OUR CALF CLUB COLUMN

Northern Advocate, 31 October 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR CALF CLUB COLUMN

Owing to the large demand for copies of the paper containing, this / ' article, the “Advocate” is reprinting it again today.

CHILDREN’S JUDGING

CONDITION AND GROWTH.

LBy G. S. B. Morrison.)

As there will be a calf judging com-'; petition for children of the upper standards when the annual calf club competitions are held, I am going to tell you how to judge a calf, not for type but for rearing, using the same standard as at last year’s competitions. The maximum points allowed are: Condition 30, growth 20, handling 30, skin 10, and bloom 10, making a total of 100 points. Condition.—Calves do not carry their condition in the same place as beef cattle and allied breeds, which have the condition more on the back rather tifan on the ribs. We do not like this in a dairy animal, but rather a nice fine wither and a nicely serrated vertebrae which should not be hidden by fat. Run the hands over the calf generally and along the ribs starting at the shoulder. The condition should be nice and even —not thin and emaciated. If, on the other hand, it carries too much condition it will be inclined to grow coarse and will not develop into a nice calf. A “potbellied” calf is generally an unthrifty calf —it may have been starved and £hen given an over-supply of non-

nutritious food that extends the stomach. Calves given good nutritious food regularly will not get “potbellied.” I would fake off marks for a “pot-bellied” one. Our aim is not to rear such a calf but rather one with a well sprung and deep rib which gives it plenty of room for holding grass—that is plenty of capacity. While a "herring-gutted” calf would not lose marks like a “pot-bellied” one, such a calf would not be likely to get too many marks for condition, as it would not be such a good doer as the more roomy calf. In an over-fat calf we get little lumps of fat just in front of and above, the tail. We also find it inclined to grow along the back and to have a thicker layer of fat on the ribs than in the properly reared dairy calf. The back and shoulder gets thicker and it has not a nice thin shoulder so desirable in a dairy breed. The dairy calf is not so likely to get a layer of fat along the backbone as in a beef breed, but if over fed it often does grow fat there, in fact it grows fat all over.

As the calves are being reared for dairy cows and not for vealers it is possible that your calf can be . too fat, and,, if so, penalise it 1 or 2 points for overfatness just as you would reduce points for being too thin. When you find what in your judgment is the best conditioned calf, you might allot 28 or even 29 points if really well conditioned. It is better to under-estimate marks at first rather than to give the maximum. Then if two or more calves are equal or nearly equal, when you bring them together and compare them again you can then give another point to the one that comes nearest to your ideal or, if equal, give each the same number.

Growth. —In considering the growth of the calf we do not look for extremes in height or length or width, although length is always good. The ideal is a nice even calf, well bal-

anced, not too close to the ground, or not too “leggy.” A long “leggy” calf would not score as well as a better balanced calf just because it happened to be a little bit taller. We do not judge calves like carrots or parsnips for the largest growth-r-calves are not all built in the same mould. In a herd we find some cows bigger than others, although they have been no better fed than finer bred cows and they are not necessarily better. Similarly the, big framed rough calf that, when it grows to a cow would be considerably bigger, is not necessarily a better calf than one more finely bred which showed the same growth in proportion, and so the latter would not be penalised. In growth then, we want first balance and second size, and in my opinion a reasonably grown calf that is well balanced would be entitled to more marks than a bigger calf which is not so well balanced.

To sum up for both condition and growth you really must use your own judgment, set a standard in your mind’s eye and compare the calves with this standard—that is where practice comes in in being able to judge up to your own standard, and perhaps your teacher may be able to arrange for a local farmer to come along to the school some day and with two calves actually give you the opportunity of exercising your judgment and afterwards showing you where your judgment went astray. In judging for condition I do not think it would be wise to take a light and heavy breed together, as the heavy breed naturally carried a little more condition than the light breed.

Now, how are we going to get maximum points for growth and conditions with our own calf? Well, I cannot advise you. better than to follow out the advice given in the able articles that have already appeared in these columns.