B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 28, 1980 IL.- SUMMER COW CARE All of us enjoy being comfortable, especially on a hot summer day; so do cows! High producing cows do their best when cool and comfortable. One of the coolest, most comfortable spots on many farms could be-a-V/ELL VENTILATED 'barn. In addition to the sun, it also protects them from many of those very annoying biting and sucking flies found out of doors. Keeping cows indoors on hot days can offer other ad vantages, too. It conserves their energy and thus reduces body heat. Coliform mastitis flare-ups can be reduced because there is less opportunity for cows to he down in muddy loafing areas or wade belly deep in water. There will be less trampling destruction to the pastures; cows can be allowed to graze during the night. If cows are outside during hot days, be sure they have plenty of shade, preferably is a well-drained, breezy location with water, salt, minerals and other feeds, such as hay, close by. If no shade is available, consider building an artifical shade to provide 30-50 square feet of shade per animal. A narrow shade structure oriented approximately north and south will allow greater opportunity for the rest area to dry out as the sun shifts from east to west. GOOD VENTILATION If cows are kept indoors, good ventilation is essential for good comfort. It will also keep the bam drier and the air cleaner, and thus help prevent mastitis and other diseases. A number of things can be done to improve tA/D/e. PENN DUTCH r" FARM SYSTEMS, INC. Bestnamem . ... bottom unloaders Specializes in LAIDIG BOTTOM UNLOADER INSTALLATION AND SERVICE } We Are 7 *lf you have spent enough money i _• 1 repairing that old unloader, re / me 4 place it with a LAIDIG /SEALSTORA * Orders placed now wilt be price I .1 protected until you are ready for 4 People & installation later this summer Please Clip or Mail To PEHN DUTCH FARM SYSTEMS, INC. 1730 Highway 72 North Lebanon, PA 17042 717-273-9324 Please see me concerning replacement of my bottom unloader with a Laidig Please see that I get additional information on the Laidig unloader Put me on your mailing list NAME ADDRESS CITY TELEPHONE (include area code) NO. OF BEEF 1 Daily Pipeline By Glenn A. Shirk Extension Dairy Agent ventilation. (1.) Open the doors, windows and sides of stables widely and avoid blocking air flow. (2.) Open the peaks, ndges, and gable ends </ bams, or install a large ventilation flue. (3.) Use light-colored, reflective building materials and paints. (4.) Keep plenty of height and slope to ceilings. (5.) Use fans for positive air movement--for replacing stale, warm, moist air with fresh, cooler, drier air; about 500 cfm per cow are recommended for summer. (6.) Fans can also be used to create comforting breezes by blowing lots of fresh air over the cows. These breezes also help to discourage flies. NEW FLY CONTROL BREAKTHROUGH Controlling flies also contributes to cow and human comfort-and to a healthier environment and better relations with the neighbors. Two new insecticides, Ectiban and Atroban, have recently received special clearance for use as a residual spray in Penn sylvania to control flies m dairy and livestock barns and m poultry houses. Field studies performed by Penn State entomologists have shown these two insecticides to be very effective m providing long lasting control of flies, including those flies which have developed resistance to many other products. Hopefully, these two materials will soon be available. Half the battle m con trolling flies is to start early, before the adult population builds up and before egg laymg activity gets into high gear. If you already have a STATE DAIRY HOGS large adult fly population before you start on a residual spray program, don’t expect overnight results. It’ll take about two weeks for fly eggs recently laid to hatch out, and most residual spray programs are designed to work only on the adult flies. Basic to any good fly control program is good sanitation. To help prevent fly breeding activity, remove manure frequently, especially bedded pack manure and other damp manure accumulating along the corners of scrape alleys. Dry manure or liquid manure can not support fly breeding activity, but damp manure can. Larvacides, when fed to cattle, can help control the development of fly larvae in the manure. But, to be most effective, these materials should be fed to all cattle on the farm, not just the milking herd; otherwise, fly larvae will continue to develop in the untreated manure around the farm. Dust bags strategically located m