Rations for growing animals 181 



The most natural and suitable food for the newborn animal is the milk 

 of its own mother. The milk secreted by the mother during the first few 

 days after parturition (colostrum) is richer in nutrients and on account 

 of its slight laxative action has the effect of removing the meconium 

 (first excrement) more promptly than would otherwise occur. For this 

 reason the newborn animal should not be deprived of the first milk. 

 Since the colostral milk coagulates upon being boiled, it should be ad- 

 ministered in the raw or fresh state. 



Calves from dams not known to be free from tuberculosis should have 

 boiled milk only (or milk heated to at least 185° F. — pasteurized), to 

 prevent possible transmission of disease. Milk from other species of 

 animals, when fed to the newborn, should always be boiled or at least 

 pasteurized. 



The limited supply of ferments in the digestive fluids of the newborn 

 makes it possible that the foreign albumen in milk of other species can 

 not be properly "denatured" by the digestive fluids before being taken 

 up by the blood. These foreign albumens, when absorbed into the blood, 

 etc., in their unmodified condition, exert a harmful action like any other 

 foreign albumen introduced directly into the blood stream. 



There is a prevalent opinion that cooking or boiling milk produces 

 changes in taste, odor, coagulation of the albumen, destruction of fer- 

 ments, preventing coagulation in the stomach, transformation of soluble 

 into insoluble salts, etc., which make it less agreeable and less nutritious. 

 Investigations of Dammann have shown that boiled milk is entirely 

 harmless. 



Feeding experiments with 27 calves, by Hittcher, with reference to the 

 comparative value of boiled or raw milk and the effect of the addition 

 of salts of various nature, are interesting. The table shows the amount 

 of milk, with 11.50 per cent dry matter, necessary to produce a gain of 

 1 kg. (2.2 pounds). The experiment extended over two periods oTfive 

 weeks each. 



First period Second period Average 

 Kilograms Kilograms Kilograms 



Raw milk, alone 11.18 11.20 11.19 



Boiled milk, alone 10.36 11.25 10.80 



Boiled milk, with common salt, 2 gm. per liter 10.17 10.75 10.46 



Boiled milk, with citrate of lime, 2 gm. per liter. . 12.28 10.35 11.32 



Boiled milk, with monocalcium phosphate, 0.6 gm. 



per liter 13.51 ' 11.31 12.41 



Boiled milk, with calcium chlorid, 0.4 gm. per liter 13.02 13.82 13.42 



According to these results the boiled milk, especially that with an ad- 

 dition of common salt, seems to be superior to the raw. 



In contrast to these results Bruening, etc., found that kids thrived 

 better on raw mother's milk than on boiled milk of the same origin. 

 However, when young goats, swine, dogs, rabbits and guinea-pigs were 

 fed on raw and boiled milk, respectively, of another species (cow's milk), 

 the boiled milk produced the best results. Schrape recorded a similar 



