118 DAIRY FARMING 



Excellent results were also obtained by the same station by 

 the use of dried skim-milk powder. The quantities of feed 

 required for each calf up to five months with this ration were : 



Whole milk 185 pounds 



Milk powder . 230 pounds 



Hay 370 pounds 



Grain 114 pounds 



Gain per day 1.25 pounds 



Total cost of feed $11.75 



The Illinois Experiment Station conducted an experiment 

 to determine the minimum amount of milk necessary to 

 raise a calf. Milk feeding was continued to the age of from 

 42 to 56 days. Whole milk was fed the first three weeks 

 followed by skim-milk up to the age of eight weeks. It 

 was concluded that it is advisable to feed milk long enough 

 to give the calves a good start. After the age of eight weeks 

 the calves thrived on grain and hay. The grain ration was 

 a mixture of corn, 4 parts ; oats, 4 parts ; and bran and lin- 

 seed oil meal, 1 part each. The total amounts fed per animal 

 were whole milk, 134 pounds ; skim-milk, 422 pounds. The 

 total value of the milk used was $4.62 for each calf. 1 



These results show clearly that the milk can be reduced to 

 an amount that does not make the cost of raising the calf 

 excessive. When grain is substituted for milk under the 

 conditions discussed, it must not be expected that the calf 

 will appear as fat and thrifty as one receiving milk. How- 

 ever, there is no reason for believing that the dairy qualities 

 of the cow are injured in any way. If a good ration is fed 

 as the calf grows older, it will make up any deficiency in 

 size that may result from the lack of more milk in the ration 

 when young. 



1 Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 164. 



