Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-28
Save THE GOOD CALVES
Heifers Should Be Pushed from the
:. Start and DeyelOped to the Utmost.

Heifers Should BE Pushed from the
{. Start and Developed to the Utmost.
~ VERY farmer who expects to
| r. make future increase in his
dairy herd from this years heif-
er calves may well stop to consider
whether he is taking such care of them
as is likely to develop them into we'll
grown, healthy cows which will mater
tally add to his profits year by year.
He may have given them a good
start by providing them with sires
which have come from families of
marked dairy characteristics but If
he does not follow UP this advantage
by proper care he will eventually come
Ito the conclusion that "blood Is no
good"
Though he may be wrong, it will
not help him much after the mischief
is done. 1t Is better for him to know,
to begin with. that breed alone does
not count for anything. There is
something in food also; in fact, breed
ing and feeding must go hand in hand.
There is small danger of the calves
not receiving their duo so long as they
are fed milk providing they are in
good pasture and have been sheltered
from the storms Of early spring and
summer, but later in the season when
weaving time comes and perhaps the
pasture becomes of less feeding value
then Is when the question of proper
care must not be overlooked,
Many men do all of the things they
should do for the calves the first five
or six months and then wean them and
let them rough it" till the succeed
ing spring. by which time the calves
are stunted to such degree that they
never recover from 1t and the result is
seen in the undersized cows on every
hand.
How can this be avoided? By
teaching the calves to eat bran. meal,
chopped feed Of any kind, oats, or
shelled corn from a little trough in
their lot before they are weaned, and
right here it may be well to say that
nothing simplif1es calf feeding like
stanchions.
That Is the only use the writer has
for stanchions, just to give each ami
NAL chance to eat its allotted share
of food without interference from its
rdlu. If the pasture is drying up,
change the calves to lot or field Of
COW peas. rye, or some other succu-
lent forage.
| OF course, soiling may be practiced
with calves as with older cattle, but
considering the comparatively small
area needed for pasturing a number
of calves, and that most any fencing
Will serve to keep them in an enclos-
ure, providing they have plenty to eat
there, 1t would seem the best policy
to plant something on purpose for fall
pasture for calves If there are great
enough number Of them to warrant
this and use woven wire fence with
only enough posts to support 1t.
If calves may thus have good pas
ture all fall and get a daily feed of
grain after being weaned then when
they go into winter quarters they will
be in good condition to stand, the cold
weather.
They must have shelter from the
cold winds and rains Of autumn when
these come and they must be bedded
so they can lie dry and warm at
night. In addition to food and shell
ter. plenty of water must be given
them and salt should always be at
hand that they may satisfy their needs,
for it must be borne in mind that all
Iherbivorous animals must have salt
to assimilate their food perfectly;
therefore salt is one of the essentials
of thrifty growth.
Some may object to bestowing this
much care on the coming COWS and
may say that they edo not believe in
pampering them" but whatever only
aids the proper development of an ami
NAL is not pampering, 1t Is only giving
the creature its dues and certainly 1t is
due the heifer calf to build up strong
body and good vitality which shall
bear the strain of maternity and milk
production when that period is
reached.