parlor exits, feeding areas, shady areas or rest areas can help protect cows from annoying face flies and thus helping prevent pink eye. Baits, livestock sprays, space sprays, insecticide-contain ing ear tags, etc. can provide additional relief. APPETITES AND FATTEST Fat tests and good ap petites are hard to maintain in summer. When cows are hot, especially high producing cows, they don’t eat well, production drops, and conception rates decline. A cow’s body heat increases as she digests coarse, fibrous feeds; thus, cows crave less-fibrous feeds, and then, fat tests decline. Shade, good ventilation, water, a “cool” ration and palatable feeds are very important. Shade and ventilation were discussed earlier. Water is your cheapest feed, and it “makes” milk! Be sure cows have easy access to plenty of fresh, cool water. Shade, feed, salt and minerals should be nearby. Appetites can be enticed by keepmg cows cool, having good water readily available, keepmg all feeds- IK 55 % I 2Vi Miles North of Myerstown, Pa. on Route 645 4 * l X Phone 717-933-4104 I^B W A The item is excellent for breakfast, Come up to our shop and sample lunch or dinner It can be baked, the product Once you're con pan fried or made in the vmced, xhen you can sell your own Microwave’ Our Pork Roll comes pork roll to your friends and in either 3 Lb or 10 Lb roll neighbors | Come Up or Give Us A Ca 11... We Want To Be ! Your Complete Custom Butcher Shop! grains and silages-fresh and palatable, and by feeding a “cooler” ration. A “cooler” ration is one that contains more grain and the highest quality forages available. It’ll be a challenge to feed sufficient fiber to maintain desired fat tests without curtailing production and appetite. Using ration buffers such as sodium bicarbonate and magnesium oxide may help. It may be necessary to choose either a higher test or high production; it may not be possible to obtain both. To keep feeds fresh, it may be necessary to offer smaller portions and feed more frequently, and to mix smaller batches. A variety of feeds and feed ingredients may help entice appetites. Proper balancing of the ration is also essential for good summer performance. MASTITIS AND MILKING Avoid stressing cows prior to milking; don’t keep cows standing or long periods of time in a hot, crowded, poorly-ventilated holding area. Mastitis organisms build up rapidly under warm, moist, summer conditions. Good sanitation, good ventilation, and proper nutrition will help keep flare ups under control. Pay particular attention to stall beds and rest areas; keep them as clean and dry as possible. Also, be con scientious in drying off cows udders before milking, using individual cow towels to wash and dry the udders, teat dipping, dry cow treating, milking infected cattle last, etc. If cohform mastitis is a problem, keep cows away from wet, fdthy areas and consider using a teat dip such as Teat Shield to protect the cattle from coliform infections. If in fected quarters are treated, be sure to observe required withholding times. The new, very sensitive antibiotic test for detectmg residues in milk makes it doubly im portant to withhold all treated milk. ATTENTION FARMERS ... If you are interested in getting more for your pork dollars, we can help a little! We con take your pigs and make them into a USDA inspected "SMOKED ROLL FOR PICNICS" (Pork Roll). mm mm wvfin WMfM Iff Mowing tilling grading or blowing snow Whatever thi job, John Deere 300 Series Tractors stand ready Choos l from two models the 14 hp 314 and the twin cylinder hp 317 Hydrostatic drive lets you control forward and revei speed without clutching or shifting lets you slow down trimming around trees and flowerbeds without braking Hydraulic lift single function on the 314 dual functi on the 317 gives you fingertip control of front mid rear mounted implements Color coded controls clustered for easy use John Deere 300 Senes Tractors also feature padi high back seat sturdy footrests, and triple safety starti For added protection there’s a safety switch that shuts the engine if you leave the seat with the PTO engaged See us soon for a test drive Ask about our line of ched equipment Two power sizes with hydrostatic drive and built-in hydraulic lift See us today for a 300 Series Tractor ADAMSTOWN EQUIPMENT INC. Mohnton, RD2, PA 19540 (near Adamstown) Phone (215)484-4391 A. B. C. GROFF, INC New Holland, PA Lancaster, PA Phone (717)354-4191 Phone (717)291-1046 Hours Mon. to Thurs. 7 to 5 Friday 7 to 8 Saturday 8 to 1 DEERE J LANDIS BROS. INC. 4 % I I f/
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