THE DAIRY TYPE
=Capacity.= The first thing that we look for in a dairy cow is
capacity--capacity to digest feed and to turn that feed into milk. The
digestive and mammary systems of the cow should be strongly developed.
On account of the location of these organs the dairy type of cow is
wedge-shaped, being wider and deeper at the rear. Her wedge-shaped
body, however, should be fairly wide over her heart and lung section,
for she is required to breathe a great deal of air and to have great
blood circulation. Her udder and milk veins should be well-developed.
The four quarters of the udder should be fairly uniform in size. Her
milk veins are more likely to indicate her history than her capacity,
for no cow has very large veins until they have been developed by
heavy milk production. Still in all good dairy heifers you will find
well-established milk veins carried fairly well forward. These things
indicate the capacity of the animal.
=Tendencies.= We must now determine her tendencies. She must not
convert her food into beef nor must she destroy her energy by
nervousness and a tendency to too great physical activity. The head of
the cow should be clean-cut and lean, the neck long and lean, and the
shoulders narrow at the top. The joints should be open so that a man’s
fist could be thrust between the cow’s front leg and her body. The cow
should not be beefy at the rear. Even though she be fat she should not
be of a square beef type. The udder should be attached high behind
and the thighs should be narrow. In fact, we want a cow that is not
an “easy keeper” but that will milk out clean. The cow should be soft
skinned and fine haired. Beware of the wild-eyed, nervous, quick-moving
cow for she wastes her energy. Beware of the sluggish cow for she will
be sluggish in appetite and will convert her feed into fat instead of
milk. Perhaps the best way to describe the disposition of a good dairy
cow would be to say that she is alert and intelligent but calm and
sensible.
=Physical Defects.= If you find that you have a cow with the capacity
and the tendency to produce, it is time to look for the physical
defects in the animal. Probably more men fail to notice physical
defects than any other thing, when buying cattle. Begin by examining
the mouth of the cow. The age of the cow can be approximately told by
looking at the front teeth. If the cow is young, her teeth are square,
flat, and close together. When the cow gets older, they are round and
wedge-shaped and tend to separate. At about twelve years the cow begins
to lose some of her front teeth. In judging a cow’s development and
possibilities her age must always be taken into consideration.
The eye must look bright. A sick cow usually shows it in her face and
in the way she holds her head with her nose sticking a little too far
forward. She has lost her spirit. If the skin is rough, it is likely to
indicate in some cases poor digestion and in other cases coarseness.
In either case we do not want the cow. The thin form of the good milk
cow without an ounce of surplus flesh must not give the impression of
debility, but of efficiency and strength. The cow having digestive
trouble is usually shrunken in the paunch and has the appearance of her
skin being drawn tightly around her body in front of the udder. She
should not be constipated, nor should she have scours.
The udder should not be meaty. After a cow is milked, her udder should
be nearly like an empty sack. Each teat should be milked to see that
it contains no evidence of garget. Each quarter of the udder should
be felt to see that it contains no portion slightly more solid than
the others. The teats should be examined for slight lumps which have
usually been caused by rough milking and which may make a lot of
trouble.
=Diseases.= Tuberculosis in cattle is a disease that is more contagious
among barn-fed cattle than among those kept more in the open. In fact,
I have never heard of range cattle being tubercular. Nevertheless,
under conditions that exist on the average farm, the tuberculosis germ
will thrive and cause havoc. It pays to be careful not to introduce
such a disease into the herd. Often the fattest, sleekest cattle
are affected and while they do not die from it quickly, yet as it
progresses in a herd an animal will now and then die from the disease.
Hogs and even chickens running with the cattle become affected and much
loss results.
The accuracy of the tuberclin test in the main has been established
beyond doubt. Laws now require that cattle which are shipped from
one state to another be tested, and the infected cattle can not be
legally shipped except to a slaughter house subject to inspection.
However, many cattle are shipped under false certificates sworn to by
unscrupulous veterinaries. The only thing that we can do about it is
to be careful in buying, deal with responsible men and buy the cattle
guaranteed.
The number of cattle infected in Nebraska is probably about two per
cent in the average farming districts and a much higher per centage
among the strictly dairy herds of some sections. While we do not feel
that we are ready for a law compelling all cattle to be tested, we do
feel that each individual should protect himself and keep his herd
free from infection. Bovine tuberculosis is not so contagious among
human beings as it was once thought to be. But it is enough so that no
further argument should be necessary to an owner of stock than that his
own family or some one else may be infected with the disease from the
milk.
Next to tuberculosis, contagious abortion is probably the milk
producer’s worst enemy. I do not know of any way for a farmer to detect
this disease from an animal’s appearance. I usually look for evidence,
not in the cattle themselves, but on the farm premises of the man who
has cattle for sale. Be suspicious of any cow that does not readily get
pregnant. When buying fresh cows always endeavor to see the cow’s calf.
This is not a doctor book. I need not discuss the symptoms nor the
cure. I only wish to warn the buyer to be on the lookout.