The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-05-30
By Geo. F. p. Minette
COUNTY I.eader

AS dairy calf club member you
want to see how well you can grow
out and develop your calf. You
want to learn to take the best care
of her. You are more or less be-
fore the eyes of your community
and you want it to see you make
good. You are setting an exam
pie for the other boys and girls Of
your community, Remember, if
you are to lead the way you have a
great responsibility. You must
make good. You don't have to win
the prize, but you should grow
good calf, one that you will be
proud of when people come to see
it.
Here are a few suggestions on
the care, feeding, and fitting of
dairy club heifers. Study them
carefully and see if you can make
some Improvement in your own
work. This outline is short and
does not cover fully all that might
be done, but in most cases it will
serve as a very good guide. If
your father or a near neighbor7 is
purebred breeder or good dairy
man, his advice will be of great
values to you because he knows
your special conditions.
Space will not be used to de-
scribe the kind of calf to buy.
When you get this you have al
ready obtained your calf. We hope,
it is a good one, aand has been
carefully selected by some one who
knows what good calf should be.
Your calf will probably be be-
tween 2 and 6 months of age when
you get. her. You should put her
In a clean, dry, light stall or pen
with plenty of good clean bedding.
Keep her by herself if you can. If
she must go in with other calves
see that there is room enough for
all. Let he out or lead her out for
exercise. See that she has plenty
of good clean water at all times.
Put up a little box for salt. It
would be well to put up another
box and keep in it at all times lit
tie fine ground bonemeal or spent
boneblack, which you can get from
the feed store. Add just a little
salt to the bonemeal. Bonemeal
helps to build big strong bones.
Milk-Your calf should have
skimmilk, if you have it, until she
is to 8 months old. If you are
short of skimmilk she will do fair
ly well without it after she is 8
months old. It is the best calf feed
known. Feed it fresh and warm
from the separator. If you don't
know how much she has had be-
fore you get her, feed small
amount at first. Start out with
about 10 pounds a day, pounds
night and morning, and slowly in
crease up to Is or 16 pounds if the
calf will take that much. There
isn't much value in feeding more
than this amount at any time. It
is much better to feed not quite
enough skimmilk than too much.
Wash and scald the milk feed pals
every day.
Hay-Feed all the good hay the
calf will eat at all times. Don't
make her eat it all unless it is very
fine. Take out what she leaves
each day and give it to the horses.
Put in fresh hay daily.
Clover hay is probably the best
until the calf is S or months old.
Then alfalfa is best. If you do not
have clover and feed alfalfa, put in
a little titmothy or prairie hay
with it if you can. Nice fine al
falfa hay may be too laxative for
the little calf.
Clover and timothy is pretty
good hay for a small calf.
Silage do not feed silage to |
your calf until she is at least 6 4
months old. She does not need it,
and it may cause trouble. After |
months it may be well to feed a
little.
Grain-Enough grain should be
fed to keep the calf in good condi-
ion and growing. Until she is 5 or