Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-09
ScOurS in Calves.

The practical suggestions of the editor
of the New England Farmer are always
valuable and remarkable, and of such sug-
gestions we print below. his remarks on
"Scours in Calves"
This ism disease which is very COM
mon, especially in calves which are being
raised by artificial means. Its causes are
various 1t may be produced by feeding
milk that is too hot or too cold, or by Civ
ing too much grain or other concentrated
food before the stomach is strong enough
to digest it, but it almost always follows
any form of Indigestion in its first stages:
Calves taking their milk in the natural
way always get it of i'm even and uniform
temperature, but. when fed by hand, they
seldom have it twice alike. 1t is a rlce
point TO warm milk to certain degree.
with only the finger as n guide to the tenn
perature. When calf shivers just after
drinking. one mny expect srours within
IN hour, unless something is done to warm
up the system and start the circulation. ii
a calf overloads its stomach so that indl-
gestion results, scours will be very sure to
follow. 1t is one of Natures ways of re-
moving from the system that which it can
not use. Food that does not digest soon
becomes poison in the system and must be
disposed of.
One days securing is IN offset to two
days growth, every time; if it can be
checked Immediately, there will be but lit
tie damage except so much lost time in
the growth but if it continues several
days, serious consequences may be expect
ed. The calf is starving and being poison
ed at the same time. We have just lost a
promising calf by dysentery, caused by an
attack of scours too long neglected. The
calf was six or eight weeks old, drank
milk freely, and ate hay heartily.
All at once, nearly half the animals in
the barn, old and young, were attacked
with scours, caused, probably, by an ex-
elusive feeding for two or three days upon
rusty timothy hay A change of feed
cured all but this young calf, which was
allowed its full ration of milk and what
hav it would eat, its bowels growing
worse and worse every day. until dyson
tery set in BY the time we found the case
Il serious Onei was too late to save it. We
had allowed TOO little for the age of the
calf Had it been two months older. it
would probably have outlived the attack
8ut, before we were really aware what
was going on, the whole digestive system
was thoroughly exhausted, trying to get
rid of the constantly accommodating surplus
of undiccsted food. Had we Withheld one
or two meals ut first, or fed very lightly,
and given nature time and an oppor unity
to rid the system of the foreign material
the fermented and indigestible food. the
calf would probably now have been alive
and well. We once heard an old farmer
make the remark that =" hogs would al
ways grow,best where the feeder larricd n
lew minutes at leeohS tlme 10 see , lnei III
tbat statement Animals need To- have As
near the right quantity of food as possible,
in order 10 do their best. The man who
pours pail OF mix OF s"'ll ih'o ms P!S
ort s,on w o 70 soo whrtbar T. is caten or
not will he pretty likely to have black
tooth, scours or some other disease among
MS ANIMALS 30, II we won'u nave our
ua a ~. h U,y cysd t%ov Jev"lon from
dnv to day and from week to week. we
must spend little time in watching them
about meai-llme' Nearly all TIE oiSeaS' 5
Wiion Tiii'ot o'Li ''i'ao ,,,H o of fd
inc. So do not count tie time all wasted.
while Studying the equremens of the ami
mails you are feeding especially Young
" an Mnon iino Nv, ev r"'mu w. e wv"
thew need, A calf left with lis mother