CALF CLUB NOTES

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3206, 13 September 1934, Page 3

CALF CLUB NOTES

BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ AGRICULTURAL CLUB CALF-REARING COMPETITION (Notes Supplied by Cambridge Calf Club Committee). Many boys- and girls have perhaps not yet started rearing their calves, because they have been unable to procure ono to suit them. Do not be concerned about this, as any calf born between Ist August and 15th September can be entered in the competition. Nevertheless, you are advised to make a start as soon as possible.. Even though you have not yet started, keep the notes that appear every week as they will bo useful. Milk the Perfect Food Thoso who have already started will be feeding the calves on new milk, or perhaps, in the case of those who made a very early start, will be feeding the calves on part new and part skim milk. Now it will be interesting to compare the constituents of new milk with those of colostrum and note how the proportions differ. Last time a table showing the percentage of each con-' stituent in colostrum was shown.. Here is one showing the proportions of various food constituents in new milk: Water 87.1 per cent. Sugar 5.0 per cent. . Fat 4.0 per cent. Casein 2,5 per centAlbumen 7 per cent. Ash 7 per cent. These foods are arranged in such proportions, that will bo best for the young calf. Everything necessary for healthy growth is here, so milk is called the perfect food. Experiments have often been carried out, even here in ■ New Zealand, to prove the great benefit of getting children to ; drink plenty of milk. Tho '-splendid results are simply due to the fact that milk contains just the right amounts of foods to make children strong and healthy. You are perhaps surprised at the large quantity of water. This is so because, in order that the milk be not too rich, the foods must bo mixed with water. Water also helps to quench the thirst, and keeps the milk solids in a liquid state. Casein is one of these solids ,and is most .familiar to us in the form of cheese which is merely the solid part of the milk, most of the water having been drained off. ,as wh.py. *3Pfe*.|a.l*and sugar. Arc; jeatboe hydrates, or heat-giving and energygiving substances. . The casein . and albumen, both being proteins, are necessary for building up the body. And lastly, tho ash is required to make the bones strong and keep the animal healthy. It should not bo very hard to see why milk is a perfect diet, and good for children as well as calves. Rugging and Shelter As we have seen from a study of new milk, tho calf uses its food in two ways: (1) To build up tho body, the bones, tho muscles, etc.; (2) to make heat to keep the body warm. On very cold days you will oat m,ore food than on hot days, because your body is requiring more heat. So in order to allow the calf to use up as much as possible of its food in building its body instead of in keeping it warm, provide it with a warm cover and a warm bed at night. The first can be made by sowing an old blanket inside a piece of sacking cut to shape, and the second by putting down some hay or. straw in a suitable shed. Be careful to leave tho cover off on warm days, as you do not want to weaken the calf bv “molly-coddling” it. It is also necessary for tho calf to havo room to take exercise in. A paddock sheltered on tho south from cold winds is most suitable. Now, if you arc feeding your calf properly, have provided suitable covering and shelter, have allowed the calf a paddock to run around in for exercise, and lastly, if you are keeping your noto record well, you arc carrying out the club work in such a way that you are bound to have some success in the competition.