The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-17
RAISING CALVES
FOR BEEF

The late fall is good time LOT caves
to drop if we are prepared to give them
good shelter during winter. and after
much experimenting / have come to
the conclusion that a shed with a saw
tooth or sectional roof with a row of
windows in each section is the ideal
place for young stock in winter, says
writer in Breeders Gazette, Chicago.
This shed should be connected with the
COW barn. and the barn should be
warm enough to prevent the chilling of
a young calf which may be born during
very cold night. There must be hay
racks and little feed hunks In the shed,
also water tank and a galvanized or
cement trough in which to feed fresh
skinned, warm separator milk, but
care should be taken that nothing may
hinder driving in and turning inside
with the manure spreader. This makes
it easily kept clean, and if there is no
manure spreader at present there soon
will be. The barn must be provided
with several box stalls for the purpose
of keeping by themselves for few
days the nurse COW and her calf and
the calf she is expected to raise until
the calves are strong enough to be
turned out into the she'd.
Clover hay fed in connection with the
grains named and mill feeds should in
sure fairly good flow of milk, but if
the corn crop be put in the silo and fed
to the cows also it would increase the
milk supply very much, and If little
silage be fed to the calves it would
make them very sappy and thrifty.
With all this ready before the calves
are born they should be welcome at
any time, and such cows as give the
richest milk and are easily MIXED
should be MIXED by hand, and those
with faulty udders, short teats and
hard mixers, or with any bad habits,
are better used for nurse cows, whether
they are heifers or mature cows
A newborn calf should draw it's first
drink from it's own mother, and it is
better to keep it with her a few days.
then put it in sack, hind end first,
and let it's head stick out and tie the
sack SO as to give the calf no chance
to get out; take it to the COW which is
to nurse it and lay it on the floor be-
fore her. Of course it will struggle
and thus excite the cow. but that is
what is desired, for-call it mothers
instinct, pity or what not-the fact is
she will soon start to lick the calf's
head. and you may withdraw your
sack, and the battle is more than half
won, as most cows do not object to
nursing it at once, -but if she should
kick at it rope may be tied around
her Just in front of the udder for
few times to prevent kicking.
It is we'll to have calves of nearly the
same age on the same COW. but differ
ence of two or three weeks does moi
hurt AS soon as calves are strong
enough she should be turned in the
shed after nursing, where she may be
fed little fine clover hay and a little
cornmeal, and as they grow. little
ground oats, or speltz with the hulls
sifted out. may be added. They should
learn also to drink the fresh milk.
warm from the separator, and il they
at first refuse it little may be poured
over the grain. Care must be taken to
clean the trough after each meal. Ii
only one calf begins to drink they will
soon all do it, A little dried blood meal
may be kept on hand TO be used in
case of scours. and hay. grain, feed aud
separator milk should be fed in greater
quantity as the calves grow, and
little silage may be added if available.
! but ground speltz. barley and oats
need not be sifted any longer.
The pure bred calves may be raised
this way as well as the grades and ali
should be vaccinated against black leg
They should be ready to be weaned
when grass comes. If the grades are
for sale they should bring strong prices
The shed should be covered with an
of the better kinds OF ready roofn
which will make good material for gut
ters and alleys also. It will cost a Ii.
lie more to raise calves during wintei
but If they are handled as describe
they may be taken away from tn
cows at five months old and fed sep
rator milk and grain, and If some goo
calves can be bought - same cow
may raise another crop Of them
grass.