The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-30
Teaching q Young Calf to Drink.

It Is an old saying that cone n1ar'
may lead horse TO- water, but twenty
cannot make him drink" The same
might be applied with equal force to a
calf, substituting milk for water.
Gentleness is one Of the most impor'
tant requisites on farm, in SO far as
the treatment Of all animals found
there is concerned. There are some
farm hands who, apparently possess
ing less sense than the animals them
selves, try to accomplish BY brute
force what little persuasion would do
far more effectively. have seen this
more clearly exempli6ed in teaching
calf to drink than in anything else.
The method Of hired man | have in
mind was to seize the animal in both
his arms, straddle its body, holding
the head Of the creature between his
legs as if it were in wise, and with
two fingers thrust as far down the
calf throat as he could possibly get
them, and the fore6nger and thumb
pushed up its nostrils to their full
length, endeavor by all the brute
strength that he possessed, to force
the animals head into the milk pail,
until the perspiration was pouring
down his bronzed cheeks, and in this
way try to compel the creature to
drink. Naturally, any animal would
resent such treatment. The calf will
not be coerced into doing anything
against its will. 1t often occurred to
me that if the person adopting such
method would pause little in his
work, and think how he would like to
see mother using her infant child in
like manner; that is, if it refused to
drink out Of nature s usual course, and
she were to use all the animal force at
her command to make it drink, he
would be more gentle in his efforts.
A plan which / have successfully
used, and seen others use with the
same effect, was to get astride the ami
NAL, exercise little persuasion to
bring the calf to the milk bucket,
then, taking hold Of its head gently,
place two fingers in its mouth, turn
ing them slightly upwards, and leav.
ing an open space between them. If
the calf will not bend its head, draw
the pail towards the calf, let it taste
the milk and it will commence suck
ing. Now gradually remove the fin
GERS. and the young animal will con-
tinue drinking for moment, until it
suddenly remembers that it ought to
have something in its mouth besides
the milk, and will follow your hand
until these improvised substitutes are
again secured By and by it will get
accustomed to sip without any extra
help, and the work is satisfactorily
accomplished. have had young
calf drink alone the first time tried
it, by adopting the above method
and to show how the animal nature
will become Injured to anything, after
the calf had commenced to help him.
self, no sooner cid he see me come in
to the barn where he was, than he at
once placed himself in position be-
tween my legs and slipped his daily ra-
tions. Sometimes this was not agree
able, when he would give me slight
nudge with his head, indicating that
he was not getting his food fast
enough. Speaking of this reminder
in the shape of gentle butt with his
head, it seems to me as though the
mother COW often times rebuked the
little one for this conduct. l have
heard her give out a peculiar cry when
this was being continued too strongly,
as if to say "behave yourself" when
it Immediately ceased.
As to the milk to be given to a
sucking calf: For about a week after
the animal had been taken from its
mother, I gave it new milk; after that
I mixed little of this milk with
about two quarts Of skinned milk,
which we brought back from the
creamery, and on this mixture had no
difficulty in raising fine young stock
up to the time when no milk was nee
essary and grain food was given
american Agriculturist.