“HOW I FEED CALVES"

Shannon News, 29 November 1927, Page 2

“HOW I FEED CALVES"

WOMAN WRITES SOME SENSIBLE RULES. Mrs. A. Peterson, in “Hoard’s Dairyman,” writes plain common sense about teaching' calves to feed:'— I’m so glad to have a chance to unburden my mind as to feeding calves. Por many years my heart has gone out in sympathy to the thousands of calves who have had their noses plunged into a pail of milk while a strong man stood astride the flabby little body and held the head into th e pail. It was a case of drink or drown, with insufficient breath to do either. This savage system is not necessary. We have Jerseys. They may, or may not be easier to teach than other breeds; I do not know, but this is how I teach them;— W e always tie our calves up as soon as they are dropped. They will do a lot of floundering around, and will have to be watched a little' at first so they do not get into dangerous positions, but they soon give up and agree to be tied. This helps a lot in teaching them to drink. You do not have to hold them. Wait with the feeding until they are hungry—from three to twelve hours. Take a shallow dish for the milk, which must be | of the right temperature, neither too cold nor too warm. . I use an aluminium mixing bowl that holds six pounds. This has many advantages over anyhing els e we have ever used. It is light to handle, and when feeding four pounds is not too full. Sloping as it does, the milk remains deep enough all the time so the calf can get almost every drop before he finds the bottom.

Now begin the feeding. Put the dish of milk up to his nose and dab his nos e into it. He will move away.

Move your milk to where he is and dab his nose again. This' may have to be repeated a number of times before he gets any in his mouth. BuC as soon as he gets a taste he will be interested, although he does not yet know where the “goody” came from.

Put the dish up again, and nine times out of ten he will begin to drink after having had one taste. He may only take a swallow or two before lifting his head. Slowly pull the dish back. He may want to suck th e edge; move it away and try again. With a little patience, if he is hungry, you will have him drinking all alone in five minutes, never having to give him your fingers. There will have been no struggle, no bunting slobbering, or choking. If he is not. hungry leave him a little longer. Understand, I have been talking about normal calves. Weak calves

sometimes have to be babied more; but the shallow dish, milk of the

right temperature, and a tied calf

with an appetite are sure passports to

success in teaching calves to drink,