HOW TO REAR CALVES WELL.

Otaki Mail, 1 September 1930, Page 3

HOW TO REAR CALVES WELL.

FOR GUIDANCE OF AGRICULTURAL CLUB MEMBERS. PREPARE!) BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Importance of Good Rearing: A valuable means towards profitable dairying is the careful roaring of suitable heifer calves. Often cheaper production of dairy products may be brought about by replacing inferior animals in the herds by heifers which the farmers have reared for themselves and which are of superior productive ' WUJe the value of a calf at- birth depends primarily of its breeding, yet the feeding and care it receives while j young are of great importance in de-; ciding its future usefulness in the herd. The value of a calf which is capable of developing into a' really good cow may readily be lessened greatly by poor and unsuitable care during the few first months or even weeks of its life. Separation From the Cow:

Club calves are not to be raised by sucking the cow, but are to be fed by hand. Hence ■it is 'lmportant to remember that the longer the ca|f sucks its mother the more difficult it will be jto teach it to drink. The first" (or ; colostrum), milk of the cow possesses j properties which stimulate the calf's ! stomach and other digestive organs to acton. Colostrum is nature's physic, j and hjri.ee -the young calf should ali ways receive its mother's' miilk at first. Legally, under the Pure Food Act, produced during the first seven days after calving may not be used commercially, hence it may well be given freely to the calf. The calf is sometimes weak at birth, aud, if necessary, it should be lifted up and encouraged to suck as soon as possible. It is usually easier to induce , . the calf to suck the cow than to try to make lit drink from the bucket. Because of these facts, it is productive of good results to let the calf remain with its mother for a. short time, say two to four days after birth. An additional! advantage of this practice is that the mother wlill carefully dry the calf by licking within the first few hours of its life. If the mother does not clean it thoroughly it should be gently rubbed with a cloth and made warm and comfortable in a sheltered dry place. It is generally hd(d that leaving ,the calf with the cow for some time lessens udder troubles in the cow. Teaching the Calf to Brink: « It is desirable that the calf be in a thriving, wigorous condition when it is taught to drink. It should be kept without food for at least 12,- hours', at,the end of which time it will be hungry and will usually drink milk from the pa*j much more readily than when not hungry. ' f Warm, fresh milk from the mother should be put into a clean receptacle and held near the floor in front of the calf, which will generally begin to "nose" about the pail. It may be well to push: its nose in the misk. Sometimes as soon as it gets a taste of milk, it will drink without further trouble. Often, however, it will be necessary for the'"feeder to put one or two fingers into the calf's mouth.

Cleanliness a First Essential: Cleanliness is absolutely essential to the successful raising of-"calves. It is equally necessary in feed, pens, bedding and utensils. All milk and other feeds should be fresh and clean. Great care should be taken in washing the milk buckets. These should first be rinsed, with luke-warm water, then thoroughly scalded with boiling, or almost boiling, water, and when not in use kept in a clean, sunny, airy place. Attention to these detaijs is the best preventive of disease. Nearly all diseases of the calf are caused either directly or indirectly by lack of cleanliness. Many small disturbances of the calf's stomach and digestive system which lender growth and development are caused by certain bacteria. Filth and dirt are the natural breeding places of those bacteria. Himce, elimination of filth usually means freedom from disease.

Quantity and Quality of Milk: The quantity of liquid feed that a calf should receive depends upon the size and ago of the calf and to some extent upon the Kind and condition of the feed- At birth calves often range from .50 to lOOlbs. in weight. A 50 pound calf should-have about 8 pounds a day, while a 1001 b. one should have about 12 pounds. Many beginners make the mistake of letting the calf .have all the mi(]k it requires. This might be all right "if the calf were fed about i-vi-i-y two hours, as is the case when it runs with its mother. But when a young calf, which has been without feed for 12 hours or more is given all the milk it will take there is danger that it will gorge itself, thus causing digestive trouble. It is much safer to keep the quantity of feed well bftiow the capacity of the calf than to risk over-feeding. Care should be taken to see that any milk fed the young calves is of uniform temperature of about 90 to 95 degrees Fahr.—a temperature readily secured by feeding milk before it has cooled Biuc hafter it has come from the cow.

