bull follows like puppy

[regolith]

I'm using a lame cow and heifer to rear calves, the cow calved I took her calf off her and the next day introduced three heifer replacements the same age. She stood there fed two of them & I gave the third a bottle and put them all on grass together. The third calf refused the offered bottle two days later as she was getting enough off the cow.
Introduced two day-old calves to the heifer in the same way when she calved the next day. I've never actually seen any of them sucking her, though she babysits the whole group and her udder isn't getting real tight. I take a bottle and check if any of them are hungry once a day and just one calf comes running, the one tagged as a future herd bull. He must be getting something off the cows as well because one bottle a day should have him looking pretty gaunt by now - he's five days old.
And he's behaving like a very, very cute pet.

D'you reckon I should curtail that behaviour by putting him back in the calfshed next time I have an opportunity and raise him as one of the group, so he isn't getting as much individual attention? Seems a bit pointless anyway putting calves out on cows then bottling one day after day, but he's showing no sign of choosing cow rather than bottle and it's been four days. There's no way I have time to spend fostering them on.
It's possible he's just one of the 'people-loving' calves - I get one or two every year - in which case he might not be suitable for a bull at all.

[John SD]

I'd cut him nowand raise him as a steer. IMO, bulls that have been raised as pets are nothing but bad news. No matter how good a bull prospect he is, it's not worth someone getting seriously hurt or killed.

[salebarn junkie]

The main reason dairy bulls are the most dangerus bulls around is because there raised on a bottle they have no fear of people if your going to bottle feed it cut it.

[kickinbull]

The main reason dairy bulls are the most dangerus bulls around is because there raised on a bottle they have no fear of people if your going to bottle feed it cut it.

I have heard that before and used to believe it also. Knew of a real good herd of Jerseys that the owner quit milking. When the calves were born they were raised by the mothers. They got to be big enough to use at sires. Several neighbors bought the bulls, guess what, they were nasty also. A male animal is just that, never to be trusted.

[regolith]

Not going to raise him as a steer. There is no place for a Jersey steer in my operation.
You guys are missing the point a little, but no matter.

He is not 'being raised as a pet' he is behaving like a pet. Every Jersey bull I've ever worked with has been hand-reared, and that's rather a few.
I suspect another day's observation will decide the matter. Looks like he and maybe another calf are coming back to the shed and I'm going to end up with a dry, useless heifer. Easy to prevent but I can't right now, on this farm.

[regolith]

Well I sure hope I'm learning something from the whole sorry saga.
Two calves are back in the calfshed. Brought the heifer back too, for milking and discovered she had mastitis in all four quarters. I made a judgment call that there was no possibility of saving any of them.

The cow was close to collapse when I checked them today. I'd set up a break of new grass two days ago and left the gate open expecting they'd wander out of their paddock and find it as soon as they got hungry. Saw they still hadn't been in there and figured I was going to have to do their thinking for them.
She looked a lot better after a couple of hours grazing the new break. All five calves were lively and kicking up their heels.
How things can go wrong when there isn't time to do them properly... the severity of the mastitis I find a little bizarre though; she was fine when I milked her as a new calver and now there's nothing resembling normal milk.

[dieselbeef]

bulls and pitbulls fall into the same category..ya just never know whan ones gonna flip out and kill ya

[kickinbull]

regolith, sorry how things have turned out on the nurse cow deal. I am not real happy with the results that I've had trying to do it. Once I tried to turn them out like you did, same results. Have brought the cows into the milk barn and let the calve nurse. The calves do good, but with all the hassle I would rather just milk the cow. lol. I like you tag, lack of attention to small stuff adds up fast, lol.

[bigbull338]

rogo keep raising him like you are.we forget that most here have no knowlage of dairy cattle an their temperment.right now he is just being a normal bottle calf.but if he is still doing the same at 6 months id teach him to back off an stay out of the way.you an i both know that a jersey bull is not gentle easy going.they will get meaner than a snake sooner or later.

[regolith]

Yeah, now he's back in the shed he's just another calf. Not even noticing him. I'll soon see if he continues that puppy behaviour as he grows.

That's a nice interpretation of the sig line - not what I intended it to mean but I'll pm you with that one. What was 'small stuff' (challenges) a year ago is literally destroying me and my herd now.

[Taurus]

You are right, he is still a calf, but from what I heard that you should not encourage bottle-fed bulls to play with you or other humans.