Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-03-28
RAISING the CALVES ON sklM-MlLk,
TIE CHANGE FROM WHOLE 10 SKIM
MILK SHOULD M GRADUAL. lOO DE
GREEs u NECESSARY.

VIII Mr.. Cheever please tell US how to
feed calves ON skim-milk and add some
other feed To the milk To make ration
ss near new milk as possible. i wish
the exact quantity Of whatever feed rec
omm, nded as do not know anything
shout using any other food than milk.
Light on this subject will much oblige
an old subscriber. W. h. :.
Calves should have their mothers milk
A few days, or TIL the milk IL fit for do
nestle use. The first few mllkings IL
the best possible food for Young calves:
always use whole milk Till the call
has learned to drink from pail ar feeder,
being particular to give IL warm right
from the COW. Ny way IL To let the cali
suck the COW two or three minutes after
have drawn all the milk. This puts
him I'm a sucking mood aud when taken
away will suck my fingers or most any
thing else he can get hold Of. While he
l. In this mood | dip my fingers In the
warm milk and put them In the cali 9
mouth. When he sucks the fingers In
earnest gradually bring his mouth
down to the milk In the pail, standing
the while with the calf 5 head between
NV legs. When the mouth reaches the
warm milk I gradually draw away the
fingers, leaving the tips only In MS
mouth and with enough space between
the fingers for the milk to be drawn In
by the sucking. When calf has got one
good mouthful Of warm milk from the
pail without being cufled or choked he Will
usually give no more trouble. Many In
nocent little things are cruelty abused
when being taught or starved To drink.
The milk must be as near 100 degrees
as possible, to retain the health OF the
animal. Calves are almost AS delicate
"a human babies. Cold milk and irreg-
ular feeding kill more than all other
causes combined.
AT the end of week skim-milk twelve
hours old may be substituted or this and
new milk may be mixed, but the tenn
perature must be the same as that OF the
blood, about 100 degrees.
I never hurry much about using milk
over twelve hours old as such milk from
rich butter cows makes good calf feed
while the cream has been fully half re-
moved. BY the end OF two or three
weeks milk - hours old may be given,
but still warm and sweet.
prefer teaching the calf to eat grain
dry, and do II by putting shorts In Its
mouth when IL will usually take to II
kindly aud soon learn to eat from dish
of bran or mixed grain.
Crushed flax-seed is probably the best
substitute for the cream taken but no one
can give any exact rules for such feed
ing that will supersede good Judgment
I'm the feeder. Feeding any kind OF
grain to very young calves will, thler
milk Il always attended with rlsk. Most
persons give too much grain causing
irritation of the digestive organs. There
IA no danger Of the calves eating TOO
much II II is given dry.
One cause Of Indigestion In calves Is
from too rapid swallowing OF the milk
when drunk from pail. The saliva OF
the mouth IL not secreted In the same
quantity as when the calf sucks the milk
from the COW. To avoid this difficulty l
would use a Small's calf feeder which
has n rubber test which the calf Will
learn TO take at once when taken from
the COW after being allowed to suck n
few minutes as previously stated. but
In all cases the milk must be warm and
all the utensils thoroughly clean at All
times, Sour milk dishes or feeders VIII
surely cause sickness In young calves,
although fresh sour milk IL good food
for calves after they are five or six weeks
old. I always hang up u wisp OF sweet
hay where calves can nibble 1t as soon
as they show desire to take chewing
food. Always use thermometer to de-
termlne the temperature of the milk. 10
spoil a calf leave the feeding to igno-
rant children or careless hired men.
A table spoonful OF llnseed meal Is
enough for feed with milk for young
calf .-NewEngland Farmer.