312 



A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



ach and increase its feeding capacity. The most popular 

 hay fed dairy calves is either clover or alfalfa. A 200-pound 

 calf will consume 2 or 3 pounds of hay a day. 



Feeding concentrates to the dairy calf begins, as a rule, 

 at 2 to 3 weeks of age. The best plan is to have a small 

 feed box in the manger or stall, in which a handful of some 

 palatable meal may be placed. A mixture of equal parts 

 of corn meal, bran, and oats will be relished. Messrs. Hulce 

 and Nevens, of the Illinois station, recommend* a mixture 

 of ground corn 10 parts, by weight, oats 50 parts, wheat 

 bran 30 parts, and oil meal 10 parts. One may feed shelled 

 or cracked corn in the milk, if desired. When skim milk is 

 fed, the calf should not be fed oil meal or foods rich in pro- 

 tein, because the nutritive ratio of skim milk is extremely 

 narrow (1:1), so 

 that some food rich 

 in carbohydrates 

 should be used in- 

 stead, and corn 

 serves this purpose 

 very well. The calf 

 should be fed 

 enough g'rain and 

 roughage along 

 with the milk to 

 keep it gaining from 

 a pound to a pound 

 and a half a day. 



Raising calves with a milk substitute has not met with 

 general success, unless begun after 2 or 3 months of age. 

 Substitutes for milk have been made and sold on the market, 

 and teas have been made from hay and mixed with concen- 

 trates, but these are not entirely satisfactory. Milk in some 

 quantity for a time is really essential, if the calf is to do 

 well. Hulce and Nevens say: f 



*Circular 202, Univ. of 111. Ag. Exp. Station, Feed and Care of the Dairy Calf, 

 flbid. p. 6. 



Figure 133. Feeding the young dairy calf, 

 graph by the author. 



Photo- 



