DAIRY COWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1940, Page 2

DAIRY COWS

POINTS IN WINTER FEEDING. CONSERVATION AND RATIONING. (Issued by Primary Production Council.) During April, when, on many dairy farms, there is a secondary surplus of grass growth, the winter feed position may be ascertained and the planning of the best use of-the supplies of available foodstuffs in the ensuing months may be made. Feed supplies on most farms are ample till June at least. It is moie frequently during the early spring that lack of feed becomes apparent. By the conservation of permanent pasture in March, April and May and by the intelligent rationing of the supplementary feed on hand it is possibleto obtain more prolonged use from available feed supplies. It is desirable during April and May to shut up a few well drained and top-dressed permanent pasture paddocks which contain a good sole of rye grass. Phosphates may sometimes be applied to advantage for producing this out-of-season growth. These paddocks may then be fed oil in the very early spring. In order to do this it will be necessary to commence an earlier feeding out of hay and silage. . During the late autumn and winter months, green feed oats and bailey and temporary pastures of Italian ryegrass or Western Wolths give a valuable supply of fresh feed. Such supplies of feed are desirable for cows which are to be milked in the winter. Root crops are then also being fed out in conjunction with hay and silage. On land liable to pugging, the best, practice is to concentrate the feeding out on to two or three paddocks, either those that have a very light soil or those of which the pastures are becoming run out. On the light land the stock manure will improve the fertility, and on the run-out pastures much seed from the hay may be dropped and will establish later in the spring, or the paddock may be later, ploughed up. Although late autumn calving cows are very much in the minority, there are an appreciable number of farmers carrying out winter milking, mainly those farmers who supply milk for the larger centres. Owing to the nighei price generally received for winter milk it is payable to feed a moderate amount of concentrates—up to 41b. daily per cow—in addition to the roots and hay or silage available. To feed concentrates to cows of a low milk and butterfat production is, however, not so likely to be payable but the amount fed in the bail to individual cows may be adjusted to the production of the cow. Again, if there is little feed of high quality available in the early spring it may be profitable to feed limited amounts of concentrates to early calving cows. To obtain the maximum butterfat production it is essential to supply sufficient good quality feed in the early stages of lactation.