216 



PRODUCTIVE FEEDING OF FARM ANIMALS 



9 per cent of the average weights of their respective dams, which 

 were all mature cows. According to Eckles, the average birth 

 weights of calves in the University of Missouri dairy herd were : 

 Ayrshire, 64 pounds; Holstein, 89 pounds; Jersey, 53 pounds, and 

 Dairy Shorthorn, 76 pounds, these weights being 6 to 8 per cent 

 of the weight of the dam. 2 The records show that bull calves average 

 about ten pounds heavier than the females at birth; the maturity 

 of the cow is also of importance, the birth weight of calves from 

 heifers and young cows being, on the average, about five pounds 

 lower than that of calves from cows that had given birth to three 

 or more calves. 



Gains Made by Calves. In experiments at the Kansas sta- 

 tion, calves reared on skim milk, grain and pasture from birth until 

 one year old made the average gains during the successive months 

 shown in the following table : 3 



Weight of Calves from Birth till One Year Old, in Pounds 



The gains made during the respective months were lowest during 

 the first three months and higher toward the end of the year, with 

 gains of about one pound per head daily during the first months, and 

 about two pounds per head daily during the fifth to the tenth month ; 

 the average daily gain during the entire year was 1.6 pounds per 

 head. 



The method of feeding the calf will vary according to the pur- 

 pose in view: Whether it is to be added to the dairy or beef herd, 

 or is to be vealed. After considering some general phases of the 

 subject of calf feeding, we shall take up separately the feeding 

 of calves for the various purposes mentioned (Fig. 40). 



Feeding Stuffs for Calves. The number of different feeds 

 used for feeding calves is not as large as in the case of mature 



2 "Dairy Cattle and Milk Production," p. 174. 

 'Bulletin 126; see also Illinois Bulletin 164. 



