The next vital concept in new-born baby raising is to isolate, as far as possible, all mouths from all bums. Recycled faeces via any means at all will give them diarrhoea from bacteria (or coccidia), and in a very short period after that, from worms. All these diseases are quickly lethal in young stock. If they survive a severe bout of diarrhoea, coccidiosis, pneumonia or worms (even with treatment) then you may wish that they hadn't lived because they will be a long time looking good or ever doing well again. Recovered calves will use up a lot more feed to achieve the same weight, if they ever do. That separation of mouths from bums means faecal cleanliness akin to that of your own home (hopefully). The greatest cause of human survival (and over-population) has not been medical advances but sewerage. Forget medicines, doctors and hospitals...they don't even come close. Sewerage separated bums from mouths (provided you had good personal hygeine) and that is all that was needed to over-populate the world. Not sure if it was a bonus or not really. Such hygeine for your calves can be raised slats (from an old shearing shed) over a washable concrete base or simply moving their housing using clean straw bedding to a new site every few days and using clean straw bales as big building bricks for walls. Later, when the bales are getting a bit ratty they can then mulch your garden or fruit trees and it's already primed with nitrogen to speed its breakdown. (Peter Cundall would love it). That last simple cheap straw method is effective but the it must be airy while not too drafty. It was the way I raised calves and I used sloping old corrugated iron roofing to protect from rain (with big rocks on it). Cheap and you get to recycle all the housing into the vegie garden. Never raise calves in or near a wind funnelling situation because some buildings and trees convert the slightest breeze into a gale. The worst place (but so commonly used) is under a macrocarpa plantation that has had the bottom branches chewed out by stock. Nice place when the mercury is over 40 degrees but colder than an antarctic gale at any other time.

Medicines and treatments It is a very good idea to put your newly purchased calves onto a tetracycline based milk additive to aid the reduction of faecal pathogens for the danger period until they are strong enough.

This admittedly is the feeding of antibiotics to healthy (as yet) animals and is not thought highly of in some circles. I admit that I don't like feeding antibiotics to healthy stock in principle but it works and as long as we don't go beyond that one family of drug I do know it makes a very big difference in health and survival in and beyond the first ten days of stress adjustment. Especially so in colostrum suspect and saleyard purchased calves/lambs. However if you are very good at it and your calves have had good "beastings" then you may choose to avoid the routine stress antibiotics. Personally, I wouldn't. It is only available from veterinary surgeons and we dispense it to you after a discussion, provided that you are a bone-fide client of the practice. (That is you can't just ring up and have us mail it to you when we don't even know you and don't visit your place occasionally). At Forth Valley V.C. we purchase it in bulk and dispense it with professional advice plus this set of notes (and a dispensing fee). It's a lot cheaper than having your babies crash and burn but it is no substitute for good conditions, dryness and hygeine. Some people (and I agree with this) add an egg a day to each calf's milk, especially if it is milk formula (powder). The theory is that there are non-specific protective antibodies in the egg white which while not absorbed into the bloodstream after 12 hours, may still keep pathogen levels lower in the bowel, as does the continued feeding of colostrum. Eggs also have the rich source of fats in the yolk. I suspect that farmyard eggs from chooks scratching around in the dirt may be richer in protective antibodies than battery or shedded fowl, but I've not proven it. Besides, it sounds more wholesome.

During the first two days of hand feeding on your place I think it is wise to weaken the milk or the formula down to about half strength. That may not be needed if you are using pooled colostrum, the best starter food of all. To weaken it I recommend that it be diluted with an electrolyte/glucose solution that can be purchased in bulk quite cheaply or made yourself. (See later). There are some expensive liquid or small packaged ones about but they aren't needed. I always add one egg per feed per calf for the first ten days and the soluble antibiotic as well (even if I am not all that easy with the antibiotic on principle).

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