—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Mar. 30,1974
20
Sour Colustrum - One
Way To Feed Calves
by N. Alan Bair
Assistant County Agent
The feeding of sour
colostrum to calves has
allowed many county
dairymen to cut the cost of
calf raising and raise
healthier calves. Not too
the - of
Dairymen are learning that healthy,
scour-free calves like this one can be
Thank You
FOR MAKING OUR ANNUAL
SPRING SALE A HUGE SUCCESS
50 TRACTORS SOLD and
350 PIECES FARM EQUIPMENT
' Massey-Ferguson 1080 MF6SD 1725
Diesel $6BOO MFSOG 1475
MFIBOG 3100 Ferguson 20 900
MF6SD 1950 MH44 600
MFBSG 1600 MFI7SD 6275
MF3SG 1300 MF6SD 2075
M H44 900 MF6SD 1650
MFI3SG - 2100 MF6SG 1400
MH444D 1125
Oliver 1850 D 4700 JD3OIOD 2900
Oliver 880 D 1900 JD 2010 1800
John Deere 3010 G 3175 JD 520 1400
J D 530 G 1900 J D 50 785
J D 1010 G 1600 J D 70D 660
J D 630 1450 J D Skid Steer Loader 3000
J D 620 675 FordSN 420
JOB AC WD 700
Ford 6000 D 2100 IH2OO 830
ACDI4w Loader 1200 FordSN 400
IHTS Crawler 2275 AC B 500
Oliver 1750 D 4000 IH3OO 800
Oliver 77 650
Massey Ferguson 510 D Combine with 4-row Corn
Head $10,900
MF3OO Combine 6,000
AC 5 row no-till Corn Planter 2,150
J D 4 row Planter 1,950
Mixer 1900 tester no
NH Grinder Mixer 1250 n»cr 7nn
Oliver Corn Planter 975 ™ /uu
NH Forage Harvester 850 600
f?n NH Side Rake 585
Mr lo d °| W ifrn AC Haybme 500
MFI2 Baler 1850 OMC Haybme 725
KawaneeDisc 985 Oliver 5-16 Plow 700
Oliver Disc 900 N H B | ower 730
r F r SC w asn Olivers 16Plow 775
Fox Corn Head 850 JD 14TBa | er 6(X )
Oliver 516 Plow 775 j D4 i 6 Plow 540
Oliver 3 16 Plow 500
M. M. WEAVER
rro & SONS
LLifUlB North Groffdaie Road
HflMftiil Leola, Pa. 17540
Phone (717) 656-2321
success with sour colostrum
feeding far outnumber the
reports of disappointments.
With the rising cost of milk
replacer and the Increased
value of whole milk, sour
colostrum has many
economic as well as
nutritional advantages over
other accepted cm If feeding
raised on a diet of sour colustrum.
P A d side'benefit of feeding
sour colostrum is that it has
solved the problem of proper
disposal of this large volume
of otherwise unusuable milk
for many dairymen.
A good producing cow will
give enough surplus
colostrum in the first eight
milkings to feed the calf for
four or five weeks. With bull
calves being sold, most
dairymen report enough
colostrum available to feed
future herd replacements to
weaning age.
Research reports indicate
that sour milk-fed calves
develop a better digestive
system. Calves fed soured
milk have a different bac
terial make-up in the gastro
intestinal tract: the bac
terial “good guys”
predominate and there are
fewer “bad guys” present.
Organisms that commonly
cause enteritis and scouring
cannot grow at the pH of sour
colostrum and are thus
eliminated as a cause of
those diseases.
Sour colostrum feeding
also affects the size of curds
formed in the stomach which
is related to ease of
digestion. When fresh milk is
ingested, the curd particles
formed may be the size of a
walnut, while the curd from
soured milk resembles grain
size particles which are
more easily digested.
The mechanics of feeding
sour colostrum are rather
simple. The first eight
milkings are put in a con
tainer, fermented, and the
calf is fed from the container
for the next six to eight
weeks. In no case should
colostrum containing an
tibiotics be used.
