Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-03-04
Helping the Meat and MIX Supply.

helping the Meat and Milk Supply
ment Of Agriculture.)
More calves see the light of day In th
spring and draw their first breath whe
the air 10 filed with the fragrance Q
many blossoms than during any othe
season Of the year. Whether thes
calves will become star boarders, pre-
ducing little milk Of no profit for thei
owners, or be desirable additions to th
dairy world, will depend not only upo
the care that is given them but upon tn
feed and management Of their mothers
Poorly nourished cows, say dairy spe
cialists Of the q. S. Department Of Agri
culture, give birth to weak calves tha
ars hard to raise. Cows which have al
abundance Of palatable succulent feet
and are in good body flesh and healthy
thrifty condition at calving time ar,
more likely to produce well-developed
strong, thrifty calves which will RESPOND
normally to proper feed and care. 1t II
false economy for any dsiry-cow owner
70 withhold feed from dry COW, az thil
is likely to affect unfavorsbly the future
welfare OF the calf, as well as later mill
prOouctiOn Dy the COW.
Natures method is to have the call
stay with the COW until it can support
itself. In modern dairy farming, how
ever, because of the value of the butter
fat and whole milk the dsirymsn sepa.
rates the calf from the cow soon after
birth. The milk produced by the COW
for the first few days has properties
which put the calf's digestive system In
good working order. It is, therefore,
necessary that the newly born calf have
this milk. Most dairymen prefer to
keep the calf with It's mother for about
4S hours Immediately after birth, but II
the calf Is weak 1t is best to allow 1t to
remain longer.
POINTS ON FEEDING CALVES.
Feed regularly.
Be sure that the milk 10 always sweet
and warm.
Use only clean pals.
Feed the calf little less than 1t wants.
Reduce the amount Of milk one half
II the calf becomes sick.
TEACHING THE CALF TO DRINK.
The longer the calf remains with the
cow, however, the harder 1t is to teach
1t to drink, but IL Is usually simple
matter to teach good, robust calf to
drink, IL taken when not more than two
days old. Before this Is attempted q
calf should be kept from the COW for
about II hours; 1t will then be very hun
cry. About two quarts of It's mothers
milk, fresh and warm, should be put
into clean pail and held In front of the
calf. Sometimes 1t will put It's nose into
the pail and drink without coaxing.
Dairymen are not fortunate enough to
have many calves that will do this, how
ever, and in most cases 1t will be neces-
ssry to use little forceful persuasion In
assisting the calf with Its first meal
away from its mother. Let the calf
suck the fingers, and by this means
gradually draw its nose into the milk.
when the fingers should be removed
carefully ss soon as the calf gets taste
Of the milk. Patience is necessary, for
this operation may have to be repeated
two or three times before the calf will
drink alone. II the calf is unusually stub
born and 1t is necessary to use force,
try not to frighten or unduly excite 1t.
A calf weighing 80 pounds at birth
should have about eight pounds of whole
milk q day, while 100 pound calf
should have about II pounds. The
amount of milk should be gradually In.
creased until at the end Of the second
week the calf should receive from IA
to 16 pounds day. Its mothers milk
should be given calf for the first four
daya than any pood whole milk can be
used, but preferably 1t should not con-
tain more than per cent butter fat.
Best results can be obtained by feeding
young calves three times day, with
the periods between feeding a. nearly
equal as possible. When fed 10 this way
the calf does not overload Its stomach
and the digestion of the feed is more
evenly distributed throughout the "a
hours. Regularity in feeding 10 impor-
tant. When calves are fed but twice .
day the feeding should be a. nearly as
possible - hours apart.