A BACKYARD DAIRY COW:part I

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V. FEED YOUR COW CORRECTLY

Cows, as well as sheep and goats, are cudchewers ... critters with four-chambered (ruminant) stomachs that're perfect for digesting grasses. And if all of Bossy had to do to earn her keep was to raise a calf every year, she'd likely get along just fine on nothing more than pasture and hay. However, you'll be asking her for 10,000 pounds of milk and 400 pounds of butterfat, as well as that annual calf .. . which means you'll need to feed the old girl plenty of protein (in the form of grain and supplements) to keep her belly system running smoothly.

The key to feeding for profit and health, then, is to provide your milkmaker with what she needs, when she needs it . . . and her requirements will vary from time to time. During a typical lactation cycle, for instance, a cow will give a tremendous flow of milk for the first one to three months, after which the amount produced each day will decrease gradually until the animal finally dries up. A really good producer will have difficulty eating enough during the first few months of lactation to meet her energy needs, so be sure you don't spare the grain or hay at such times!

Later, as the animal's flow decreases, supply her with feed according to the amount of milk she gives each day. Figure about half a pound of 16% protein grain for each pound of milk the cow generates (the final mix of forage and grain should contain about 11 to 12% protein). In addition to the grain, your animal will munch from one to four pounds of forage (the amount, again, will depend on the quality of the grass) for every 100 pounds she weighs: Thus, a 1,000-pounder will need to forage or be fed 10 to 40 pounds of grass and hay a day. Never let a cow's daily grass consumption drop below 10 to 12 pounds, though, or her digestive system won't function properly and you'll end up having to treat a 1,000-pound bellyache!

Your cow will be dry (not giving any milk) during the last two months before she calves (or "freshens", as dairyfolk say). For her future health's sake, it's extremely important to keep the expectant momma svelte and supple. Don't let her become obese, but don't allow her to lose weight either. Watch her ribs . . . they should neither start to stick out obviously nor disappear under a layer of fat.

During her dry period—and on up to the final week before she's due to freshenyour animal should be on a low-calcium diet ... including such food as nonleguminous hay (prairie hay and timothy, for example), low-calcium grains (corn, wheat, milo, and oats), and a mineral mix without calcium. Once she freshens, of course, you'll want to get her on a high-calcium diet right away: Legume hays ... grains such as soybean, cottonseed, and linseed meal . . . and a mineral supplement that includes calcium will do the job.

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