The Beef Calf. 



17 



scribed, it should make a continuous growth from birth. If weaned 

 properly, so that none of the calf fat or bloom is lost, the chances 

 for it to grow out and make a profitable and useful animal are 

 decidedly in its favor. 



The calf is old enough to wean when from 8 to 12 months old. 

 Weaning should take from 12 to 15 days, and should be done gradu- 

 ally. When old enough to wean allow it to suck once a day for a 

 week, then every other da}^ for four or five days, and increase the in- 

 terval until no milk at all is allowed. 



FEEDING FROM WEANING TO MATURITY. 



The feed, care, and management which the calf should receive 

 after it is weaned will depend largely on the time of year it was 

 dropped. A spring calf should be fed ditferently from one dropped 

 in the fall. It is assumed that in either case, however, the principal 

 part of the calf's feed for the first few months was its mother's milk. 

 In addition to the milk it should have been fed grain so that at 

 weaning time it would be getting from 2 to 6 pounds, depending 

 upon the age of the calf and time of year when weaned, Avith a little 

 silage and a liberal amount of hay as well. 



If the calf has not been taught to eat grain before it was weaned 

 it should be taught at once. Begin by feeding it as recommended 

 for the calf before weaning. The amount of feed, hoAvever, may be 

 increased more rapidly than with the unweaned calf. In a month 

 or six weeks after it is Aveaned it should be eating from 2 to 3 pounds 

 of grain with 6 pounds of silage and from 2 to 3 pounds of cloA^er 

 hay, with a small amount of other roughages like stoA^er or straAV in 

 addition, unless sufficient pasture is available. 



A standard grain ration for the calf may be made by using corn, 

 oats, and bran, equal parts by weiglit, or corn 5 parts and oats or bran 

 3 parts by weight, with 1 part of linseed-oil meal added to both 

 unless the ration seems too laxative. It is expected that in many 

 cases all these feeds Avill not be available. It will be necessary then 



to substitute other feeds. The folloAving substitutions' are recom- 

 mended : 



Feed. Substitutes. 

 Corn Barley, kafir, milo, oats, or other foods high in car- 

 bohydrates and fats. 



Oats .Bran, ground oats, coarse middlings. 



Bran Ground oats, coarse middlings. 



Cottonseed meal Cottonseed cake, linseed-oil meal, peanut meal, vel- 



vet-l)ean feed, soy-bean meal, or other feeds high 

 in protein. 



Corn silage Sorghum silage, other silage, roots or mangels. 



Clover hay — _ Alfalfa, lespedeza, peanut vine, soy-bean, or grass 



hays. 



Corn stover Oat straw, other straws or stovers. 



