A22-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 12, 1991
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Dairy llird* i
\ Call 1-800-DHI-TEST for service or information
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Dairy Cows Don 9 t Mind Cold
EDWARD J. WOODS
Washington Co.
Extension Agent
As we prepare for another wint
er season, dairymen who own
stanchion or comfort-stall bams
should have a suitable paddock or
lot adjacent to the bam where their
cows can exercise every day.
Regular exercise is just as
important to a cow as it is to a dog,
horse, human or any other animal.
In fact, it is more important to
the cow because it provides the
best way to detect heat. The prob
lem of heat detection in a herd that
is confined all day-every day
becomes a guessing game. As a
result, breeding efficiency almost
invariably suffers.
Dairymen who are really con
cerned about their cow’s health
and herd breeding efficiency will
turn out their cows at least once
every day. They won’t let cold
weather, rain, wind or snow inter
fere with this routine. However,
they may shorten the turn-out to
15-20 minutes in extremely bad
weather.
Cows should be observed close
ly for standing heat during the first
10-15 minutes of each exercise
period. d uster Flies
Here we are in cold weather and
many homes have flies at this time
of the year.
Cluster flies look like house
flies, but are a little larger. They
can easily be distinguished from
houseflies by the numerous fine
yellow hairs on top of the back
(where the wings are attached).
Where houseflies breed in gar
bage, the eggs of cluster flics are
For More Information Contact:
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3293 N. George St., Emigsville, PA 17318 York Co.
717-764-4359 or 259-9929
tub?'
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* FURNACE SITS OUTSIDE - lO’-IOO’ from home/busmess/barn.
Removes fire danger.
* CLEAN - No ashes, dust smoke, trash inside.
* CONVENIENT - Load every 10-12 hours. Burns logs up to 16” in
diameter & 30” long. Stops most log splitting.
* THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED - Even heat.
* EASILY CONNECTS to forced Air/Hot Water System. Needs no
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Warm months of the year firing every 6 to 10 days.
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ALL STAINLESS STEEL CONSTRUCTION
ANY SIZE TO MEET YOUR NEED
deposited on the soil. The larvae
(maggots) which hatch arc parasi-
tic on earthworms. Therefore,
cluster flies cannot be controlled
by the sanitary measures used to
control houseflies.
Maggots feed inside of the
earthworms for about 2-3 weeks,
then leave the worms and pupate
in the soil. Adult flies emerge in
about two more weeks. Their life
cycle (from egg to adult fly)
requires about 4-6 weeks. They
have several generations each
year.
In the fall, cluster flies look for
warmer quarters and begin enter
ing buildings. They can often be
seen on the sunny side of the
building prior to entering through
small openings.
Once inside a building, they
tend to cluster, often in atdes.
Here they spend the winter except
on warm days, they become active
and may fly to other parts of the
building.
Control:
Because cluster flies can enter
buildings through very small
openings, it is almost impossible
to keep them out. However, by
locating their entrance ways and
closing up as many of these open
ings as possible, you can cut down
the number of flies you will have
in the buildings.
Once they are in the house, you
can kill them with a household
insecticide, or you can pick them
up with a vacuum cleaner.
Dead flies should be removed
because accumulations of these
insects attract larder and carpet
beetles.
HARDY
OUTSIDE
WOOD
FURNACE
HEATS
YOUR HOME
AND
YOUR
HOT WATER
UL LISTED
How Does Your Herd Compare?
STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.)—This data is .Value for CWT Silage(s) 153
pulled from Pennsylvania DHIA’s mainframe .Value for Pasture Per Day(s) 30
computer each week. It is a one-week summary .Value for Milk Per Cow Per
representing approximately one-fourth of the Year(s) 2,493
herds on test, as they arc tested monthly. .Feed Consumed Per Cow Per
These data are valuable from a business man- Year(Lbs)
agement standpoint and can be used for compar- A: Grain 7,087
ing your operations to the averages from almost B; Hay 2,493
1,400 herds across the state. C: Silage 14,491
DHIA Averages for all herds processed between a y Pasturo
12/24/90 and 12/31/90 QOO * Feed Co . st Per Cow p ® r Year(s)
Number of Herds Processed Grain
Number of Cows Processed a y
Number of Cows Per Herd Milage
Milk Per Cow (Lbs) 17 ’ 08 ] J* ?^ tuT ? „ n „ U
c/_p a( 3.66 .Total Feed Cost Per Cow Per
Fat Per Cow (Lbs) Year ( s > 900
%-Protein * lnc °™ e ° ver Fecd Costs Per , sq 9
Protein Per Cow (Lbs) ;^ 44 ..... . i. 24
Average Days in Milk Per Cow 3 * 3 * ra ' n „° dk w-iwc\ *5 27
.Value for CWT Milk(s) .Feed Cost Per CWT Milk(s) '
.Value for CWT Grain(s) J-J® Avg Level For 823 SCC Herds
.Value for CWT Hay(s) 440 * Mcmbcr gcne " led figure ‘
Average Farm Feed
Costs For Handy
Reference
To help farmers across the state
to have handy reference of com
modity input costs in their feeding
operations for DHIA record sheets
or to develop livestock feed cost
data, here’s this week’s average
costs of various ingredients as
compiled, from regional reports
across the state of Pennsylvania.
Remember these are averages so
you will need to adjust your figures
up or down according to your loca
tion and the quality of your crop.
Com, No. 2y - 2.44 BU. 4.37
CWT.
Wheat, No. 2 - 2.67 BU. 4.46
CWT.
Barley, No. 3 - 1.99 BU. 4.26
CWT.
Oats, No. 2 - 1.41 BU. 4.40
CWT.
Manure management systems to match
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fc 1 Sollenberger Silos Corp.
A Nitterhouse Company
I BoxN Chambortburg, PA 17201 (717) 264-95 M
SINCE BEFORE 1910
AJ. HEINRICHS
Extension Dairy Specialist
The main portion of the dry per
iod follows the initial drying-off
period. This is a time when the
body condition of cows should
dictate the energy level of the diet
being fed.
While it has been well docu
mented that restoring or decreas
ing the body condition of a dairy
cow is most efficiently done dur
ing late lactation, condition can
Soybeans, No. 1-5.51 BU. 9.20
CWT.
New Ear Com - 58.45 BU. 2.92
CWT.
Alfalfa Hay - 110.50 BU. 5.53
CWT.
Mixed Hay - 91.00 BU. 4.55
CWT.
Timothy Hay -101.00 BU. 5.05
CWT.
Office Number - 717-264-9588
For Upright Silos Call For Bunker Silos & Manure Systems
Bob Francis Call Tabb Justus or Mike Hair
717-532-6848' 717-762-8663 717-263-0792
Dry Cow Managment
* 1
' M
Evenings
still be influenced during the dry
period.
Assuming a body condition
score of 3+ to 4- at drying off,
feeding a moderate energy con
centrate throughout the dry period
will permit a modest positive
energy balance.
Some vaccinations, parasite
controls, vitamin-mineral injec
tions, and hoof trimming are also
appropriately done during this
main portion of the dry period.
Routine checking of cows will
alert you to any early calving cows
or others that may need special
attention.