222 



PRODUCTIVE FEEDING OF FARM ANIMALS 



of succulent character. As a capacity for digesting large amounts 

 of coarse feed is important in the case of both dairy and beef cattle, 

 it is a good plan to develop the digestive apparatus of the calf by 

 feeding all the fine hay it will eat, along with the grain given. 



Succulent Feeds. Corn silage of good quality made from at 

 least nearly matured corn and free from mold may be fed to ad- 

 vantage in small quantities, say about two pounds a day to calves 

 that are old enough to eat it; older calves may be fed five to ten 

 pounds with dry feed. Roots are also excellent for calves. Pasture 

 grass will give good results with calves four months old or over. 

 To overcome the tendency of scouring when the calves are turned 

 on to pasture, they may be fed some soiling crops during the first 

 days, or may be left in the pasture only a short time daily at first, 

 so as to gradually accustom them to the green feed. 



Water and Salt. Calves should receive both water and salt 

 regularly. Otis states that at three months of age a calf will drink, 

 on the average, five quarts of water daily. They like to drink 

 often, sipping a little at a time. A half barrel, cleaned and re- 

 plenished twice daily, will serve nicely as a water trough. Another 

 good device is an automatic waterer, which may be easily cleaned, 

 placed a little above the floor to keep out the litter. Salt is essen- 

 tial to the normal development of the calf, as of other farm ani- 

 mals, and -should be given regularly or kept before the calves all 

 the time. 



Substitutes for Skim Milk. On account of the large propor- 

 tion of whole milk sold for direct consumption, to condensed milk 

 factories, or to cheese factories, many farmers do not have skim 

 milk to feed young stock, and numerous special calf njeals have as 

 a result been placed on the market to serve as a substitute for skim 

 milk in calf raising. 



Composition of Calf Meals. The following table shows some 

 of the more important of these and their chemical composition : 

 Chemical Composition of Calf Meals, in Per Cent 



* Wis. Cir. 30. t Wis. Cir. 22. % Mfr.'e guarantees. \ By difference. 



