122 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [14:3— Mar., 1918 



Housing and Shelter: There are more things necessary to a 

 calf's comfort than some people seem to think, first as to its pen 

 or stall which should be thickly bedded with straw ; a top dressing 

 of fresh straw should be added each day and the whole floor should 

 be thoroughly cleaned whenever it becomes damp and filthy. 

 There should be windows to give plenty of light and there should 

 be good ventilation but there should not be a draught as a calf 

 is likely to suffer from the effect of draughts; above all, the floor 

 of the pen should be dry and on a foundation and not simply laid 

 upon the ground as I have too often seen. 



For summer shelter there may be a shed provided in one corner 

 of a field of grass or clover ; this need not be elaborate but should be 

 upon well drained ground and afford protection from rain and sun. 



Food for the Calf: The first food of the calf should be its 

 mother's milk, since this cleanses its digestive tract; if this cannot 

 be fed, an ounce or two of castor oil should be given before it 

 is fed for the first time. If the calf gets its food from its mother 

 it should have three meals a day until three weeks old. If raised 

 by hand, it should be fed on warm (not hot but lukewarm) sweet 

 milk three times a day; this milk should be whole for a few days 

 and then gradually it may be skimmed until completely skimmed 

 milk is given. The feeding periods should be regular; this is of 

 utmost importance. 



From six to eight pounds of milk per day should be given 

 during the first week; a pound should be added to this daily 

 ration every week until the food is changed; not more than ten 

 pounds should- be given any day. When a month old only skim i 

 milk should be given; when two or three weeks old a little grain 

 may be added by throwing a handful into the pail after the milk 

 has been drunk. After it has learned to eat grain it should be 

 given a feed box and when it is six weeks old it ought to be able 

 to eat each day a pound of mixture consisting of three parts corn 

 meal, three parts ground oats, three parts wheat bran, one part 

 linseed meal. Let the calf have a chance to nibble at clover hay 

 and it will soon add this to its ration. 



Water should not be given until the calf is two months old and 

 then it should have constant excess to clear cool water. 



The Care of the Calf: If strong and healthy, the calf needs fresh 

 air and exercise, so there should be a large yard adjoining its 

 stable in which it can run about. Its manger should be kept 



