MILK – PRODUCTION.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 5, 15 May 1913, Page 475

MILK - PRODUCTION.

EFFECT OF. CHANGE OF PASTURE AND FEED.

P RIMROSE McCONNELL.

As showing the importance of an entire change of feed and a complete change of pasture to the milking herd the following experiment conducted at the Ruakura Farm, of Instruction is of interest,

From the New Year until the 27th March the dairy herd at this station received, in addition to pasture grass, a liberal supply of forage in the form of chou moellier, millet, millet and peas, maize, maize and peas, &c.,. but, despite this-fact, by , the latter date the milk-yield had commenced to go down very rapidly. A fine paddock of green barley and tares being then ' available the herd was moved altogether from the pasture, and was confined 'to the barley and tares. The crop was really meant for ploughing under, the paddock being naturally a very poor one, but I considered it a good opportunity for carrying out a valuable experiment. Any of the crop the cows may seem to waste will make the best of manure when ploughed under.

Attached is a table giving the results. These results are all the more remarkable seeing that the majority of the cows are nearing the end of their period of lactation. It is recognized by all dairymen that adverse circumstances will cause a cow to decrease- her milk-yield much more quickly than she will increase the yield under the most favourable conditions, particularly towards the end, of the milking season. .It is now also freely admitted that an increase in the milk-yield often means a decrease in the percentage of butter-fat, yet the attached results show a very decided increase of butter-fat as well as milk-yield. Taking the Shorthorn Jean as an example: This is a two-year-old heifer, and has been milking for' nearly eight months, yet she shows an increase on the week of 58-5 lb. of milk and 0-3 per cent, of butter-fat, while the cow Adelaide also, shows an increase of 62-4 lb. of milk and the abnormal increase of 14 per cent, ■of butter-fat. ■ ' ' ' - - . .

The milk is weighed with every care twice a day, and the tests are semi-official. There can be no mistake in the latter, the increase

over all the cows being too consistent. The weather previous to the cows’ removal to the tares and barley was close and hot, but is now much cooler, and this would be a factor influencing the yield of milk and fat to some extent. The crop of tares in question was stocked eight weeks after the. date. of sowing.

There can be no doubt' that a complete change for a dairy herd as well as for sheep is conducive to better results; and if the cowpaddock were divided into small areas, so that the cows would be continually moving on to clean ground, the increased milk-yield would soon compensate for the outlay in extra fencing.

It may be mentioned that for the first day or two the cows did not: seem to relish the Cape barley, ■ which was just coming into- ear. but they soon settled down to their new conditions. A further benefit will accrue from the resting and , cleaning of the cow pastures, which will again form, an agreeable change when the barley and tares are consumed.

The value of the increase must be reckoned in two directions, as previous to being turned on to the barley and tares the cows had commenced to go down in their milk - yield to the extent of almost 10 lb. weekly. Take the two-year-old Shorthorn heifer Jean as an illustration : Had she been kept on pasture without a change she would, instead of increasing, have gone down to about 801 b., which when compared with the result of feeding on tares and barley shows an increase in favour of the latter of nearly 8 gallons per week, although she had been milking eight months.

Name of Cow. Milk-yield for Week previous to Removal to . Tares and Barley. '■ Test.' Milk-yield for Second Week on Tares and Barley. Test. ’ Jerseys. Little Fancy ' lb. 94-7 5-0 lb. 109-6 • 5-4 Wild Briar .. 100-9 • 5-9 120-1 6-4 Cherry Blossom ;. 93-5 5-6 - 119-7 - 5-6 May Flower .. .. 100-9 50 135-5 6-0 May Blossom , 82-6 4-9 94-6 . 5-2 Ruby’s Buttercup 127-2 5-6 146-4 6-0 Fury’s Princess ■ 94-2 5-3 115-6 6-4 Eureka 120-3 5-4 136-1 . 5-6 Glonora .. ■ 93-4 6-0 104-5 6-4 Dominion Hope .. - . 85-7 5-2 113-5 • 5-6 Dominion Pride 92-5 5-1 117-7 6-0 Coral • - . . ... 80-0 5-0 91-7 ■ 5-4 Lady Ida . .. 124-0 5-0 (1st test) 169-0 Shorthorns. Adelaide 186-8 3-2 249-2 4-6 Daisy 100-6 3-8 141-3 4-6 Jean . ... .. 100-2 - 4-3 • 158-7 4-6 Miss Cox' .. . 1. . 99-1 . 4-2 141-8 4-4 Bean 218-0 3-2 282-6 3-4