310 Feeds and Feeding. 



rectives in cases of trouble from this source. (123) The lime water 

 used in such cases is made by dropping a lump of unslaked lime into 

 a jug filled with water and keeping the jug corked. A tablespoonful 

 or more of lime water should be given with each feed. 



490. The dairy calf. — The fat of milk is so valuable that all calves 

 designed for the dairy, as well as many intended for beef, should be 

 reared on skim milk. The skim-milk calf is usually allowed to run 

 with the dam 2 or 3 days, tho many dairymen never allow it to draw 

 milk from the mother, claiming that if separated at once it learns 

 more readily to drink from the pail. In any event the calf should 

 always get the first milk or colostrum, which is designed by nature 

 for cleansing the bowels and starting the digestive functions. (297) 

 Warm, fresh, unskimmed milk should be fed from the pail 2 or 3 

 times daily until the calf is 2 or 3 weeks old, after which skim milk 

 is gradually substituted, the change covering a period of a couple 

 of weeks. 



When the calf is a week or two old, add to its milk a small allow- 

 ance of some fine concentrate such as low-grade flour, sieved ground 

 oats, corn meal, or linseed-oil meal made into a jelly by boiling, con- 

 tinuing such feed 2 or 3 weeks while the stomach is small and in- 

 capable of utilizing coarser feed. As soon as possible, however, 

 change to whole corn or whole oats, with or without a little linseed-oil 

 meal fed dry in a convenient feed box. 



The following by Otis of the Wisconsin Station^ concisely covers 

 the use of the several grains and roughages in rearing calves: 



"Skim milk contains more protein and carbohydrates than whole 

 milk. In selecting a grain to take the place of the fat that has been 

 removed, it is not necessary nor is it advisable to get one rich in pro- 

 tein, as the skim milk furnishes this nutrient. While calves may do 

 well on high-priced concentrates, they are unnecessarily expensive 

 and give no better results than the cheaper carbonaceous grains, as 

 corn, barley, oats, kafir, or sorghum. 



"Calves will sometimes learn to eat the grain more readily if a little 

 bran forms a part of the ration for a short time. A number of farm 

 grains have been used successfully in feeding calves. The following 

 list may serve as a guide to the calf feeder in making selections or 

 combinations to suit his conditions: 



"1. Corn meal gradually changed in four to six weeks to shelled 

 corn with or without bran. 



"2. Whole oats and bran. 



1 Bui. 192. 



