Calf rearing

About calf rearing

Calf feeding equipment — a bucket with teat and a 2-litre bottle with nipple, for calves taken off the cow. Feeding through a teat rather than from an open bucket matters more than it looks. Suckling closes the groove that sends milk straight past the rumen to the abomasum, where a young calf can actually digest it; gulping from an open bucket sends milk the wrong way and causes scours. It also slows the calf down, which is half the point. Wash both after every feed. Milk left in a teat is the most reliable way to give a calf a gut infection in its first month.