LACTATION IN A CALF

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 358, 19 May 1928, Page 25

LACTATION IN A CALF

AN UNUSUAL OCCURENCE An interesting case has recently come under the notice of Mr. J. Close, dairy supervisor of the Victorian Department of Agriculture, in which an Ayrshire heifer calf, owned by a suburban dairy farmer, has been lactatsince birth. The calf is now upwards of three months old. The day after it was born the owner noticed *s® Un usual size and shape of the uader, and on manipulating it found that milk could be quite freely withdrawn. At various times since birth, and up to quite recently, this calf lias yielded from a half to one pint of milk i ” ut t * le yield has now (end of February) began to decline. Lactation in a virgin heifer is by no ineans unknown, but it is certainly v ®ry uncommon, and rarer still, to had an instance where the yielding of milk began practically from birth. In view of this unusual circumstance n was determined to have an analysis of the milk made, to compare its physical properties with those of normal cow s milk. The result of the analysis ! ls as follows: ent.; protein, 3.65 per cent.; ash, .74 to** I cen L; sugar, 5.04 per cent; the cent SO * ic * s *Lus showing at 12.43 per The comparative deficiency in fat s ra ther offset by the somewhat high Percentage of sugar, which, under the rjeumstances, need hardly be reas unusual, and, generally ™ay be considered that ® Sa mple showed no marked differJnilk * rom ** lat °* a normal cow’s