WORK ON THE FARM

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3792, 7 August 1936, Page 3

WORK ON THE FARM

TREATING SCOURS IN CALVES. First of all isolate the' sick animal to prevent the spread of infection to other calves, and to facilitate the nursing of the patient. Endeavour to find the cause of the scours for if this be removed recovery often takes place. In some mild cases the diarrhoea itself removes the irritating material and spontaneous recovery takes place without further treatment. In the treatment of diarrhoea in young calves all food should be with held for one or two days and a liberal supply of boiled water given every four hours. This allows the digestive system to rest and is of great assistance to the calf in overcoming the complaint. For older calves 1 to 3 oz. (depending on the size of the animal) of castor oil should be given in an attempt to remove the irritating material. Follow this with half to one teaspoonful of formalin in half a pint of boiled milk. This is particularly useful in cases where there is bloating, as formalin is not only an intestinal disinfectant bot also prevents fermenation. If the diarrhoea still persists, give 1 dram of bismuth subnitrate with 1 dram of gum arable, in boiled milk, three times a day. It is a significant fact that calves reared on their dams very seldom suffer from the complaints to which hand-fed calves are susceptible. This indicates that most digestive troubles are due to faulty feeding and incorrect methods of rearing, to prevent scours, attention must be given to hygienic conditions, housing and feeding, which may be summarised as follows: (1) Provide shelter and replace bedding frequently. ()2 Clean and disinfect buildings, drains and yards. (3) Adopt the system of feeding frqm separate vessels and sterilizing them between each feed. (4) Feed little and often. (5) Feed regularly and avoid sudden changes in quality, quantity and temperature of the food material. (6) Supplement separated milk with cod liver oil, linseed porridge, &c., and when altering the diet make the changes graddual.