260 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



It is also quite necessary that the calf be provided with salt. 

 It requires salt besides its regular feed, the same as does an old- 

 er animal. 



^ Weaning. 



Six months is a very good age at which to wean a calf, 

 though there is no reason why the feeding of milk should not be 

 prolonged beyond this time if skim milk is abundant. A calf 

 can be weaned in three or four days' time by gradually reducing 

 the amount fed. ^ 



Scours. 



Scours in calves are by far the most common sources of 

 trouble in calf raising. If a feeder is able to avoid the occurs 

 rence of scours in his calves, it is very seldom that other ailments* 

 will annoy. Scours in calves are of two kinds. 



White Scours. 



White scours, or calf cholera, is an infectious disease. The 

 germ of this disease enters the blood of the calf soon after birth 

 through the freshly severed navel cord. This disease always at- 

 tacks very young calves, usually appearing within three days 

 after birth. It is characterized by the whitish, foul-smelling dung^ 

 which the calf passes and a depressed, hollow-eyed appearance? 

 in the calf. It is nearly always fatal, and as yet no treatment* 

 has been found which will give good results. About the only 

 practical thing that can be done is to avoid the occurrence of this 

 disease by keeping the surroundings of the newborn calf in a 

 sanitary condition. The cow should be allowed to calve in a 

 clean, freshly bedded stall; or in mild weather, .in the open pas- 

 ture. If this disease has occurred on the farm i^reviously, it is 

 well to disinfect the navel cord and belly of the freshly born calf 

 with a 3 per cent solution of creolin or 3 per cent carbolic acid 

 and bind the cord up to the belly with a wide strip of muslin to 

 avoid later infection. 



