THE! MINIMUM MILK REQUIREMENT FOR CALF RAISING 1 
By A. C. Ragsdale, Chairman, Department of Dairy Husbandry, and C. W. Turner, 
Instructor in Dairy Husbandry, Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station 
The problem of raising dairy calves on farms where the whole milk is 
sold to be utilized in the manufacture of dairy products or for consumption 
in the cities is one of ever-increasing importance. On these farms skim 
milk is not generally available and whole milk is so valuable that dairy¬ 
men quite generally question the profitableness of raising dairy calves 
under such conditions. Under these circumstances a substitute for milk 
in raising calves would be a boon to dairymen, since it would greatly 
simplify the problem and undoubtedly be the means of saving many 
well-bred calves. A decreased cost of calf raising would also result from 
the sale of more of the milk now fed to calves. 
Progress has been made in preparing calf meals that will gradually 
take the place of milk after the calf is 3 or 4 weeks old. However, com¬ 
plete success has not yet been attained. Another line of experimental 
work has for its object the determination of the earliest age at which 
calves can be weaned of milk and make satisfactory growth on grain 
and hay. 
Fraser and Brand 2 of the Illinois station were the first to work on this 
problem. In a preliminary study, calves were cut off from milk at 42, 
45, and 46 days of age. It was found that at these ages the digestive 
system had not developed sufficiently to utilize grain and hay. In a 
later trial the ration of skim milk was continued until 56 days, when 
grain and hay were again substituted. They fed on the average 152 
pounds of whole milk and 435 pounds of skim milk. Better results were 
thus obtained and they concluded that it was possible to raise calves in 
this way on a moderate quantity of milk. 
In studies at this station to determine the earliest age at which calves 
could be weaned and fed on grain and hay without causing serious 
digestive disorders, Fohrman 3 weaned two lots of three calves each at 
about 60 days of age and fed them hay and grain. The hay used was 
alfalfa and the grain mixture was composed of ground com, 40 parts, 
wheat bran, 10 parts, and linseed meal, 10 parts. In the second mixture 
one-half of the linseed meal was replaced by blood meal. 
Lot I gained 97.8 per cent of the normal increase in weight for that 
age and 91.9 per cent of the normal increase in height at withers. Lot 
II gained 96.7 per cent of the normal increase in weight for that age and 
98.4 per cent of the normal increase in height at withers. Four of the 
six calves used in the experiment were males. Since the figures for the 
normal growth of females is undoubtedly lower than for the growth of 
males, the apparent per cent of normality would thus be increased for 
bull calves. 
1 Accepted for publication Oct. 3, 1923. 
* Fraser, W. J. t and Brand, R. E. milk required to raise a dairy calf. Ill. Agr. Exp. Sta. 
Bui. 164, p. 437-458, 6 fig. 1913. 
3 Fohrman, M. H. minimum milk for calf raising. Thesis for A. M. degree. University of Missouri, 
1919 - 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
aig 
(437) 
Vol. XXVI, No. 9. 
Dec. 1, 1923. 
Key No. Mo. -7. 
