suckon,nordotheyhaveanysubstitute.Fromtheirfirstday
inconfinement—whichmaywellbeonlythethirdorfourth
dayoftheirlives—theydrinkfromaplasticbucket.Attempts
havebeenmadetofeedcalvesthroughartificialteats,butthe
taskofkeepingtheteatscleanandsterile isapparentlynot
worth the producer’s trouble. It is common to see calves
franticallytryingtosucksomepartoftheirstalls,although
thereisusuallynothingsuitable;andifyouofferavealcalf
yourfingeryouwillfindthatheimmediatelybeginstosuck
on it, as human babies suck their thumbs.
Laterthecalfdevelopsaneedtoruminate—thatis,totakein
roughageandchewthecud.Butroughageisstrictlyforbidden
becauseitcontainsironandwilldarkentheflesh,so,again,
thecalfmayresorttovainattemptstochewthesidesofhis
stall. Digestive disorders, including stomach ulcers, are
commoninvealcalves.Soischronicdiarrhea.Toquotethe
Bristol study once again:
Thecalvesaredeprivedofdryfeed.Thiscompletelydistorts
the normal development of the rumen and encourages the
development ofhair ballswhich may also leadto chronic
indigestion.^96
As if this were not enough, the calf is deliberately kept
anemic. Provimi’sStall Street Journalexplains why:
Color of veal is one of the primary factors involved in
obtaining“top-dollar”returnsfromthefancyvealmarkets....
“Light color” veal isa premium item muchin demand at
betterclubs,hotelsandrestaurants.“Lightcolor”orpinkveal
ispartlyassociatedwiththeamountofironinthemuscleof
the calves.^97