feedingbabycalves.com

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 The Website for those, that ranching is a hobby or full time passion, based around bottle feeding baby calves. The Message Board is a great area to ask questions or leave comments about cattle ranching and calf feeding. The Tip, Tricks, and How To Section has articles of ranching that can be useful for raising cattle.  

  

-There are some good advice on animal care in this web site, but always refer to your veterinarian  for proper treatment of your animals.  Some home remedies work, but veterinarians know best, and can save you money and heartache with exact treatment.

 

 

 

In the video above of bottle feeding baby calves off a bottle rack, the calf that is being fed by hand is still learning how to nurse from the rack.  There are five calves feeding from the rack at this time, but we have fed twelve at one time using this rack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Basic Guidelines for Bottle Feeding Baby Calves

 

Feeding 

  Milk Replacers           

  • Feed one full bottle of milk replacer in mourning and then one more in the evening every day.

  • Ages:  Day 1 to 3 Months Old.

 

    Colostrum Supplements   

  • Use in the first twelve hours after birth if calf has never nursed, feed only twice in the first day only. If calf is older than two days and never nursed, go straight to Sav-A-Calf Grade A Ultra 24.

 

     Sav-A-Calf Grage A Ultra 24 Milk Replacer

  • When a calf is having trouble taking to the bottle.

  • When a calf is sick.

    Purina Nurse Chow  All Milk Protein Replacer

  • The main milk replacer we use 90% of the time.

  • Low cost and calves grow well.

  • We start most of our calves on Nurse Chow, and only change if there is a problem.

 

    Cargill Nutrena Milk Replacer

 

  • Cost is higher than Nurse Chow, but mixes up in the bottle better and easier to work

                   with. Use mostly when there is two or three calves being nursed.

 

  Creep Feeds

 

      Purina Acc-Creep  13% Protein

      

  • Feed 3 lbs of creep per head in mourning and again in the evening.

  • Ages:  2 Weeks  to 6 Months Old.

 

   Hay

  

     Any local grass hay

 

  • Ages:  2 Weeks to 6 Months Old.

  • We always have enough calves in the pen to fed  6’ x 5’ round bale, but for just a few calves a small square would do.

  • Free Choice- It is always available to the calves.

   Mineral

   

      Purina Wind and Rain All Season Mineral

  • Any Age.
  • Free Choice- It is always available to the calves.

 

  After six months then the calves are fed on the pasture.

 

-Be sure read all product labels, and full understand dosage amounts before you administer any vaccines or treatments to animals.  If you have any question ask a veterinarian.

 

 

 

Scour Treatments

 

 

 Mild Case

  • Aureomycin

     Just mix in a tsp spoon in with milk replacer- once

      day for up to four days

 

 Average Case

  • Manna Pro Scour Ease Plus

       A calf supplement to be mixed with dry non-medicated

       milk replacer.

 

  • Sustain III

       A bolus pill given- 1 bolus for 50 lbs of weight in the mouth

       

  • Maxi Sorb Bolus                                                                            

 

  Extreme Case

  • Noromycin 300 LA, Norbrook

      Ready to use, injectable, broad spectrum antibiotic

 

For More Info: Calf Scour Treatments

 

 

 

Vaccines

 

  • Bo Bac 2 X, Boehringer Ingelheim

                   Prevent scours

                   Works best if given in the first six hours of life, works well with antibiotics and vaccines

 

  • Ultrabac 8, Pfizer

                   Prevent blackleg and other sudden death ailments

                   Given at age of one month of age

 

  • Boehringer Ingelheim: Express 10 & 10+HS

                   Prevent Respiratory Disease

                   Given at four months of age

 

  • Corid, Merial

                   Prevent coccidiosis (bloody scours).

                   Used as a drench or in the milk replacer. We have mixed up the drench and placed it

                   in the bottles with

                   with the milk replacer.

                   This treatment has to be mixed with water

                   Given when calves are about 6 weeks old.

 

  • IVOMEC Plus Injectable, Merial

                   Dewormer

                   Prevents and Kills parasites

                   Given when calves are about six months old.

 

 

Tips on When Calves don't Want To Nurse a Bottle

 

  

 

1. Stay calm. It can be very frustrating when a calf doesn’t want to suck, but getting  irritated won’t help.

 

2.Only mix and try a half of a bottle.  You won’t have to pour out as much if it doesn’t suck and it is lighter and easier to handle.

 

3. Place the calf in a very small pen or loading chute, then sprinkle some milk replacer on it nose. Then wait for the calf to lick it off. Stand in front of the calf not touching it, but don’t let it go by you. Then place the nipple in its mouth.

 

4. Try placing the bottle in its mouth several times for about 15 minutes in the morning, if it doesn’t suck. Stop. Then try again that evening.

 

5. Give an injection of Injectable vitamin B complex supplemental for cattle.  It will help stimulate the calf appetite.

 

 

FAQ

 

Is there any profit in raising bottle calves?

 

Well, yes, but very little money is made, by the time you buy feed and milk replace and treat sickness, you can make a little money, but not much.

 

Why do you bottle feed calves?

 

There are 3 main reasons why we hand raise calves. 1)The calf’s mother has pass away or doesn’t clam the offspring.  2) We purchase baby calves at auction like Holstein calves to place on our own heifer cows, if their first offspring don’t survive the birth process. 3) We purchase baby heifer calves to hand raise to keep on our ranch and reproduce, when these calves grow up, they are easier and safer to work with.

 

Why would you place a calf on a cow that is not her mother? 

 

We will do so if the cow has lost her first offspring.  By doing so the cow will bond with the calf and learn how to raise and take care of a baby calf.  Also this will help condition the cow’s body in producing milk for future offspring.

 

What do calves do more: play or sleep?

 

Sleep, Most of the time they will be sleeping day and night.  Baby calves will play very little.  They will spend most of their time eating and sleeping.

 

Do baby calves drink water?

 

Yes, They like water and will drink often, especially here in Texas where it gets hot.  Water will help cool them.

 

How much milk replacer will a calf take?

The general rule of thumb is 1/2 gallon in the mouring and 1/2 gallon in the evening, but some calve do need more.  

 

How many times a day should you feed a calf?    

You should feed twice a day, but if you got the time you can feed more, just cut back on the milk to the right amount not feed to much. To much milk replacer will give calves the milk scours.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This page was last modified on Sunday, January 24, 2010 08:04:44 PM  

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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