WINTER FEEDING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 20 (Supplement)

WINTER FEEDING

MARKED EFFECT UPON PRODUCTION NEXT THREE MONTHS ARE MOST IMPORTANT Once again we have reached the end of another dairying season, a season which, unfortunately, few can look back upon with any marked degree of satisfaction. Prices have been low, and although there has been an increased output of butterfat, the dairy farmer’s income is far below what he earns. Many are asking themselves what they have to look forward to — another season of low prices with its accompanying embarrassment, or a satisfactory recovery. It will not help matters in any way to sit down and worry about what is unavoidable; if the position is to be improved at all it can be done only by direct action and plenty of it. For instance, if there is a leak in the milk bucket, a prudent man would at once take steps to stop that leak. If there is a leak in the milk cheques, why not put a permanent stop to that too?

Illuminating Figures. A report which appeared in a newspaper recently supplies some interesting figures showing the month by month production of butter-fat in the Auckland Province over the past two seasons. To those who are interested in statistics only, the figures have a significance calculated in terms of progress; but to those who look below the surface a little, they disclose a. very bad leak that calls for immediate attention. According to the report referred to, the season in the North commences in July, but it takes until December to reach their maximum production—five months to do a job that should be done in half that time. Here, then, is the leak—a restricted early-season output; the cause—indifferent winter feeding; the remedy—more care and consideration for the beast that carries the country on—the dairy cow. Let us look at the position from the cow’s point of view. A hard season, during which she has yielded in milk somewhere about five times her own weight, is just over; she is carrying a calf and facing the coldest and most trying months of the year; and even before the winter is really over, she is expected to start out again on another season of steady production. The Winter Spell The comparatively short winter season should be made a period of rest and recuperation and not one of fighting for existence as is too often the case in New Zealand. We arc rather too much inclined to the attitude that almost any sort of treatment is good enough for the herd when tho milking season is over, when actually these months are probably the most important of all. That, they are important from the point of view of early season production is evident from a study of tho figures of any individual cow, herd • or factory. Here is the record of an individual beast in the Friesian, heifer —Bywell Favourite —who has just completed a year under test. Commencing on April 2, Bywell Favourite proceeded at once to put up her peak performance in May. July was her lowest month, after which she again ascends the scale until December, when she was only 601bs of milk short of her “peak.” In March, the last month of her test, this heifer yielded 1,3611bs of milk, or less than 3001bs short, of her best month. As an example of steady production this heifer’s record would be hard to beat. This, of course, is a high ideal to set, but if we would reach a worthwhile point we must aim high. The fact that Bywell Favourite is an aristocrat of her breed is of secondary im.portance in the matter of her record—she was fed for the job, not extravagantly, but with understanding as well as the materials at hand, and she faithfully did her part. If the entire herds of this Dominion were fed as they should be during the months of winter

i there would be an astounding increase lin production during the early spring and summer periods. The peak month would be reached much earlier than is the case at present and the top level of butter-fat production would be sustained over a longer period. That this is not mere theorising can be proved by any farmer putting this suggestion to practical test. Body Fuel We are told that about two-thirds of what a cow eats goes to maintain the temperature of the body, to repair the waste of body tissue, and to sustain the functions of the system. This is increased when cows have to travel for food, are in calf or are exposed to cold, wet conditions. Food, which is the fuel for the body, has to be supplied in heavy quantities during the winter months if the beast is going to function 1 properly next season. It must be not only plentiful but of good quality if all the demands of the animal system are to be met. Any scarcity of winter or any lowering of quality in that provided simply delays complete recuperation until after the new season’s grass' has come away when there is feed enough and to spare. Delayed recuperation means retarded production, retarded in some cases for five months, whereas a properly fed cow reaches her maximum output in as many weeks. Late spring grass, late calvers, etc., notwithstanding, it still takes our dairy herds too long to reach the peak, and all the evidence points to faulty winter feeding being responsible. * The Cure There should really be no occasion to elaborate the cure, but a brief survey will probably not be out of order. First of all winter feeding should start right now, not after cows have lost condition. Hay and ensilage fed out now will make it possible to shut up a few paddocks in time to enable them to make a growth of young grass by the middle of July. If top-dressing has to bo restricted this year, do not let the early paddocks be the ones to suffer. It is possible to have good grass for July and August and the sure method is to clear some paddocks now, topdress with 2 to 3 cwts of super and close the gates. Covers will make a difference to the beasts* opinion of the winter, and will soon be paid for when the new season commences. Take full advantage of any natural shelter and if necessary, erect a few ti-tree shelters in the corners of the winter paddocks. Above all. keep the feed clean and feed out in clean places. Stock do not appreciate being* kept cold and wet any more than they appreciate dirty food. All these points are capable of being applied by even the hard-pressed dairyman as they d<J[ not call for added financial outlay. Each is important and! the cumulative effect is heartening.