1st Calf Heifer -Bad Mother

[Anonymous]

Hi! I have a first calf heifer that has no interest, and never has, in her calf. Every day I tie her up to let the bull calf suck. I've given up! He is a week old & I have decided to bottle feed him. How much replacer & water should I start off with? Any type of scour pills? Thanks for any suggestions! Jennifer )

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[Anonymous]

> Hi! I have a first calf heifer
> that has no interest, and never
> has, in her calf. Every day I tie
> her up to let the bull calf suck.
> I've given up! He is a week old
> & I have decided to bottle
> feed him. How much replacer &
> water should I start off with? Any
> type of scour pills? Thanks for
> any suggestions! Jennifer )

When we can't get a cow to claim its calf we use Calf Claim. It is a powder that you sprinkle on the calf's bakk. It is supposed to get the cow to smelling and licking the calf. We also put the powder on the cows nose. You should be able to get this from the vet. If that doesn't work you need to bottle feed. We feed 1 quart 3 times a day. The bag of milk replacer should say how much to add for a quart. When the calf gets older you should try to get started on calf pellets. Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

If Calf Claim doesn't work, I've read where some people put molasses on the calf's back for the cow to lick off.

That said, buy the best quality milk replacer you can find. Follow the instructions on the label carefully when mixing it.

Most calves require a TOTAL of one gallon of milk or milk replacer per day. You divide this gallon of milk or milk replacer into either two or three feedings per day. Two feedings would be 2 quarts per feeding. Three feedings would be about 1 1/3 quarts per feeding.

Buy a bag of Calf Manna and push a little into the calf's mouth after each bottle feeding. Leave some out for the calf to eat whenever it wants. It will take a little while, but the calf will start eating it if you are persistent.

Also, leave fresh water available for the calf at all times. Don't dilute the milk or milk replacer to add to the calf's water intake - that would interfere with his stomach's ability to form a cud.

You can also give him access to fresh grass or to hay. He'll start nibbling a little of it each day and that will allow his stomach to start accumulating the proper bacteria for digesting those foods.

If the calf isn't sick, why medicate it? Feeding milk replacer doesn't make a calf scour. If the calf got colostrum, it should be off to a reasonable start. If the calf scours, then you can treat the scours.

> When we can't get a cow to claim
> its calf we use Calf Claim. It is
> a powder that you sprinkle on the
> calf's bakk. It is supposed to get
> the cow to smelling and licking
> the calf. We also put the powder
> on the cows nose. You should be
> able to get this from the vet. If
> that doesn't work you need to
> bottle feed. We feed 1 quart 3
> times a day. The bag of milk
> replacer should say how much to
> add for a quart. When the calf
> gets older you should try to get
> started on calf pellets. Good
> luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I can only say.... I just had my first experience with this. I did molasses, and alfalfa, and made a bunch of mistakes with the cow before I decided to bottle feed the calf. Our family is having so much fun messing with that animal, that we are just about ready to bottle feed a calf every year. But, I digress. I went to my local feed store guy, bought the milk replacer, followed the directions, waited until the calf was ten days old before giving her the calf grain, and didn't have any worry about scours.... There is a tube of calf guard stuff that we put in the calf's mouth, on the back of his tongue, when he is dry and before he is twelve hours old... that seems to help avoid the scours. My folks do that with all of their calves. My feed store guy told me that by the time the calf is two to three weeks old, the worry of scours is over.

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm off to the feedmill. Jennifer )

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[Anonymous]

> much fun messing with that animal,
> that we are just about ready to
> bottle feed a calf every year.

I have to totally agree with that! They are fun -- my baby (Holstein/Jersey) is leaving today. She turned 12 weeks last Thursday and is now weaned and ready to go and be a 4H show heifer. And then the little black baldie I picked up at the salebarn -- what a sweetie! I might just feel a twinge when its time to turn him into steaks. He was newborn, hadn't been fed, and weighed a whopping 40 lbs when I bought him. He's still a very short little guy, but boy has he filled out in the past 11 weeks.

Personally, I don't use the milk replacers -- I'm milking a Holstein/Jersey and we have more than enough milk to feed 2-3 more calves and would STILL have enough for our own use! I figure when you have so much of the "real thing", why use a replacer?

Ann B

 

[Anonymous]

> My feed store guy
> told me that by the time the calf
> is two to three weeks old, the
> worry of scours is over.

I'm not sure what is meant by that statement, Omak. Scours caused by what?

There are actually some diseases that cause scours that tend to hit calves around the age of 2 to 4 weeks, so that's why I'm asking about the feed guy's statement.

 

[Anonymous]

> If Calf Claim doesn't work, I've
> read where some people put
> molasses on the calf's back for
> the cow to lick off.

> That said, buy the best quality
> milk replacer you can find. Follow
> the instructions on the label
> carefully when mixing it.

> Most calves require a TOTAL of one
> gallon of milk or milk replacer
> per day. You divide this gallon of
> milk or milk replacer into either
> two or three feedings per day. Two
> feedings would be 2 quarts per
> feeding. Three feedings would be
> about 1 1/3 quarts per feeding.

> Buy a bag of Calf Manna and push a
> little into the calf's mouth after
> each bottle feeding. Leave some
> out for the calf to eat whenever
> it wants. It will take a little
> while, but the calf will start
> eating it if you are persistent.

> Also, leave fresh water available
> for the calf at all times. Don't
> dilute the milk or milk replacer
> to add to the calf's water intake
> - that would interfere with his
> stomach's ability to form a cud.

> You can also give him access to
> fresh grass or to hay. He'll start
> nibbling a little of it each day
> and that will allow his stomach to
> start accumulating the proper
> bacteria for digesting those
> foods.

> If the calf isn't sick, why
> medicate it? Feeding milk replacer
> doesn't make a calf scour. If the
> calf got colostrum, it should be
> off to a reasonable start. If the
> calf scours, then you can treat
> the scours. We've used "Vicks Vapour Rub", put it on the cows nose and a little up the nostril, she can't smell a thing, then try grain or molasses on the calf to get her to lick it, we usually do this in the 1st day so I'm not sure if it will work with an older calf. Good Luck

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[Anonymous]

> There are actually some diseases
> that cause scours that tend to hit
> calves around the age of 2 to 4
> weeks, so that's why I'm asking
> about the feed guy's statement.***** That must have been what he meant: the calf was four weeks old when I asked him about electrolytes for scours...

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[Anonymous]

I figure when you
> have so much of the "real
> thing", why use a replacer? ***** My dad started out his ranch with a cow that calved, fed a couple extra calves and our family (Brown Swiss). At the time I decided to use the replacer, I just wasn't in the mood to milk the mom, even though she would let me milk her rather than let her calf nurse. Maybe next year, I will turn her into a milk cow.... lol...

> Ann B

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