THE FIRST LACTATION PERIOD.

Shannon News, 14 August 1925, Page 1

THE FIRST LACTATION PERIOD.

It is* most important that heifers on first calf should be handled well and fed well, and especially it is urged that they be milked, as long as possible—when we say long we mean at least ten months, and preferably twelve months. Even if the young cows are only giving a small quantity of milk, keep them going—to dry off at, say, five months, is fatal, as with each subsequent lactstion they will tend to dry off at a similar time; keep heifers goiiig, as it induces milk staying power. Most breeders And it best to breed heifers early, milk for twelve months on first calf, and keep them away from the bull for four or five months after calving, allowing them to finish growing between the first and second calf.

Careful handling on first calf generally avoids all future trouble. Careless rough handling of heifers makes nervous or bad-tempered cows. Keep a record of the heifer’s production by having her tested, as a heifer’s test is her life's test. She will npt materially improve In the percentage of fat in after life, provided that when the test was taken she was in normal health and sufficiently fed. All increase in fat production will come from increased quantity of milk. Do not condemn a heifer on first calf that is disappointing in the quantity of milk, provided she milks for, say, ten months or more. Many young cows improve greatly on subsequent calvings, but if heifers dry off quickly they are not, as a rule, worth persevering with.