CALF-REARING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 15 October 1913, Page 6

CALF-REARING.

In view of the rapid development of dairying, the question of calf-rear-ing is one of The remarks made by Mr McConriell, manager of Ruakura experimental farm, should prove of considerable interest. In addressing the National Dairy Association N at Palmerston, ; Mr McConriell stated that his experience in the hand-rearing of calves had possibly been as great as that of anyone present at the meeting. The heifer calves would one,day become members of the farmers' dairy herd and on them would his livelihood depend. Every oare should be taken to give them judicious feeding. Experienced breeders knew that, breed and feed as 'carefully as they might, they . would occasionally be disappointed lit J their heifer calves, but if a heifer calf was bom possessed of inherent dairy * qualities, those qualities would not in anyway be destroyed, but rather developed by liberal treatment. The fact was that excessive milk production meant an enormous demand on the energy of a cow, and it could easily be understood that too much pains could not be taken in developing a foundation on which to build that energy. The lecturer described a .system of rearing high-cla&s dairy calves, which he had found gave the* best results. For the first three weeks they should be given new milk, at the end of which time they should be taught to eat a handful of dry-crushed oats and dry-crushed linseed, in the proportion of foiur) of oats to two of linseed. ■ Good hay Should be available, and also plenty of good drinking water, and a supply of rock salt. Giniel might be entirely dispensed with. When calves were turned out to graze, the pastures should be sweet > and clean; the paddock that is used year after year for this purpose is the* source of many calf troubles. Allowing all the calves to drink from one trough at the same time could not be too vstrangly condemned. A common and often fatal ailment among calves was due to the curdled milk in the stomach becoming so hard that it could not pass into the bowels. Such a condition ultimately affected the brain, and the calf died as in a fit. A sure prer ventative of this trouble was.a pinch of carbonate of soda, stirred into the milk. Calf-feeding, to be completely successful, should be attended to by one man, and carefully at that. As winter approached calves should be housed at night in a dry shed, and t given hay and a little sweet oaten-' sheaf chaff. A ration of roots might be added with the best effect.