Drying off Milch Cows.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 143, 29 March 1909, Page 4

Drying off Milch Cows.

JL)rying-on should be gradually done. If the cow has been milking lightly, leave a little milk in for a week, and then milk every second day, but not right out, taking about a month to dry off. Cows should be milked from nine to ten months in the year. If milked too close to calving, the cow seldom proves as profitable to within 50 per cent, of what she would if she had had a rest, and the progeny" is generally weedy, having a poor constitution. Th= pasture on which the cows are turned should not be too fattening, If allowed to get too fat, very often milk fever sets in immediately after calving. If on good pasture it is well to take them in ten days before calving and give them food which is not calculated to make much milk, and a bran mash has a good effect in cleaning them out. It is often necessary, in the case of heavy milkers, to take a small amount of milk away for ten days prior to calving. The cow should be watched carefully when parturition is about to take place, and no assistance should be rendered unless in very extreme cases. It is important that the health of the cows should be studied, for upon such depends the condition of the calf. If the weather at the time of parturition is cold, stable and rug the cow,and give her lukewarm water to drink.

The period of parturition is about 275 to 280 days. After parturition has taken place, the calf may remain with the cow for not more than a day. The cow should be milked out as soon as possible. In some imtances, where the cow recuses to clean her calf, a little salt should be sprinkled on the calf, when she-will clean it down. She should receive laxative food —hot bran mash for deep milkers, or half a pound of Epsom salts. If the udder is hot and caked, milk every three hour*, but not quite dry; steam the udder with hot flannels and rub camphorated oil on it.