MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG DAIRY STOCK, WITH A 



REVIEW OF SOME INTERESTING CALF 



EXPERIMENTS. 



BY D. H. OTIS, PROFESSOR OP DAIRY HUSBANDRY, KANSAS AGRICUL- 

 TURAL COLLEGE AND EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Manhattan, Kan. 

 THE REARING OF CALVES. 



PRENATAL INFLUENCES: To get best results in rearing calves attention 

 must be given to the mothers of the calves previous to birth. A good 

 dairyman will supply his cows with wholesome and nutritious feeds in 

 abundance. This is necessary for best results at the pail as well as for 

 the best development of the calf. Highest yields of milk and butterfat and 

 the best calves are usually obtained from cows that go dry from six to eight 

 weeks prior to calving. If it is impossible to dry the cow without injuring 

 the udder, continuous milking should be practiced. 



A dry cow on good pasture with plenty of shade and water will need 

 very little attention, except to see that she is not annoyed or injured by 

 other cattle. Sometimes heavy milkers on luxuriant pastures will be stim- 

 ulated to produce too much milk prior to calving, in which case the supply 

 of feed should be reduced. On dry feed the cows should be kept in good 

 condition though not too fat. Where alfalfa or clover hay is available, 

 little or no grain is necessary. Ensilage and roots are especially desirable 

 for cows at this time. When grain is used a mixture of two-thirds bran 

 and one-third oil meal is excellent. Soy beans make a good substitute for 

 oil meal. The object is to keep the -bowels loose. All these points have 

 an important bearing on the health of the cow and consequently on the 

 condition and health of the calf, before and after birth. If the cow is sick 

 when the calf is born the milk is liable to be affected in a way to seriously 

 injure the calf. 



AT CALVING TIME : If the weather is chilly put the cow in a box stall 

 well bedded and free from draught. When the calf is born blanket the 

 cow until she gains her normal condition. If nothing better is available 

 gunny sacks, sewed together, will answer. Give light, loosening feeds and 

 water from which the chill has been removed. Cold water is likely to cause a 

 contraction of the womb and retention of the afterbirth. If the latter is not 



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