CALVES FROM BIRTH UNTIL ONE YEAR OLD 21 



reared for milk production, and of the carbohydrates 

 with those that are to be fattened, and more especially 

 with those that are to be fattened at an early age. All 

 or nearly all the concentrates grown may be used in 

 feeding calves, but, as a matter of economy, attention 

 should be first centered upon those grown in the 

 locality. 



As the first meal given separately from the milk, 

 none is more suitable than ground oats with the hulls 

 sifted out. Ordinary oatmeal answers admirably but 

 for its relative cost. At the end of, say, two or three 

 weeks, the oats may be fed either ground or crushed 

 and without sifting, and finely ground corn and wheat 

 bran added to the mixture. This combination is, 

 in not a few instances, fed from the first, and when so 

 fed usually proves fairly satisfactory. 



As a standard meal ration for calves on skim milk, 

 the following may be recommended as eminently suit- 

 able : Ground corn, ground oats, wheat bran, and oil- 

 meal in the proportions of 3, 3, i, and i parts respec- 

 tively by weight. During the milk period they should 

 be given all of this that they will take, but subsequently 

 the amount should be regulated. The regulating factor 

 is the degree of flesh sought in the calves, those in- 

 tended for milk production being maintained in lower 

 fiesh than those of the beef types reared for breeding. 

 But in no instances would it be wise policy to allow 

 them to become lean. When calves have a good start 

 and safe, growth subsequently cannot be produced so 

 cheaply from concentrates as from more bulky foods, 

 hence one reason for restricting their use subsequent 

 to the milk period. Prior to that time they are not 

 likely to eat so much of the meal as to make it unduly 

 expensive. 



Various other grain supplements have been fed and 

 in various combinations, and on the whole have proved 



