Rearing Calf

After delivery a child need its mother’s milk. So cow milk is essential for its new born calf. The cow milk has as much nutrition it can not compared with other alternatives. The cow’s first condensed yellow milk and normal milk is essential for its calf.

Elements of Milk:

Milk is a complete and bland food. It contains carbohydrate, protein and fat. It helps in growing of calf. Not only that, it contains calcium, phosphorous, vitamins-A which build up bones. All the nutritional elements that need for growing a calf’s body are available in cow milk.

Why feed milk? :

Vitamins-A is in a small amount in calf’s body when it birth. Cow’s fresh milk (first milk) contains vitamins-A in abundance. So we have to feed it fresh milk in the morning and in the evening. By drinking fresh milk a calf earn disease resistance power. Globulins with antibodies are in plenty in fresh milk. Without drinking these globulins a calf can not earn disease protective power. For this reason we have to feed fresh milk within 2 hours of birth. At a result, it increases feeding interests; reduce the risk of bowel disease. After birth by drinking fresh milk a calf leave yellow faeces.

How to Suck Milk:

At first wash mamma (breast) and nipples with warm water and remove a little milk from nipples. As a result dirt and germ of nipples will remove. After then touch calf’s mouth with mamma and nipples. And try again and again calf suck milk from nipples. In order to drink milk as calf’s demand we have to keep calf with its mother for the first 3 days. We should observe that, it can not take additional fresh milk which may causes metabolic disturbances. Feed regular milk up to 3 – 4 months of age. It need not necessary to feed milk after 6 months of calf’s age.

Other Foods:

Salt is a very important minerals. We should feed salt and fresh water as its need everyday. After the issuance of milk we should supply them granule foods such as wheat chaff, rice dust, broken pulses, pulse chaff, oil cake, bean, and pulse like grasses. Granule and green grass build up its physical growth. In 5 weeks of age provide some green grass, 8 weeks of age supply granule food and 1 kg high quality green grass daily. We should take necessary steps for issuance (leave) of milk within 97 – 180 days. There is no need to provide any type of milk. They need sufficient soft green grass or enough glossy calf starter ( 3 to 4 kg for each calf ) everyday. Supply plenty of water everyday.

Primary condensed yellow milk of cow must be fed to the calf. We should take necessary steps so that cow licks its calf. Give doses of destroying worms. And give vaccines of infectious diseases within 3 months.