RAISING DAIRY CATTLE 429 



feeding a suitable mixture of concentrates and chopped or ground legume 

 hay, the proportion of concentrates and hay being adjusted so the calves 

 do not get so much concentrates that the feed cost is high. Milk and 

 uncut roughage would of course be furnished in addition. 



687. Starting the calf on whole milk. The skim milk calf is usually 

 allowed to get its milk from the dam for 2 to 4 days, as the colostrum 

 milk, secreted immediately after calving, is not suitable for human use. 

 (115) Some dairymen prefer not to allow the calf to draw milk from the 

 mother, or leave it with the cow only one day, believing that the cow and 

 calf then fret less when separated, and that the calf learns more readily 

 to drink from the pail. In any event the calf should always get the first 

 milk, or colostrum, which is designed by nature for cleansing the bowels 

 and starting the digestive functions. If the cow is a heavy milker, the 

 calf should not be allowed to gorge on milk, lest scours result. After each 

 feeding the cow should be stripped clean. When the cow 's udder is caked, 

 leaving the calf with her will aid in reducing the inflammation. 



The calf is best taught to drink milk from the pail by using the fingers. 

 If it is allowed to go 12 to 18 hours without feeding, or until it becomes 

 genuinely hungry, much less difficulty will be experienced in the first 

 lesson. Some dairymen use calf feeders, claiming that the slowness 

 with which calves suck milk from the nipple, compared with drinking 

 from the bucket, aids digestion. Hooper found at the Kentucky Sta- 

 tion 19 that during the first 7 to 10 weeks calves were more thrifty when 

 fed thru the nipple. After the 70th day, however, the feeder was no 

 more effective than bucket feeding, and by the time the calves were 6 

 months old there was little difference in size or vigor between the lots. 

 Many of the calf feeding devices on the market are unsatisfactory, and 

 all are dangerous unless extreme care is exercised in cleansing and steril- 

 izing them. 



The young calf has a small stomach and naturally takes milk fre- 

 quently and in small quantities. Too large an allowance of milk pro- 

 duces indigestion and scours. When milk feeding begins, for the first 

 day or two only 5 to 6 pounds should be fed daily, or somewhat more 

 for a large lusty calf, the allowance being usually divided between 2 

 feedings. Some advocate feeding at least 3 times a day at first, which 

 occasions little extra work if the cow is milked thrice daily. When 

 the cow is milked twice a day, the bother of warming the milk at noon 

 is held by many not to be repaid. In all cases the milk should be fed 

 as fresh as possible and at blood heat, or about 100 F. The temperature 

 should be determined by a thermometer, instead of guessing at it. The 

 allowance of milk should be gradually increased, but over-feeding, the 

 common cause of poor success in calf rearing, should be avoided at all 

 times. A safe rule is always to keep the calf a little hungry. Calves 

 should be fed individually, the allowance for each being measured or 

 weighed and the amount fed depending on the size and vigor of the 



"Ky. Bui. 171. 



