CHAPTER II
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.