Feeding Dairy Cattle 



calf meal must judge of its merits. Since we cannot name 

 them all and give results for each, it is only fair that we do 

 not name any. It is suggested that those meals will probably 

 give the best results which are made up from the ingredients 

 that we know to be suitable for feeding young animals. It 

 is required by law that all the ingredients be named. If 

 there seems to be any ingredients in the mixture that might 

 not be suitable do not feed that meal but buy another which 

 has suitable ingredients. 



Feed the commercial calf meal that you select according 

 to the methods suggested by the manufacturer. In trials 

 conducted by the author, covering a period of eight years, 

 with several commercial feeds, the methods recommended 

 by the manufacturers have been followed generally with 

 good results. We have had no trouble in getting calves to 

 gain at least one pound per day with commercial calf meals, 

 and gains of 1.5 pounds per day have been common. No 

 one should be satisfied with a gain of less than one pound 

 per day. All the precautions and methods of supplementary 

 feeding, to be used with skimmed milk, must be scrupulously 

 carried out with commercial calf meals, because these meals 

 are a much more artificial way of feeding than skimmed milk 

 and more likely to cause trouble. Extra care must be taken 

 not to over-feed. 



The one thing that the author would emphasize with the 

 commercial calf meals, is that fact that thev are too high in 

 price. They cost from $60 to $70 or more per ton retail, 

 whereas a good home-mixed calf meal has given better 

 results than the average commercial meal at a cost of $40 to 

 $50 per ton. 



A HOME-MIXED CALF MEAL 



The Purdue University Experiment Station has used 

 extensively a home-mixed calf meal, simple in its make-up 

 and within the reach of all. Any feed dealer can procure 

 the ingredients, if you insist that he get them for vou. You 

 should be able to mix it at present prices of feeds, for $50 or 

 less per ton, with the ingredients purchased at retail. The 

 mixture is equal parts, by weight, of linseed oil meal, hominy 

 feed, red dog flour, and soluble blood flour. The table below 

 suggests the method of using the home-mixed calf meal. 



Table showing the daily amount of milk, calf meal and 

 water required by calves of various birth weights and various 

 ages : 



Page Ninety-six 



