered a while she soon learns of her strength, and by. means of a jerk she will pull up the tethering stake. The special halter is made of two flat pieces of wood to fit on each side of the lower part of the cow’s head. These pieces are fastened together in front by means of a strong rope and sometimes an iron bar about 3 or 4 inches in length. The rope passes through two holes in the end and acts as a slip noose around the cow’s nose. As soon as the cow pulls hard these two pieces of wood press tightly against each side of the nose; the harder she pulls the more firmly they press. A piece of rope passing over the cow’s head back of the cars .holds this halter on. The rope which holds the cows is usually about 20 feet long. It has a swivel in the centre which prevents twisting. The tethering stake at the extreme end of the rope is about I foot in length. Years ago these stakes wore made of wood, out now most of them arc made of iron. Tho cows are lined up in rows in the field just far enough apart so that they cannot reach each other. They start to graze at one end of the pasture and at intervals they are moved forward. A boy with a wooden mallet usually does this work. When the grass is abundant they are moved forward onl* about 2 or 3 feet at a time, and about every hour. If they are moved too far forward so that they can stop in the grass with their feet too much of it is wasted. On farms where tho number of cattle is so large- as to make it impossible to move them so often, they are moved forward probably from 6 to 10 feet every time. In this case there is considerable grass which the cows will not eat. This the horses cat, and what the horses refuse the sheep get. On the larger farms it is not uncommon to see one long row of cows taking the beet of tho grass; following tho cows is a row of horses; following the horses is a row of sheep; all are tethered and moved regularly. Those cows are usually led to water twice a day. On tho larger farms the herdsmen have water-waggons. The water-waggon has a long trough behind. Water is carried to the cows twice each day.