232 BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF CALVES 



Colostrum, having nearly five times the amount of 

 albumenoids, is an extremely nourishing food with laxative 

 tendencies, and is thus peculiarly well suited to the wants of 

 a new-born calf. Normal milk is such a poor and unsuit- 

 able substitute for it that it is no wonder calves deprived of 

 their natural food and put too soon on ordinary milk thrive 

 badly and suffer from scour. 



In rearing, calves may be (i) tied by the neck ; (2) kept 

 singly in small cribs ; or (3) let run together, loose, in a large, 

 dry, well-ventilated place. When loose they are liable to suck 

 each other about the navel, and produce enlargement and 

 often rawness of the part. To prevent this, calves are some- 

 times muzzled by putting on a bridle with sharp spines pro- 

 jecting upwards from the nose, to prick other calves and 

 prevent them standing to be sucked. It is a good practice to 

 give artificial food, such as finely ground cake, immediately 

 after the meal of milk, to take up the attention of the calf 

 until the strong instinctive desire to suck passes off. Hay- 

 racks and small boxes for cake should be fitted up on the 

 side of the wall of the crib or calf-house at convenient heights. 



Concrete, being easily cleaned, makes the best floor for 

 all cattle-houses. There should be sufficient fall into open 

 channels in preference to covered drains, to prevent urine 

 stagnating in pools. The channels should be regularly 

 swilled with water to prevent the occurrence of sour or putrid 

 odours, which are specially objectionable in a calf-house. 



There are three common methods of Rearing Calves : 



1st. Allowing the calf to suck its mother. This is the 

 most natural way, and produces the best calves for the 

 showy ard or for fattening, but it is expensive, and the calves 

 grow up wild unless frequently handled. There is a greater 

 mortality when foot-and-mouth disease breaks out among 

 sucking calves than among hand-fed ones, as a change to 

 healthy milk cannot be made if the mother becomes affected, 

 and the virus of the disease in such milk is liable to act as a 

 blood-poison to the calf. Bulls and pedigree show-stock, 

 especially in beef-producing breeds, are often allowed to suck 

 cross-bred foster-mothers, owing to the deficient milking 

 powers of the pure-bred females. Less milk sucked from a 

 cow suffices, as compared with hand-feeding, and " farrow " 

 cows giving little milk may rear good calves. Two store 



