Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-09-13

Raising Calves on Substitutes
for Milk

Raising Calves on Substitutes
for Milk
We are giving space to an article by
Prof. E. S. Savage of Cornell univer-
sity as published in the Holstein FIRE.
sian World. We are giving space to
this article not only for the valuable
material that it contains but also for
the value Of defniteness in feeding
young stock. A great many of our
farmers feed their young stock in
haphazard way and do not get results.
This table gives them guide by
which they may be able to feed their
young stock more successfully.
On many farms there is q need for
method of feeding the calves with a
small amount of milk. The breeder
has not yet reached the place in his
business where he can afford to feed
his calves on whole milk although this
is by far the best method for raising
the calves to get that fine finish
desired by buyers of the best bred
stock. Neither is there available a
supply of skinned milk. The small
breeder must send his raw milk to
market and if he is to raise the herd
and breed it up according to his own
individual ideas he must breed and
raise his own young stock. How can
he do this with a minimum of whole
milk?
There are two general ways open to
him. (D He can purchase and feed
the commercial calf meal on the
market. (2) He can mix his own
calf meal. Both of these ways have
been tried out carefully on many farms
and at several experiment stations so
that we know that good dairy heifers
can be raised on substitutes for milk.
In tests of these calf meals alongside
! check groups raised on skinned milk
at two years of age, it has been found
that there is no difference in develop
ment. The young calves do not grow
quite so fast at first but soon pick up
after six months of age anG at two
years of age, there is no appreciate
difference. In our experience there
has been no difference in productive
ability that can be in any way attrib-
uted that the calves were raised
on a substitute for milk. The impor
lance of this cannot be overestimated.
We must interest all our dairy farmers
to raise and breed their own stock.
Many farmers do not raise their own
stock simply because they cannot see
any way to raise their calves without
milk. Therefore they maintain their
: herds by purchase. 1t is great gain
for the industry ofsdairying every time
farmer can be interested to improve
his herd by his own breeding.
COMMERCIAL CALF MEALS.
Feed manufacturers have in the past
few years greatly increased the num-
Der of commercial calf meals on the
market. They are all much alike as
to ingredients. 1t will not be possible
, to name all the commercial calf meals
L. on the market to give the Ingredients
Each farmer in selecting his calf meal,
must judge of it's merits. Since we
, cannot name them all and give results
: for each, it is only fair that we do no
name any.
/ 1t is suggested that those meals
= will probably give the best results
/ which are made up from the ingredi-
ents that we know to be suitable for
t feeding young animals. 1t is required
: by law that all the ingredients be
named. If there seem to be any ingre-
dents in the mixture that might not
be suitable, do not feed that meal but
buy another which has suitable ingre-
dents.
> Feed, the commercial calf meal that
you select according to the methods
suggested by the manufacturer. In
trials conducted by the author cover.
ing period of eight years with several
, commercial calf feeds the methods rec.
commended by the manufacturers have
been followed generally with good
results. We have had no trouble in
getting calves to gain at least one
: pound per day with commercial calf
meals and gains of one and a half
pounds per day have been common.
No one should be satisfied with a gain
+ of less than pound per day. All the
, precaution and methods of supplement
airy feeding to be used with SKINNED
milk must be scrupulously carried out
with commercial calf meals because
these meals are much more artificial
way of feeding than skim milk anc
are much more likely to cause trouble
Extra care must be taken not to over
feed.
The one thing that the author woule
emphasize with the commercial cali
meals is that they are too high il
price. They cost from $50 to $40 OF
more per ton retail whereas a gooe
home mixed calf meal has given better
A results than the average commercial
meal at cost of $40 to $50 per ton.
A HOME-MIXED CALF MEAL.
The Purdue Univ ersity experiment
station has used extensively home
e mixed calfmeal, simple in it's make-u,
and within the reach of all. Any feet
dealer can produce the ingredients i
you insist that he get them for you
Won chO,11I ho ohio fo y,oiv Of rrooo~