ON THE BREEDING, REARING, FATTENING, 

 AND GENERAL, MANAGEMENT OF NEAT CAT- 

 TLE. 



Extracts from tlie last edition (1833) of the "Complete Grazier." 

 [Continued IVom page 2l2, Vol. II.] 

 On the feeding of Calves fir veal. 

 Vea1 boino- a lavorite article of diet, the fatten- 

 ing of calves is an object of no small importance, 

 particularly in the vicinity of the metropolis. 

 Hence various sort.s of food and modes of treat- 

 ment have been recommended; but the most ef- 

 fectual, and consequently the best Avay, is to keep 

 them in pretty dark places, in pens, (lest they 

 should fatigue fhemselves by sporting too much in 

 the light, which \vould be injurious to them,) and 

 to feed them solely on the cow's milk, with the ad- 

 dition of a little meal, for the last lew weeks. It is 

 also a common, and not an injudicious practice, to 

 give them about a wine glass tlill of common gin 

 or rum, mixed up in as much tiour as it will moist- 

 en, in the intermediate time between their being 

 suckled: it is made into balls, and forced down the 

 Ihroaf; and on this treatment the animal will ge- 

 nerally become sufficiently fat in from ten to twelve 

 'veeks: it is not desirable to keep them a day be- 

 yond the time when they are fit tor the butcher, as 

 small veal is preferred to large, if equally fat. As 

 cleanliness is an indispensable object in fattening 

 cattle, it should likewise be particularly attended 

 to; for this purpose, the pens ought to be elevated 

 at such a height ii'om the ground that the urine 

 may pass freely oiT; fresh litter should be supplied 

 every day, in order that they may lie dry and 

 clean; and a large chalk-stone should be suspend- 

 ed over the pen, so that the calves can easily lick 

 it.* It is also a common practice to bleed them 

 when they are four or five weeks old, and again a 

 little time before they are killed, by which con- 

 trivance the whitenes.? of their flesh is supposed to 

 be greatly increased: the quantity of blood taken is 

 about two quarts, or more, according to the age 

 and strength of the calf The operation of bleed- 

 ing is therefore frequently repeated by some per- 

 sons, though it does not appear to be altogether 

 necessary; as the most experienced breeders are of 

 opinion, that it is sufficient to bleed them twice, 

 drawing fi-oni^ them such a quantity at each time 

 as their age and size will allow, without hazard 

 of destroying the animal, and others deem it alto- 

 gether superfluous. 



Th& following mode of rearing these animals 

 pre\-ails chiefly in the vicinity of Abbey-Holme, 

 in the county of Cumberland, where the calves 

 are remarkable for their size, fatness, and fine 

 white color; before, however, we detail the prac- 

 tice of the breeders of that place, it will be neces- 

 sary to remark, that ijieir .?tock is of \arious ages, 

 ill order that their plan maybe carried on without 

 interruption. For the first two or three Avceks, 



* Chalk is commonly supposed to assist in whitening 

 the flesh: that idea is probably erroneous; but it has an 

 essentially salutary effect, in correcting the acidity of 



the young calves are fed in the common way; and, 

 at the end of that time, are conducted to a feed- 

 ing-shed. Here two small stakes are driven into 

 the ground lor every calfj at the distance of ten 

 inches or a foot from each other; the head of the 

 animal is then ])ut through the intermediate space, 

 a strap or cord being passed round its head, on 

 either side of which there is a ring, which sur- 

 rounds the stake. By means of this contrivance 

 the calf is prevented from licking itself, which 

 habit would materially afiect its health and growth, 

 while it is not so confined as to be hindered from 

 lying down or rising at pleasure. When the calf 

 is reconciled to its new habitation, the Abbey- 

 Holme farmers supply it with better food than it 

 has been accustomed to receive. Rightly judging 

 that the latter part of a cow's milk is more nour- 

 ishing, and of a richer quality than that which is 

 first drawn, they divide the milk according to the 

 respective ages of the animals; invariably giving 

 the richest part to the oldest calves: so that, as the 

 milk may lessen or improve in quantity or quality, 

 they can at all times, regulate their stock by di- 

 minishing or augmenting their numbers. Ano- 

 ther circumstance peculiar to that district is, the 

 regulation of the temperature of the feeding-sheds 

 according to the alteration of the different seasons, 

 so as to keep them, as nearly as possible, always 

 at the same degree of heat.* Cleanliness is also 

 an object of rigorous attention, the place being 

 kept constantly dried, and supplied with a proper 

 quantity of good litter; and, on this subject, it 

 should be observed, that oat straw has been found 

 to render them lousy. In case any of the animals' 

 appetites fail, so that they do not regularly take 

 their food, they are immediately consigned to the 

 butcher, and their place is occupied by the next in 

 age. 



In Holland, we are informed that the calves are 

 reared in long and narrow, but tolerably lotly, 

 suckling houses. The pen in Avhich the calf "is 

 kept is so narrow, that it cannot turn round, so 

 that it can only go backwards to the end of the 

 pen, which is also short, and forwards to the door: 

 the house is kept in total darkness, and the pen 

 kept perfectly clean and sweet. When the suckler 

 conies to administer the milk, a small hole is open- 

 ed, sufficiently big to admit its head to be thrust 

 out, and which is made in the door-way; as soon 

 as the animal perceives the liglit, it advances to- 

 wards it, pushes out its head, which the suckler 

 puts into the milk pail; and, being taught to drink 

 the milk, it very soon gets fat, and much quicker 

 than by either of our modes, where the calf is 

 usually tied up, or is permitted to run about in an 

 open place. The Dutch farmers hang up a piece 

 of chalk near the door, for the animal to lick; and 

 when the calf is about to be removed, the pen i.g 



* This practice cannot be too strongly recommended. 

 Warmth is, indeed, well known to be essential to the 

 health, and particularly to the improvement in flesh, 

 of all animals; but sufficient attention is not generally 

 paid to the maintenance of an equal temperature; 



the stomach, to which calves are very liable, and thus [hough, next to proper shelter, it is the point of great 

 preventing the consequent scouring. jest importance. 



Vol. II.— 26. 



