The Advocate and news., 1898-11-23
Raining Calves.

The first year of an animals life has a
great deal to do with It's subsequent
growth and development. If an animal
is mistreated, starved or stunted dur
| ing its first year 1t will not recover
from such treatment in after years. This
is especiallytrue in regard to calves. They
should always be kept thrifty and grow
ing from the day Of their birth and not
allowed to run down or get stunted. A
stunted calf makes a stunted steer or
stunted cow Milk is the natural food
for calves and nature has provided the
means for giving them an abundant sup
ply OF this nOurishment II man will not
deprive them Of 1t. In breeding high
class fancy stock one calf is given the
milk from two cows, and the calf is al
lowed to do the milking at regular in
tervals three times a day. This is what
makes the thousand pound calf at ten
months or year old. Farmers generally
cannot afford to do this They send
their milk to the creamery or make but
ter or cheese from it at home and the
poor calves, that are really responsible
for all the milk, have to take slLim-milk
or buttermilk or no milk at all. Butter
milk nowadays Is a misnomer, for in
stead Of being milk with some butter in
it every particle Of butter is taken from
1t and 1t is butterless milk and exceed
ingly poor food for calves. A few years
ago calves were so cheap that 1t would
not pay to expend very much in push
ing their growth, but now calves are
worth more than cows used to be and
1t pays we'll to give them extra food and
care. Calves, Of course, should always
have good, clean, comfortable quarters,
yard and stable to run in where they
can have shelter and be protected from
all storms. They should not be allowed
to run in the pasture with the cows, but
should be kept by themselves and If al
lowed to suck the cows should be turned
to them at night and in the morning.
Where this is done one cow will ordi-
narily furnish milk for two calves, and
cows with deformed teats or hard milk
ers or those inclined to hold up their
milk or stubborn kickers can be used for
that purpose. Those that give what is
called the poorest milk, that will raise
the least cream, can be turned over to
the calves and will just suit them, and
the creamy milk is what the farmer
needs to make butter or to send to the
creamery. Many raisers of fancy cattle
use pure-bred Holstein cows as nurse
COWS for raising the fancy calves because
the milk is not so rich in butter fat
but Is rich in flesh producing foods I'm
bOlted corn meal and wheat bran mixed
half and half make a splendid feed for
calves after they are few months old.
Corn and oats ground together make an
excellent food. Sugar beets cut in small
pieces are very useful food. Calves
should have the best Of care during their
first winter. They should have warm
stable for cold weather and good-sized
yard to run in when the weather is mild
and should have no lack of good food.
Bull calves intended for steers should
be castrated at four to six months Of age.
Those not Of hornless breeds should be
dehorned at about one year old. 1t is
better to let the horns grow sufficiently
so they will learn the use Of them and
they will then be more docile after be-
ing dehOrned