REARING OF CALVES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21214, 10 September 1940, Page 9

REARING OF CALVES

PREVENTING TROUBLES CARE AT WEANING TIME Accommodation is a very important factor in the successful rearing of the young calf. Newly-born calves in the winter and spring must be housed, a shed open to the north and admitting sufficient light and air being ideal for the purpose. Further, the shed should have a dry earth floor on which bedding can be placed, the bedding being renewed at intervals in order to ensure absolute cleanliness. A dry and well-drained paddock should be chosen for the calf paddock. The paddock should be well sheltered as this not only helps to save the pasture but also helps to maintain body heat. Where there is no natural shelter, an artificial windbreak should be provided. One of the best preventives of disease is the changing of the calf paddock every two years, for apart from bacterial contamination, it eventually becomes infected with the larvae forms of parasitic worms which take many months to die' out. Correct Feeding The young calf should be fed three times a day. The colostral milk should be given to the new-born calf, as it has a laxative effect and contains certain protective substances. It is the custom of many farmers to leave the calf with the mother for the first two days, which is not only beneficial for the calf, but gives a smaller degree of trouble. Any tendency to overfeed the calf should be guarded against, probably 5 to 61b daily, increasing to a gallon within the first fortnight, is sufficient for Jersey calves. Strict cleanliness must be observed in regard to the food utensils. The milk should be fed as near blood heat as possible. Benefit results from diluting the allowance of milk with 10 per cent of lime-water and occasionally adding a pinch of salt. It is now recognised that certain types of acute indigestion may be due to feeding a milk high in solids not fat. The lime-water serves to reduce this high concentration and renders the curd more digestible. The longer the calf can get whole, non-separated milk the better; but, as a rule, after three or four weeks this is reduced and replaced by skim-milk to an increasing extent. Where good young grass is available and concentrates are fed. whey milk can be used satisfactorily after the first four to six weeks. A valuable supplement to whey is meat meal, a suitable ration being about £lb daily for calves three to four weeks old. If a little dry bran and pollard, lin-seed-meal. or crushed oats is putout just after the milk, it lessens the tendency of the calves to suck one another. Weaning Time Management Careful management is necessary at the time of weaning. If the calf has become accustomed to young grass it will be greatly affected by the loss of the grass. Sometimes, however, weaning time coincides with a reduction in the milk supply, but the feeding concentrates can be continued for a little longer and this will help to tide the calf over the grass shortage.

During the autumn and winter months good quality hay should be always available and this can be supplemented with roots or ensilage. It is as well to provide rock salt or a lick containing bonemeal, salt, iron and iodine.