REARING CALVES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 256, 12 October 1932, Page 11

REARING CALVES

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN. An inquiry has been received from one of our subscribers asking for a remedy for white scour in calves. In all diseases preventive measures are much better than having to provide a cure after the disease has made itself manifest. The cause of white scour in calves is over-feeding with an unsuitable ration and dirty feeding utensils. The calf when suckled by the cow, js fed several times a day with a smaM quantity of milk. It is the usual custom to feed hand-reared calves for the first three months twice a day, but better results would be achieved if they were fed three times a day with a smaller quan tity for the first four weeks. All backets and utensils should Oe thoroughly cleansed after each feeding Some calves are very much slower at drinking than others, hence it is necessary carefully to watch that each calf secures the right quantity. When a calf is suffering from white scour it is necessary to cease feeding it with milk for the time being. Give a calf, from four to six weeks old, a tablespoon of castor oil, and from two to three months old, two tablespoons of castor oil. This should have the effect of getting rid of the cause of the disease. It is preferable to scald the milk for the first few days when returning to the regular ration, and the addition of lime water is valuable in reducing acidity in the stomach. It is a well-known fact that the wives and daughters of dairy farmers are much more successful in rearing calves than their husbands and brothers, as they seem to know the right quantity of food that a young calf can assimilate. The samp common sense is required in feeding a calf as would be used in rearing an infant.