Dairy replacements essentially
make up the very foundation of a
dairy enterprise. Improvement of a
herd is possible when culled cows
are replaced by well fed, healthy,
genetically superior and properly
managed replacements. An excel
lent way to improve herd produc
tion is to mate cows to the best
bulls available and then to feed and
7 K-- j
Farm Calendar
(Continued from Pago AID)
South Montrose Community
Church, 7:30 p.m.
Lebanon PA Holstein Association,
Zoar’s Luthem Church, 7 p.m.
Swine Management Workshop at
Bittinger Fire Hall, 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
Wednesday, October 26
Wood Products Conference,
through October 27. Hershey
Lodge and Convention Center.
PSU Forage test van in Wayne Co.
at Belmont Fire Hall, Pleasant
Mount, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, October 27
Lancaster County Poultry banquet,
Olde Hickory Inn, 6:30 p.m.
Penn State Tax Workshop,
That’s Built to Last.
Combination Farrowing (Airplane) Slats.
Qualit'
YOUR
DISTRIBUTOR
For
QUALITY
CONCRETE
SLATS
For Hogs
Strengthen Dairy Herd Through Management
manage replacement heifers so
they can express their true
potential.
Replacement Needs
Dairymen face two major prob
lems when it comes to meeting
yearly replacement needs. One of
these is calf losses and the other is
meeting the high demand of herd
turnover.
through Oct. 28. Meadville,
David Mead Inn, 45 Chestnut
St., 1 block east of courthouse
on Chestnut St.
Wayne Co. Extension annual
meeting. Central United
Methodist Church, Honesdale,
7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 28
State Dairy Youth Workshop,
PSU, through Oct. 29.
National Shearing Symposium,
Denver, CO. through Oct. 29.
Saturday, October 29
PSU Dairy Club Nittany Lion Fall
Classic, Ag arena.
Benefit Auction for Amish acci
dent victims, York Co. Lives
tock Sales, New Park, 9 a.m.
MORE THAN A NAME
Annual calf losses in some herds
run as high as 30%. Under good
management, calf losses should
not be more than S%. Herd turnov
er, either voluntary or involuntary,
ranges from 25 to 35% in most PA
herds. This means replacing 25 to
35 cows out of every 100 each
year. To be able to do this, calf los
ses must be kept low. High calf
losses allow you little or no selec
tion of replacements and very little
culling pressure other than invo
luntary culling can be placed on
the herd.
The Calving Environment
Ten days prior to calving, sepa
rate any cows that are to calve from
the other animals in your dry cow
group. A well drained paddock or
small pasture lot with available
shade makes a good place for cows
to freshen in spring, summer and
early autumn. In late autumn and
winter use a clean, roomy, well
bedded maternity stall. A materni
ty stall should provide about ISO to
200 square feet of space for large
cows. Large square pens allow the
cows more freedom of movement
and allow dairymen area in the pen
if assistance is necessary. An
important point to mention is that
maternity stalls must be cleaned
and disinfected between calvings
to keep any disease in check. Cows
should not be allowed to calve in
Standard Gang Slats.
Performance And Economy.
4’xs’, 4’x6’, 4’xB’ or 4’xlo’
CONFINEMENT SYSTEMS INC.
608 E. EVERGREEN RD.
LEBANON, PA. 17042
PH. 717-274-3488
Uncaster Farming, Saturday, October IS, 1968431
stanchions, free stalls, tie stalls or
group loose housing areas, if it can
be avoided.
At calving time, cows need
plenty of room and some good
footing as well as clean dry bed
ding. Sawdust is not recommended
to be used as bedding in maternity
areas. Research has shown that
sawdust bedding increases the
mortality rate of calves and
increases the incidence of mastitis
in dairy cows. Sawdust adheres to
the mouth of calves and may carry
pathogenic organisms to the diges
tive tracts of the calves.
Calving Time
Whenever possible, someone
should be present at the time calv
ing or shortly thereafter. Either the
cow or the calf may need assis
tance. Usually immediately after
birth, the cow will lick the calf.
This aids in drying the calf and sti
mulates circulation and breathing.
If the cow does not lick the calf dry
upon delivery, rub the calf briskly
with a dry towel. Sometimes artifi
cial respiration is needed to initiate
breathing. You should also see that
the calf's nostrils are clear of
mucus to facilitate breathing. Paint
the calf's navel with a 2% tincture
of iodine solution or some other
suitable disinfectant to prevent any
infection at this time. Since these
umbilical vessels connect directly
to various organs in the body,
infection at this site can be very
harmful to the newborn.
It is also very critical that calves
receive colostrum as soon as possi
ble after birth, preferably within
four hours after being bom. Most
healthy Calves are on their feet
within 30 minutes and nursing
within an hour. Before the calf is
allowed to nurse its mother, the
cow’s teats and udder should be
washed and sanitized with a solu
tion containing 200 parts per mil
lion of chlorine, or another
approved sanitizing solution, to
decrease the amount of disease
transferred to the calf through the
digestive tract.
In extremely cold weather, it
may be necessary to use blankets
or a heat lamp to keep the calf
warm.
Remember, good calf manage
ment begins with plenty of prepa
ration before the calf is bom and
must be a continual ongoing pro
cess on all dairy farms.
AJ. Heinrichs &
LJ. Hutchinson
Pasture Supplementation
Too often dairymen either over
supplement or undersupplement
cows on pasture. When young,
actively growing pasture is avail
able in good supply, milk cows
often may perform well on a grain
to milk ratio of 1:4 to 1:6. Use of
hay or silage on good pasture gen
erally should not exceed 12 to 14%
erode protein. When pasture is
over-mature or scant in supply, the
feeding of stored forage may need
to approach 70 to 100% of barn
season levels. In addition, narrow
er grain to milk ratios of 1:2/2 to
1:3 may be needed. The grain mix
may need protein and mineral
levels that approach those on all
stored forage, depending on the
type of pasture and intakes of
stored forage of various kinds. Use
of well-balanced rations are just as
important on pasture feeding as
any other time of the year. Take a
good look at your pastures for
cows and young stock several
times weekly. Move the animals to
fresh pasture as needed and/or
adjust your feeding to pasture con
ditions. Clip and chain harrow pas
tures as necessary to keep them in
an actively-growing state and pre
vent wastage around manured
spots. Make certain cows have
shade and water available on
pasture.
R. S.