CALF FEEDING 



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animals. The more important calf feeds are: Whole milk and 

 dairy by-products, milk substitutes, hay, and various concentrates. 

 Whole milk is the natural feed for calves, both as to the char- 

 acter of its nutrients and the proportion in which these occur. It 

 forms their sole feed for a period of a week or two to several months, 

 according to the purpose in view, whether the calf is to be added 

 to the breeding herd or to be vealed. 



FIG. 40. Dairy calves in the pasture an old-country scene. 



Only the fourth stomach (abomasum) of the new-born calf is 

 fully developed; the other three compartments are small and do 

 not take part in the digestion of the feed until the calf is old enough 

 to eat solid feed. The lining of the fourth stomach of the young 

 calf contains a considerable amount of the ferment rennin, and 

 large numbers of such calves are killed annually in Europe, espe- 

 cially in Bohemia, to supply the demand for rennet stomachs used in 

 the manufacture of cheese. As the calf learns to eat solid feed, 

 the other compartments of the stomach gradually develop, and the 

 digestive processes become similar to those of grown animals. 



The amount of whole milk required for one pound of gain will 

 vary considerably, according to the age of the calves. During the 