Many feeders attempt to overcome poor quality iu the feed by increasing the amount. For instance, they feed more skim milk than they would whole milk. The idea underlying thlis % is' that the extra amount of the former makes up for the butterfat which has been removed from the latter. ■ TMs is radically wrong, in that it ignores nature's balanee of nourishing ingredients in the feeds and does not take into account The capacity of the animal's stomach. .' "-

The periods between feeding should be as nearly equal as possible. The importance of regularity in feeding is often not properly appreciated, * Feeding During the First Two Weeks: ..■No: rules of feeding based upon age can safely be given because the sizcand vigour of the calf should alwavs be considered. Usually good results come from feeding whole m&Jk for about two weeks, at the end of Tvhieh iiime skim milk, whey and other substances may fittingly bV used as part of the ration. . "

For the first four days, from 8 to 12 lbs of milk from the mother should be fed. After this the milk may be gen 3 erally from any, cow, or. cows in the herd, but not front fows that, beeause of the approach-of the end of..■their" milking season,.'are nearly dry. Milk, containing not -more ;,than about 4'per cent, of butterfat is .considered best for use at this stage."- ~ Quarters for Calves: -

Too much emphasis cannot easMybe placed upon' the. advisability of having drj-j. well lighted, airy, sheltered quarters ■'.£or 'calves.

Calves also benefit from being allowed to run, from an early .age, on short, j fresh, clean pasture. To ensure freshjness., calves should not be kept top fting/Jon a relatively"';small area of pas- | ture.' ; " ' la the p'addoek on which, the calves j run there should be no rabbis!} sueh -as? straw; from old stacks, paper and'rags, ■for calves eat such rubbish" which give rise to stomach troubles. Calves should not be ■given any"'chance'of poisoning themselves ■ wiiji, paint, 'which' they >rili readily ,'liek from'old paint "pots 'or f esl ly pai i---"< ; - i < tit It is well

£& r (o aH'Sl^-'caif^ft-If ffSe :' expoaedsta any *wet" weatlie?"'foF'St'-least: a»forfcnight after their birth, farmers endjß&voni'* as far as possible to left/ealves take full advantage afi'fihl' open air when, the weather is dry and sunny. It is inadvisable that calves share a paddock with pigs. Prevention of Horns:

Generally it is better thafr cows be without horns. It is much easier to prevent the- growth of horns than to remove them. The structures ~or "points" that will ultimately develop into horns can be felt as small buttons embedded in the skin. Prevention of horns is most effective if treatment is carried out when these buttons are just large enough fe»)t, which is usually between the third and seventh days after birth. There is more likelihood of thoroughly satisfactory results when the treatment is carried out about the thlird or fourth day. To prevent horn development the following steps arc necessary:— (1) Remove the hair from the horn buttons.

(2) Put-a small ring of grease surrounding the button leaving the area of the button itself wth no grease on it. Then with a piece of, moistened chilli over the index finger dampen the skin over the button. ■

(3) Take a stick of caustie and rub the dry stick on the moistened Bkiri of- the button; 'Rub the caustie on the button until there are sighs of the development of a blood blister just over the button. This treatment will usually be sufficient to prevent horns growing. If the button is not rubbed enough an ugly knob or "scurr" may develop. Immediately after the caustie has been applied the calf should be protected from rain in order to prevent tire caustie from spreading. If the operation is carefully performed the horns will not grow. To sum up, in the early stages it is important:— (1) to feed milk at about the temperature of new milk. (2) to keep all feeds and feeding utensils scrupulously 'clean. (3) to feed at regular equal intervals as far as possible. (4) to provide good shelter either byuse of sheds or shelter planta- '. tions. (u) to uso a paddock which carries ] a growth of fresh,clean, short • grass, and which it will usually ' be weifl to have top-dressed fair- j ly recently with a phosphatie | fertiliser. j

Note: —To be continued in the near future when feeding the calf at later stages aud calf diseases will be dealt with.