Show I Raise Good Heifers 1 By By J. J E. E Dorman Pr b are cows on test in the western testing cow-testing associations asso asso- 1 cl U ns' ns and probably heifer heffer j. j calves dropped from these cows ever every ev- ev cry er ery year To Keep up this number of oC cows in milk probably new cows must be added to the herds each year This must be done either by purchasing cows or b by raising Some of these heifer helfer calves The average cow in the western association produces more than pounds of fat a year At the same time lime the average cow not in the I testing associations averages consid consid- considerably rera 1 bly bly under pounds of fat Al Almost Al AI- most most every every man man in an association has hasa hast t a goal of at least pounds of fat f set as an for his herd and there are a large number of herds I that ih that t average better than pounds and a few that will average close to 1 j pounds of fat a year Manifestly r should hope to keep up P then en no one such an average and depend upon the market to replenish his herd r when It can be done by raising heifers heifers' belt belt- ers ers' from good cows and sired by the right kind of a bull This is the only on only on- on ly Iy economical way to do it yet there are a number of dairymen who are t. t trying tho the other method The wise dairymen however are raising their herd In a grade r heifers and in one western estern cow testing association 20 o heifers which fr freshened in four tour years time had an average of or pounds e mak- mak akL ak- ak first t t o of r f butterfat with t r f 11 y f c crr rr i.- i. L Jy ing G 77 pounds and and another another 30 pounds To have gone another out on the market and bought cows that would average pounds of fat tat with their first calf calC would have cost the dairyman dairyman dairyman dairy dairy- man from 75 to a head more than it cost him to raise them It has been my observation f from om I visiting many such Buch herds and from studying their records that these heifers quite commonly equal the production of their dams with first calf calC and excel them thereafter It has also been my observation that heifers from similar cows and in some som cases from tram the same hull bull differ greatly in production when raised by different men and under different methods of feeding It is because of this great difference in production due to feed and care especially with heifers with first calves that I wish to state a few things that I think may help the tho ordinary dairyman to raise calves that will be better than their dams In the first place because of oC the the prevalence and widespread pread of contagious contagious contagious con con- abortion and because of the effect of ot the abortion disease on the vitality of oC the tho calf caU and its resistance to diseases such as scours and pneumonia pneumonia pneumonia monia no man no matter how ho healthy his herd may be at the present present pres pres- ent time can afford to use slipshod methods in feeding and caring for his calves Sooner or later this thip scourge may hit his herd and before he realizes reaUze it he ma may find that hb he I f L 1 r t t has lost some valuable calves ana I that others are hopelessly stunted That careful methods of feeding reduce reduce reduce re re- duce the loss from this source has been proven again and again and andI I jab no dairyman can afford to take a aI I chance and feed by guess use dirty I I palls pails and the many other bad pra practices I I tices Uces that are commonly employed Another mistake that many dairymen dairymen dairymen dairy dairy- men make is to try to save a little money by putting the calf calC on skim milk when too young and without supplementing it with grain or to to try and antl use so-called so milk substitute substitute substitute tute entirely when the calf Is too young Skillful feeders have been able able to successfully put calves on skim milk at an early age but from what I have seen of the practice and from Cram personal experience I would say that it is an expensive method for most dairymen f to fol fol- low There is no satisfactory substitute substitute substitute sub sub- for tor butterfat In the ration of the very young animal and this applies applies applies ap ap- ap- ap plies to calves as well as to rats Ordinarily Ordinarily Ordinarily Or Or- a calf calC can be safely put on skim milk at a month to six weeks of age six weeks to two months beIng being being be be- ing better still taking at least ten days to make the change After ACter the calf is three weeks of age it should be taught to eat grain so that the grain will at least partly take the place of oC the butterfat when it Is re removed removed removed re- re moved from the ration Skim milk feeding should be continued until the calf calC is from Crom six to eight months of age and a small amount of grain should be fed until the calf is ready to freshen unless the roughage or pasture is of the best It is always well to feed a little grain until the calf calC Is a year old For the man who has no skim milk I 1 believe bellev It Is economical to feed fewer few few- er heifers but to continue some whole milk feeding until tho the calf is fr from m three to four months of age giving eight to ten pounds a day for the first two months and smaller amounts amounts thereafter The calf should be taught to eat grain when a few weeks old and as the whole milk Is gradually reduced a calf meal either eith eith- er home made or purchased may be used to supplement it Il until the calf is six months of oC age when grain may replace the calf meal A mistake that Is commonly made Is to let the calf eat hay when too young The average calf is better off without any hay whatever until past three weeks of oC age Alfalfa hay is more liable to cause Indigestion Indigestion indigestion tion in young calves than either grain or milk and should be he the first thing to be removed from the ration if the calf shows signs of Indigestion tion Another mistake that is commonly made is to put newborn calves in a apen apen apen pen with older calves thereby exposing exposing exposing ex ex- posing them to scours and allowing them to eat hay before their stomachs stomachs achs are ready for it Small calves are best cared for when shut up in individual pens or else tied so as not notto notto notto to be able to reach rea-ch other calves until until un- un til a month old One Oue reason why young hand-fed hand calves look unthrifty is that they arb art taken from the cow too soon and then fed milk from the herd her which is unsuited to them The calf does best when it is left with its mother for a afew afew afew few days and then fed on its mothers mother's mothers mother's mothers mother's moth moth- ers er's milk or on the milk of some other fresh cow for several weeks Another common mistake is to try and cure scours especially the con contagious kind abruptly This often results in chronic Indigestion and a stunted calf Contagious scours run runa a course of several days and no strong medicine should be given to check them sooner ithan than this The best way to cure the calf is to re remove remove remove re- re move all hay and gr grain lq and reduce the amount of milk A tablespoonful tablespoon tablespoon- ful of blood meal or rennet placed in the calf's mouth several times a aday aday aday day Is quite effective A teaspoonful teaspoon- teaspoon ful o of a solution of one part of for for- malin in 30 parts of water put Inthe in inthe inthe the milk at the rate of at one teaspoonful teaspoon teaspoon- ful rul per pound of milk can go along with the other treatment In bad cases some of this solution with a teaspoonful of baking soda can be given in some some warm water Hot enemas not above degrees p. p F are also useful in case the calf gets weak and cold Care must be used in getting the calf back on feed There is lIS no need of at leaving a stunted stunt stunt- ed calf but at the same time there are hundreds of oC them in the country today and many calves die from the effect of scours Heifers properly fed and handled when young either grade or purebred purebred purebred pure pure- bred will make enough more butterfat butterfat butterfat butter- butter fat with the first calf to more than pay for the cost of oC raising them compared compared compared com com- pared with the cost the other way and will l tye e better cows ever after Herds in cow testing associations have proved this and it is not uncommon uncommon uncommon un un- un- un common to see year two-year-old heifers helfers as large largo as the average mature cows and giving as much butterfat On the other hand a large majority of the heifers are undersized and unprofitable unprofitable unprofitable un un- un- un profitable from a production standpoint standpoint standpoint stand stand- point with their first calf and often i- i I t c b jc always always unprofitable Tho The loss on onon onon onon I on one or two unprofitable heifers will more than offset any saving that I might have been effected by trying to feed the young calf calC cheaply The great need of the dairy Industry industry Industry Indus Indus- try Is better bulls but they cannot accomplish much without the proper feeding of the calves o 0 o |