182 BEEF PRODUCTION 



skim-milk calves. The conclusion from this is that by 

 careful feeding, good steers can be raised on skim-milk 

 by using ground feed to replace the butter fat. 



HOW TO RAISE A SKIM MILK -CALF 



It is obvious that to secure the best results in raising 

 a calf by hand we should imitate nature's method as near 

 as it is possible. There is a difference of opinion as to 

 the best time to take the calf away from the cow; some 

 advocate taking the calf away before it nurses at all, 

 while others advise allowing the calf to nurse three or 

 four times. This latter method is advised by the 

 Nebraska, Michigan, and Kansas Experiment stations, 

 where experiments with skim-milk calves have received 

 considerable attention. It is thought that by this 

 method the calf gets a little better start in the world 

 and that the nursing is a benefit to the fresh cow. 

 The only argument in favor of taking the calf away as 

 soon as practicable after birth and before it nurses is 

 that if taken away then, the calf can be taught to 

 drink more readily than after it has had an opportunity 

 to get its nourishment for a time by nursing from the 

 udder. It is also thought by some that the cow gives 

 up her calf at once with less grief than where she has 

 been permitted to enjoy it for a day or so. The writer 

 leans to the former method of management; even 

 though it means more work for the attendant, it is 

 better for the calf. It is possible that a compromise 

 method advocated by some is better than either men- 

 tioned. This method is to allow the calf to nurse 

 once and then remove from the cow. In either in- 

 stance the calf must receive the first milk of the dam. 

 It is well to let the calf get hungry after first removing 

 from the cow, before attempting to feed it from the pail. 

 If the calf is strong, a fast of twenty-four hours will 

 bring the desired appetite. The calf should be fed 

 whole milk for the first three of four weeks and three 

 times a day. If a large calf, two quarts in the morning 



