FEEDING CALVES 43 



mum growth will be secured by feeding the gruel until six months 

 of age it is possible to discontinue it at four months by withdraw- 

 ing it gradually. Of course, this will cut down the cost of raising 

 the calf, inasmuch as the calf meal is more expensive than an 

 ordinary grain ration. The gruel feeding should not be stopped 

 unless the calf is eating the dry grain and hay well and is in 

 thrifty condition. 



It is clear that the same precautions as to cleanliness, regularity 

 of feeding, etc., as we have mentioned in connection with raising 

 calves on milk must be observed where a calf meal is used. The 

 same directions we gave for feeding grain and roughage to calves 

 reared on milk also apply. The use of the best possible roughage 

 is even more important for calves reared on calf meal. The latter 

 supplies little of the lime and vitamines liberally furnished by 

 milk, but these essentials will be furnished by leafy roughage, 

 particularly that cured as described in paragraphs 339, 340, 

 341. The calf raised on gruel may not eat grain as readily as 

 where milk is used because the calf meal itself is really a grain 

 mixture. 



75. Calf meal not needed with milk.— Some dairymen use 

 a proprietary calf meal as a dry grain mixture for calves raised on 

 milk. There is no object in using such an expensive feed, and as a 

 supplement to skim milk, a low-protein mixture such as the dry 

 grain mixtures we have listed is preferable. (59) Skim milk is a 

 high-protein feed and the grain mixture fed with it should be made 

 up principally of low-protein ingredients. 



76. Dried skim milk for calves. — Occasionally a dairyman 

 living in the section where milk-drying plants are located is able 

 to get rather cheaply dried skim milk, which is off quality and 

 which cannot be used in human food. This dried product, when 

 mixed with water has been found very satisfactory for use in place 

 of fresh skim milk for feeding calves. One part of the dried material 

 should be added to nine parts of warm water and fed the same as 

 milk. It is best to add only a small amount of water first and to 

 break up the lumps formed by the dried milk before adding the 

 rest of the water. If this scrap milk can be bought at three or four 



