264 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



possible for her to injure the udders of other cows with her 

 horns. 



Possibly the most satisfactory way to dehorn a calf is to ap- 

 ply caustic potash. Caustic potash can be obtained at almost any 

 drug store. It usually comes in the form of sticks about the size 

 of a lead pencil. The calf should be treated when one or two 

 days old or as soon as the starting horn can be located. 



To dehorn the calf, clip the hah* from the spot where thq 

 horn is starting. Then w^et the end of a stick of caustic potash 

 and rub on the budding horn until a sore spot about the size of 

 a dime is produced. The operation can be hastened by breaking 

 the skin before rubbing on the potash. The calf should not be 

 turned out into the rain immediately after caustic potash has 

 been applied, as it may be washed down into the calf's eyes. 



Caustic potash should be handled by wrapping a piece of 

 paper around the stick. It must be kept in a tightly stoppered 

 bottle, or it will absorb water from the air and dissolve. 



Raising a Calf with Whole Milk. 



Where whole milk is sold and none of the milk is skimmed, 

 the raising of calves is decidedly more expensive than where 

 skim milk is abundant. Ordinarily the calf must be fed milk 

 until it is two and one-half or three months old before it can be 

 expected to live on a grain and hay diet. This will require 750 

 to 1,000 pounds of milk, worth at $1.50 per hundredweight from 

 $11.25 to $15.00. After the first two or three weeks, a calf will 

 do equally as well on skim milk as on whole milk, so the expense 

 can be cut down possibly one-third to one-half by skimming the 

 milk and selling the butter fat. 



A calf two and one-half to three months old is able to get 

 along without milk if fed liberally of grain. The grains, how- 

 ever, will not be so satisfactory as those of a calf weaned at a 

 later age. For the calf after weaning at this age, alfalfa hay, 

 silage, and 3 or 4 pounds of a grain mixture made up of 2 

 pounds of corn chop, 2 pounds ground oats, and i pound oil 

 meal is very good to use for two or three months. However, 

 the practice of weaning a calf so early is not to be recommended. 



