IMPORTANCE OF CONDITION IN CALF REARING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 16, 5 November 1948, Page 4

IMPORTANCE OF CONDITION IN CALF REARING

In some districts the Calf-Rear-ing Competition is called a Dairy Condition Competition. In most groups the competition is judged on the following points : Condition .... 30 Growth .... ' 20 Skin 10 Bloom '... 10 Handling 30 Notebooks 30 I Total , 130 Condition. —Your calf should not carry its condition in the same place as beef cattle and allied, breeds. These have the condition more' on the back. Judges do not think this in a dairy animal, but' rather a fine wither with nicely serrated vertebrae, which should not be hidden by fat. Run the hands over the calf generally and along the ribs starting at the shoulder. The condition should be even—not’ thin and emaciated.- If your calf has not been overfed, you should be able to feel the joints of the backbone as you run your hand along it. An overfat calf is not in good dairy condition and should lose marks for this section. On such a calf you will feel little lumps of fat just above the tail. We also find it inclined to grow along the back and to have a thicker layer of fat o.a the ribs than in the properly reared dairy calf. The back and shoulder get thicker and it has not the thin shoulder so desirable in a dairy breed. If you see a calf with heavy rolls of fat under its jaw—just like a double chin—penalise it, as it has probably had too much new milk.