REARING DAIRY CALVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19974, 16 June 1928, Page 18

REARING DAIRY CALVES.

BY H.B.T.

NECESSITY FOR COLOSTRUM. USE OF ARTIFICIAL FOOD. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL METHOD.

It, is the general practice among dairy farmers to feed to tho calf its mother's milk during the first few days after it is born. There are, however., times when, through death of the mother, or where she is suspected of being tubercular, this cannot be done. In such cases the only possible method of satisfactorily rearing the calf is to secure milk for it from some other cow tliat has just calved, as an attempt to rear it without giving it the colostrum, or first milk given by a cow after calving, is always followed by trouble. The reason for this is that colostrum, or " biestings" as this milk is sometimes called, contains an abnormally high percentage of protein, globulin, and what are called " immuno bodies." Ordinary milk contains .03 per cent, of globulin while colostrum contains from 6 to 12 per cent. This globulin is essential to tho young animal, and from tests it would appear that none is present in the calf's blood at birth, nor does it appear able to absorb it from normal milk. From blood tests taken from the calf after receiving colostrum, however, it is apparent that is is absorbed from colostrum by the calf in large quantities. What are called "immune bodies" are also not present in the blood of a newlyborn calf, but, like globulin, are procured from the colostrum. Their duty is to protect the young animal against certain infectious diseases.. Old Ideas Refuted.

The old idea was that the colostrum served merely as a purgative which stimulated the action of the calf's organs in preparation for the digestion of the normal milk, and that the addition of cod-liver, or somo other oil, to normal milk would servo this purpose equally well. That this is not so has been demonstrated to the writer on many occasions when newly-born calves given this ration have developed what appeared to be " white scour" within a few days, and this was only corrected when colostrum was added to their food, or they were put back on their mothers. Under natural conditions where the cow suckles her calf continuously, there is seldom any trouble with contagious " white scour" aind "enteritis," nor are the calves reared under these conditions affected by the contagious diseases which so frequently claim heavy' toll among artificially-reared calves. It is apparent, therefore, that apart from being mildly laxative the colostrum contains essential ingredients to the calf's health, besides heing rich in other food constituents. As the average dairy cow yields much more of this colostrum than her calf can use, it is a good practice to arid the balance to the food of such calves as show signs ol scour or general debility. Bearing Dairy Calves. In rearing calves which it is hoped will later become heavy producers, it is essential that they should be given all the good food and nourishment which they can consume in their early life. It is, therefore, poor economy to give them anything but w-hole milk after they have been taken from their mothers at the end of the first three or four days. If for any reason the farmer is compelled to attempt the rearing of the calf on artificial food, the following is the most successful method to adopt: Give a dose of one to two tablespoonfuls of castor oil soon after birth, and feed the calf for the first week on the follow ing ration: 3 pints milk, 1 pint water, 2 eegs beaten up. This daily ration should be given in four meals regulating the hours of feeding as equally as possible. It will be found more convenient to prepare half the day's ration—enough Tor two meals—at one time. For the following week the calf should be fed four times a day, getting at each feed 1£ pints of new milk and half of water, making the daily ration 6 pints milk and 2 pints water. After the second week the calf should be fed on new milk which should bo given three times a day.