184 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



by guess or by the feeling of the milk, but should actually 

 use a thermometer often enough to know what blood heat 

 feels like. If a hand separator is used, the milk may possibly 

 be fed while still warm enough if used immediately after 

 separation, but it will usually be necessary to heat it some 

 artificially, if used for young calves during cold weather. 



Changing to Skim Milk. For the first two or three weeks 

 the calf should be fed part of its mother's milk. However, 

 in raising calves of those breeds producing a very rich milk, 

 the calf will thrive better if the whole milk given during the 

 first two or three weeks be diluted some with skim milk. 

 Then the ration may be gradually changed to a skim milk 

 ration by putting in a small amount of skim milk at first, and 

 gradually increasing the amount day by day until at the end 

 of a week all of the whole milk has been eliminated. 



Supplements to Skim Milk. The calf should be taught 

 to eat grain as soon as it will take it. This it will generally 

 do by the time it is three weeks, or, at most, a month old. 

 The grain is best fed dry after feeding the milk. If the calf 

 is with others, it will generally learn from them to eat when 

 large enough. When the calf does not begin to grain as early 

 as it should, it can be taught by putting a little grain in its 

 mouth after the milk is drunk. In a few days it will 

 begin to look for the meal, and will eat it, if offered in a box 

 within reach. When once it begins eating grain, the calf is 

 well started toward a good growth. 



For the first few days grain should be kept before the calf. 

 After that the ration given should be such that it will be eaten 

 up clean each time. By the time the calf is six weeks old it 

 usually will eat about one half pound of grain per day; at 

 the end of two months one pound per day, and a month later 



