COW AND CALF

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 28 July 1928, Page 16

COW AND CALF

THE FIRST FEW DAYS

T.he question of the start in life given to the calf has been discussed many times in this district. The value of the dam’s milk for a day or two has been stressed by many good farmers, and has )>een proved by some of the boys and girls in their calf-rearing competition. It will be of interest to farmers to read the following from the “Dairy Farmer”: “Heverting again to the question relating to the .best age to wean the calf from its . mother (says the writer) it- is interesting to quote the opinions of some prominent breeders. A common objection raised against allowing the calf to remain with the mother for a few days is that the cow will refuse "to give its milk when the calf is removed. Also that it will be difficult to get a calf to drink from the bucket if it. has been permitted to remain with the cow for several days. Again, it is argued that the calf will drink unevenly, only perhaps using one teat. These objections have been mentioned to those who have had experience of_ allowing the calves to run with their'mothers, and they state that the drawbacks mentioned are much exaggerated and are more than offset by advantages gained in other directions. Mi. H. .T. Marchant, president of the Friesian Society, relates that his father always insisted that the calf should he left with its dam for two days, and during the 17 years they have been breeding and developing Friesian herds in the Dominion every calf that has been bred has been allowed to remain with its mother for at least two days. And in all that time there have been only three cases of milk fever, find udder troubles have been few and far between, while breeding troubles have been negligible. Mr. Merchant says that the fact of the calf remaining with, the cow has a. definitely beneficial effect on udder disorders, find he believed it also had a good effect on subsequent breeding capacity. Speaking of milk fever, lie says that the latest theory from England is that, milk fever is caused bv depletion of lime salts from the blood. Colostrom contains a high proportion of lime., and if all the colostrum is rapidly taken awnv, as with handmilking, the depletion of lime salts is too great. On the other hand, the theory that milk fever is due to sugar depletion lias not been disproved, hut with the rise in the sugar content there has also been a rise in the lime content.

“Last season a King Country dairyman, with a. herd of 70 cows, tried the natural order of leaving the calves witli their mothers, and he left many

of them for five days. 'The result was most gratifying. Not only was there no udder .trouble, hut every cow except a late chiving heifer got- safely in calf right away, including a number of cows- he had trouble- with in this respect tile previous season. In a few eases .spine milk was taken away once a day from the heaviest producers-. Instead of the cows being unsettled when the calves were takn away, as it is contended they will be, it w-a-s found that the cows settled down to their milk better. than before. The owner has no doubt as to the value of allowing calves to remain with their mothers. He- says that after his experience of the past season he will never take a calf away from the cow again until at -least three days after it is horn.

“Mr. J. A. Maxwell, of Matangi, who rims- a herd of 80 cows, savs he has found that by, leaving the calves with the- cows for ( a few days tlie cows do much- better and their .hags are in much, better, condition arid less liable to swollen quarters. He has not had any trouble in getting the cows in calf, and altogether he considers that the act of. leaving,.the calves to suckle in the natural way for a few days is highly desirable, “Doubles®, many readers will not be readily inclined to Accept the conclusions mentioned above, possibly because they have infver given the idea a trial except, perhaps, with an odd cow affected with udder troubles. A rather remarkable instance of the benefit of leaving the calf with a cow suffering from a very bad udder is recorded. Considering that she wa-s of no further use as a unit in the herd of which she had formerly been one- of the best cows, the owner turned her adrift on the- road with her calf, where she was found wandering and afterwards taken in charge by another hia.ri;., wlioj- failing to find the rightful owner, milked -her. Her udder had quite recovered by the natural massaging and drainage of her udder by the calf, and, was at the head of the herd during the season.”