The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1914-07-23
THE RAISING OF CALVEs|
DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-Ck,ASS
HERD DEPENDS ON MANY
FACTORS.
BY c. n. EckIes, Professor Of Dairy
Husbandry, College Of Agricui- g
ture, University of Missouri.

n With -high-priced- land and expel
: sive feeds the ordinary calf that
I; valuable only for beef cannot b
e raised with any profit by allowing
|, to nurse the COW. A calf raised i
e this way consumes about two gallon
OF milk day for six months, or
i total of $500 pounds. If il be averag
g milk, with per cent fat, it contain
t 112 pounds Of butterfat.
: The economy of raising the cal
? with skim milk is apparent. 1t hal
! been found by trial that two pound.
of grain replaces one pound Of butter
} fat as food for the calf. Calves raised
on skim milk gain an average OF
about III pounds day up to si1
months Of age.
A Gals raised on skim milk Is equal.
ly as good as one nursed by its moth.
er. The skim milk calf, raised prop.
erly. differs little. if any, in size, quail
ity, thrift and value from the same
animal when raised by the COW. The
poor results which have so often fol-
lowed the feeding of skim milk have
been due to faulty methods of feeding,
and not because the cream which has
been taken out is of so much impor-
lance to the calf.
Taking the Calf From Its Mother.
The first milk OF the cow after calv-
ing is called colostrum. 1t is impor.
tant to feed this milk for few days
at first, since the calf seems to need
1t to start the organs of digestion
properly. After a few days mixed
milk may be given. In case the milk
is very rich in fat, it will be best, even
with the young calf, to dilute it with
skim milk, as rich milk Is liable to
cause Indigestion.
The earlier the calf is taken away
from the COW the easier it will be
taught to drink milk from the bucket |
If the cows udder is in good condi. |
ton it is more satisfactory to take |
the calf away early, but when the
udder is caked it is best to leave the
calf with the mother for few days.
For the first two weeks five or six
quarts of milk, or about 10 or IL
pounds, a day is all the largest calf
should be allowed to take. A small
calf does not need over eight or 10
pounds day. AS the calf grows old
er more milk may be used, but at no
time does it need more than Is or IS
pounds. At the end Of two weeks the
strong and vigorous calf can be
changed to feed on skim milk This
should be done gradually. About
week should be taken to make the
complete change.
Calves which are to be raised on
skim milk should be taught to eat
grain early. The grain should be
placed in box where the calves can
easily get to it, and they can be en-
at first by placing a little
in their mouths after they have con-
sumed their milk. Grain can best be
led dry after the milk is fed. Calves
will begin to nibble hay almost as
soon as they will eat grain. For young
calves timothy or mixed hay is we'll I
adapted. Clover and alfalfa are laxa-
i've and so palatable the animal often {
and this helps scours. When !
m pasture the calves are receiving I
he best possible roughness. I
1t is mistake to believe that calf {
loes not require water while still re- s
ewing milk. An abundance of clean +
water should be given at all times and \
alt after the animal is old enough to
at grain and hay. i
The calf quarters should be located q
Of hor |
unshine and light are abundant. The f
ems must be kept dry and clean The O
lost common trouble in calf raising h
) scours, or indigestion. This is G
rought about by overlooking. feed 7
1g sour or old milk, cold milk, and t,
rom dirty pals, troughs or stalls. /;
uccess depends largely upon the abil- $,
y of the feeder to prevent scours. Il
1t is much easier to prevent scours II
nan it is to cure them. In most cases Al
II that is necessary is to observe the 7,
lles for feeding calves. BY watching 7,
he small points and keeping the con. A
itions right, success will take the s.
lace of failure. The essential points O
} be kept in mind are the following: N
Do not overfeed
Feed warm milk. h,
Feed sweet, fresh milk. fr
Feed each animal individually. e,
Feed regularly. n
Keep the pals and quarters where 81
e calves are kept clean. C,
The most common meadow mixture