Page 235 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

There are two methods of feeding milk to the calf termed as natural feeding or
artificial milk feeding. Natural feeding is done by allowing the calf to suckle milk
directly from the mother’s udder. In this case, one teat, normally one hind quarter,
is left for the calf to suckle while the rest are milked. Artificial milk feeding is
practised by feeding the calf using bucket. The cow is milked and the milk is fed to
the calf while warm as shown in Table 10. 1.

Table 10.1: Milk feeding schedule
Age of the Calf (weeks) Amount of milk (litre)

1 - 2 2 - 3
3 - 4 3 - 4

4 - 8 4
8 - 12 3

12 - 16 1 - 2

The amount of milk fed is increased gradually up to 8 weeks (2 months) and then
reduced gradually up to weaning at 12 to 16 weeks. In addition to milk feeding,
the calf should be introduced to calf concentrate freely to reach 1 kg per day. Good
quality hay should also be introduced starting from the third week. Calves are
supposed to have an identification mark for easy management. The mark could be
numbers or any other recognisable mark unique to a particular animal in the herd.
Several methods can be used to identify cattle such as tattooing, branding, and ear

tagging.

Management of weaners and heifers

After weaning, weaners should be fed adequately to promote fast growth to reach
maturity normally at 18 months. The feeding involves feeding good quality pasture
forages. In case of poor forage availability, the heifer may be supplemented with 2
kg concentrate up to mating.

Management of a bull

From genetic point of view, a bull is equal to one half the herd as it contributes
50% of genetic material of the entire herd. Offsprings in the herd inherit half of
their genetic characteristics from the bull. It is important to select the best bull for
breeding purposes. Bulls are in most cases not friendly and therefore they should be

handled with care and cautiousness. It is advisable to rear the bull in a separate pen.
The bulls should be fed or grazed in a pasture with plenty of grass. If grazed, it is

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