376 



FARMER' 8 CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



pounds. When the process of substitu- 

 tion has begun, about 1 pound of skim 

 milk should be substituted for 1 pound 

 of whole milk, and this gradual replace- 

 ment kept up until the change is com- 

 plete. In the meantime the calf should 

 be taught to eat a little grain; some 

 form of meal, either flaxseed, linseed 

 meal, corn meal, kafir corn meal or va- 

 rious mixtures. A handful of the dry 

 meal may be placed in the calf's mouth 

 and by this means it is forced to eat. 

 The taste of the grain is agreeable and 

 the calf soon learns to go to the feed 

 box for it. 



In Kansas it has been found that a 

 calf from three to five weeks of age may 

 receive from 10 to 12 pounds of skim 

 milk daily; from the age of seven to 

 eight weeks, 14 to 16 pounds; and from 

 three to five months, 18 to 20 pounds. It 

 should be remembered that the percen- 

 tage of protein in skim milk is greater 

 than in whole milk, and since protein is 

 the element which forms the bone and 

 muscle, the feeding value of skim milk 

 should be obvious. The fat content in 

 milk is the least valuable of the milk 

 constituents, from the standpoint of 

 the calf, and may be replaced by grains 

 containing some fat. 



Calves which are allowed to suck the 

 cows may, during early life, show a 

 plumper and sleeker appearance than 

 the skim milk calves. The difference, 

 if any, however, usually disappears later 

 on. It has been found in Kansas that 

 skim milk is worth from 20 to 40 cents 

 a hundred pounds as a food for calves. 

 If skim milk has become contaminated 

 in any way, or undergoes slight changes, 

 it may be sterilized. When such milk 

 is fed to calves, they usually show a dis- 

 like to the odor of the milk at first, but 

 soon become accustomed to it. A com- 

 parison of *the feeding value of steri- 

 lized skim milk and fresh separator 

 skim milk shows that these materials are 

 of about equal value for calves. In the 

 set of experiments already referred to in 

 Kansas, the grain used in replacing the 

 cream of milk included shelled corn, 

 corn chop, corn meal, whole kafir corn, 

 ground kafir corn and linseed meal, to- 

 gether with a little dried blood and flax- 

 seed in certain cases. The average daily 

 gain was highest on a combination of 

 shelled corn and ground kafir corn. In 

 a comparison of three methods of feed- 

 ing calves, it was found that the daily 

 gain was V-/z pounds on skim milk, 1.86 



pounds in calves which drank whole 

 milk, and 1.77 pounds in calves which 

 were allowed to suck the cows. Skim 

 milk calves consumed 122 pounds of 

 grain for 100 pounds of gain; whole 

 milk calves consumed 58 pounds of 

 grain and 32 pounds of butter fat for 

 100 pounds of gain. Estimating the 

 butter fat at the usual price, the ma- 

 terial required for a pound of gain in 

 this case cost more than with skim milk 

 calves. 



Otis believes on the basis of his ex- 

 periments that the use of skim milk 

 makes it possible to obtain the greatest 

 profit from cows on home-grown grains, 

 since feeds which are desirable in re- 

 placing cream of milk may easily be 

 raised on the farm and will yield as 

 great a profit when fed to young calves 

 as can be obtained from them in feeding 

 any other kind of animal. 



Experiments with milk substitutes 

 — In Pennsylvania, Haywood carried 

 out a set of experiments to determine 

 whether calves may be reared on milk 

 substitutes without the use of milk. The 

 results of these experiments indicate 

 that there is little difficulty in raising 

 dairy calves without milk, except for 

 the first two weeks. The cost of raising 

 calves on milk substitutes up to an age 

 when they may be put upon a hay and 

 grain ration, or three to four months 

 of age, does not exceed about $10 a head. 

 Calves from valuable dairy stock, when 

 raised in this way, are worth much more 

 than the cost of production and are, 

 therefore, raised at a profit. In these 

 experiments the calves were allowed to 

 suck the cows for a few days after which 

 they were taught to drink whole milk 

 and were then gradually accustomed to 

 the substituted material. 



As a basis for the preparation of a 

 milk substitute, Hayward took an Eng- 

 lish formula, calling for 16 2-3 pounds 

 flour, 33 1-3 pounds flaxseed meal and 

 50 pounds linseed meal. In feeding this 

 mixture, 2 1 /2 pounds were scalded in 

 boiling water after which enough water 

 was added to make 2 gallons, and a little 

 salt and sugar were sprinkled in the 

 material before feeding. Another sat- 

 isfactory mixture tested in Pennsylva- 

 nia contained 30 pounds wheat flour, 25 

 pounds cocoanut meal, 20 pounds nu- 

 trium, 10 pounds of linseed meal and 2 

 pounds of dried blood. One pound of 

 this mixture was added to 6 pounds of 

 hot water and, after stirring, allowed to 



