The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-08-26

seed cooked With hot water ana fed
In small amounts with the milk is
valuable in that it contains a great
deal OF fat to replace tina: which has
been removed by the separator. When
the calf is between four and six weeks
old it will begin to take feed Of 4
solid nature, the first evidences Of
which will be that the calf will nibble.
at clover hay If the opportunity is af-
forded. At this time such feeds should
be supplied.
Never overfeed the Gait.
. When the calf has reached the age
of two months the milk ration can be
slightly increased. Up to this time it
should never exceed ten or. twelve
pounds daily. Mistakes are more often
made in feeding the calf too much
milk than in feeding it not enough.
Any changes that are made should be
gradual. Radical changes always re-
suit in throwing the calf off feed by
sickening it either with scours, calf
collie or some other of the diseases to
which young calves are susceptible.
The milk should never be increased
more than by pound day and it
should be borne in mind that the calf
should never receive more than TWEEN
ty pounds Of milk in day at any age.
Too many feeders believe that the
quality that is lost by removing the
fat can be replaced by greatening the
quantity. This is mistake for even
though the calf had the power Of
drinking 100 pounds of skinned milk
it. would not receive as much fat as it
would from one pound of whole rich
milk.
Summing up, then. the proper way
to raise the calves is to feed them
from ten to not exceeding twenty
pounds of milk daily and replace the
nutrients which have been removed
by the separator with a grain ration
which is palatable and acceptable to
the calf, and then allow the youngster
to derive the remainder of nutrients
from alfalfa or clover hay.
Keep Calves in Good Quarters.
The management of the calf has as
much to do with it's welfare as does
the feeding. AS a rule, calves in
dairy districts are born in the fall be-
cause the COWS can be MIXED and the
calves raised during the winter
months when the farmer has more
tines and also because he realizes
that the COW which freshens in the
fall will produce 20 per cent. more
milk and butter-fat than the COW
which freshens in the spring. Owing
to this the calf is kept in the barn
during the first six months of his life.
1t Should. be kept in a stall which is
roomy, dry. well-bedded, well-venti-
lated, with plenty of light. Under
these conditions, he receives sufficient
exercise and keeps in a healthy,
thrifty. condition so as to grow well.
Or the other hand, if the calf is kept
in stall that is dark or damp or i'll
ventilated, he is very liable to be-
come affected with one of the two
dozen ills to which the calf Is sus-
ceptible and will die. On bright days
after the calf has reached the age of
four weeks he should be turned out
to play even though the weather is
cold, because the exercise and the
fresh air and sunshine he receives is
greatly beneficial to him. An hour
Of such treatment daily is excellent,
but the calf should not be allowed to
remain out long enough to become
cold and chilled, for herein again lies
another danger. After the winter has
passed and springtime comes the calf
will give little more trouble, for it has
reached the size and age when it can
get large portion of it's subsistence
from the grasses of the pasture, but
for the first year it should not be COM
PEELED to live entirely on grass The
digestive apparatus of the calf has not
yet become sufficiently developed to
permit of the consumption Of enough
nutrients from feed containing so
much water as does grass. For this
reason is should be given a ration Of
corn, oats, bran, and oil meal twice
daily for the first year at least and
then, of course, during the second
winter it should be carried through
on a ration composed largely Of rough
age. such as clover hay, alfalfa hay,
corn silage, etc., with slight amount
of concentrated feeds, in order to de-
velop to the greatest degree the d.
gestive apparatus. Calves raised un-
der these conditions will make large
growth and by the time they have
reached the age Of two years they will
have the size, stamina, reserve force
and power to freshen; and with the
good breeding and productive powers
of their ancestors they should produce
prof1tably even the first year, and If
! the owner continues with his good
care and feeding he has reason to be
disappointed If they do not produce
for him at least $50 pounds of butter
in their two-year-old form. Likewise
is he in position to compliment him
self If these results are attained.