A BACKYARD DAIRY COW:part I

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And don't forget the liquid diet! One healthy dairy animal will need 12 to 15 gallons of fresh, clean water daily. She also must have a "free choice" salt lick that'll provide this essential ingredient at 1% of her food ration. It's best to use a salt and mineral mix during lactation, to provide calcium and other trace minerals that may be lacking in your area. (Check with your vet or county extension agent to find out which "salt supplements" are usually considered necessary in your region .. . selenium or iodine, for instance.) If she's not on green pasture or hay, your cow will also needespecially when she's expecting-vitamin A . . . so add at least 30 mg. of carotene (vitamin A precursor) to her daily ration during the last few months of her pregnancy.

Many of the dairy animal disease problems you've probably heard about—such as milk fever and pregnancy toxemiacan be prevented simply by using good cow-feeding common sense.

THERE'S MORE TO COME!

In short, a cow can be a very practical, and relatively easy to care for, addition to almost any homestead. The animals, if chosen well, are cost-effective (producing enough meat calves and milk to more than offset the expense of feed) and, in many cases, really become "part of the family". By following the simple tips above—along with the rest of my dairy cow commandments, which will appear in MOTHER NO. 71—you can take one more (large!) step toward family independence.

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