FEEDING CALVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18496, 5 September 1923, Page 12

FEEDING CALVES.

Skim milk for calves should not exceed 181b. daily until the calf is five weeks old, and only in rare cases should an amount beyond 241b. be given. Many calves %re destroyed by persons who overfeed the animals with skim milk, as though they aimed at making up the quality of the skim milk by giving more of.it. Feed the young calves three times a day until four or five weeks old, the milk" being heated to blood heat. The careful feeder will use a thermometer to test it. When it is found that calves are doing badly on skim milk it is through the abuse of the fotji. Too large a supply of milk, infrequent and irregular feeding, milk too cold -for digestion, and sowing feeding pails are the causes of nine-tenths of the trouble. The calf is best taught to drink by using the fingers. The various devices for calf feeding are usually unsatisfactory, and often dangerous, because of the accumulations of milk in concealed places, which cannot be washed out, but remain to bei come putrid and disease-breeding. The calf is taught to eat grain by placing a handful of whole or ground oats or other similar feed in its mouth immediately after supplying the milk. Allow no mora grain in the feed box than ..will be wholly consumed between feeds. Hay from early cut grass or clover should also be supplied. Calves should be tied if they annoy each other. Properly fed on skim milk,' with oil meal, maize, oats, or other grain additional, the careful feeder can count on a grain with calves of from l|lb. to 21b. daily for the first four months.