In practice it is best to use
at least three containers:
one to feed out of, one that is
fermenting and one to be
filling. Always use the oldest
container first. Many
dairymen have found twenty
gallon plastic garbage cans
to be ideal fermenters. These
cans are not too large to
move, come with tight fitting
lids and are easy to clean.
The ideal fermenting
temperature is probably
between 60 degrees and 80
degrees Fahrenheit. This
means your fermenting
container should not sit in
direct sunlight. A tight lid is
necessary on the container to
prevent flies, rats and cats
from getting in. Yes, cats,
like calves, really like this
soured material.
Although there is some
disagreement among users,
tnere seems to be no need to
stir the contents of the fer
menting can dally. Fill it up
and set it aside to ferment. It
is possible to begin feeding at
once if there is no other
colostrum available.
It is recommended that
the fermented colostrum be
stored no longer than 30
days. The mold that
sometimes forms on the
surface during fermentation
and on the container sides
during feeding seems to have
no adverse effects on the
calf. Of course, thoroughly
wash and sanitize the con
tainer before refilling.
At feeding time the con
tainer of fermented
colostrum must be stirred
thoroughly to mix the fat,
curds and whey. One quart of
sour colostrum and one
quart of hot water is the
mixture most often used.
Depending on the colostrum
supply, other ratios can be
used. In any case, do not feed
more than eight to ten
pounds of the mixture per
day during the first week. As
with any calf feeding
program, it is better to
underfeed than overfeed in
early life. Nipple bottles or
pails are usually found to be
more satisfactory than open
pails for feeding. Calves like
sour colostrum, but some
object to the different smell.
After one week of age you
should provide a source of
extra water for the calf. Wait
an hour or so after feeding
the milk to put water in the
calf bucket. If a little
hungry, the calf will eat
grain and not fill up on
water.
Feeding sour colostrum is
one method of feeding calves
that works. Even with this
method the mother’s milk
should be fed fresh to the calf
for the first three days. And,
as with any other system,
proper care and careful
management of the calf have
no substitutes.
TRY A
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AD!
PHONE 626-2191
OR 394-3047
CHORE-TIME
__t4e OriyOtal-itiUy&vta aA&uif
NEW HIGH CAPACITY FLEX-AUGER ON DISPLAY
Q WE SELL, SERVICE AND INSTALL
E. M, HERR EQUIPMENT, INC.
R. D, 1, Willow Streef 717-464-3321
IkofflwviHe Club Elects Officers
The Thomasville 4-H Gub
met recently at the 4-H
Center near Bair. All leaders
and teen leaders were
recognized for the work they
did for the club in 1973.
The members elected
officers for 1974. They are as
follows: president-Christine
Kulynych; vice-president -
Jonathan Uhl; secretary-
Bonnie Wire; treasurer- Tim
Gisenhart; news reporter-
Tommy Welsh; ass’t. news
reporter-Katherine Uhl;
song leader-Nancy
Kulynych; ass't. song
leader-Nancy Logue; game
leader-Jeff Roth; and ass’t.
game leader-Jletty
NOTICE
ORDERS TAKEN FOR EARLY
SPRING LAWN ROLLING
Call Early and Save the Extra Road Mileage
Charge.
STEEL ROLLER WEIGHT 1700
POUNDS
CALL GID DIENNER
1 MILE EAST OF INTERCOURSE PHONE 768-3154
E
m
Rauhauser.
Mrs. Harris Horn talked on
the projects (or the year.
Members filled out IBM
forms after the meeting.
Agriculture is the nation’s
and the world’s only industry
that absolutely affects every
living person in some way. It
is the one thing the
millionaire has in common
with the most primative
tribesman.
Government researchers
tell us that modern crops
produce the most nutritious
foods in history.
'4
SWINE FEEDING
with the FLEX-AUGER
SYSTEM
FLEX AUGER—THE ORIGINAL ONE-PIECE.
SPRING TYPE AUGER THAT SIMPLIFIED
AND REVOLUTIONIZED DELIVERY OF
FEED FROM BINS TO FEEDERS FOR
POULTRY. DAIRY CATTLE A SWINE
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