The Effect of Gestation Upon Lactation in The Dairy Cow

The nutrients required to develop the bovine fetus in the nonlactating dairy cow have been studied by Eckles (1) and Hill (2). Eckles, from a maintenance trial with 4 cows, concludes that the amount of nutrients necessary to develop the bovine fetus is so small that it cannot be measured by ordinary methods of experimentation. This, he thinks, is due to the fact that the amount of dry matter contained in the fetus and its accompanying fluid and membranes is very small,--the Jersey calf at birth being only equivalent to from 110 to 170 pounds of Jersey milk and the Holstein calf from 200 to 275 pounds of Holstein milk.