Any advice

[Buck Randall]

One of my girls has a lump where I gave the vaccine. It's kinda hard and seems to be getting bigger. Should I be worried?

No. It will go away on its own. Worst case scenario is that it's an abscess, and it will eventually break open on its own and she'll be fine.

 

[greggy]

One of my girls has a lump where I gave the vaccine. It's kinda hard and seems to be getting bigger. Should I be worried?

Nah, some have this reaction, some sheep same, just make sure it is subcut and not injected into muscle.

It should not get larger than say a marble to golf ball, and will go down with time.

On sheep I massage the injection site a little, but cattle I wont put my arms in that area or through a race even when calves unless I can stand on top of them when real young.

 

[Montanaidiot]

So my girls are 9 weeks now and have been on starter grain hit and miss. Some days they eat it all and others they dont want any of it. I have cut milk back a little for the last week but they still dont go after it as much. Some hay has been disappearing. Idk if I should continue to cut back on milk or of they need more time.

 

[sstterry]

So my girls are 9 weeks now and have been on starter grain hit and miss. Some days they eat it all and others they dont want any of it. I have cut milk back a little for the last week but they still dont go after it as much. Some hay has been disappearing. Idk if I should continue to cut back on milk or of they need more time.

My personal opinion is that it is time. When you take away the milk replacer they will eat more of the grain. It is probably time to start them on more grass too (slowly though).

 

[greggy]

Control the hay intake......

I would feed them milk, if you want to cut back, milk once a day...

But to cut the milk, as I said before, they have to be eating the right amount of pellet, read all the milk and pellet packs info...

I had a 20% protein starter, it reqd at least 2lbs + a day before you could start cutting milk.

Remember, the hay is to only get rumen working, nutrition must come from milk or pellet at that age.

Cut the hay before anything else.

Try this.

Milk in morning early, nothing else in pen but pellets and water, can put some chaffed hay in with pellet to lead them to eat that, you must measure the amount of pellet and milk, so you know what each is getting, nothing else till night, which would be milk & you can give them a handful of hay then.....

So they then have no choice on what to eat.

Go back to 101, what would a calf that age be doing if with mumma ? The only reason to move them to pellet, it is a darn sight cheaper, well, here it is....otherwise...milky time Stop thinking of them as weaners...lol

 

[Montanaidiot]

So I feel like I'm doing this all wrong. I have them with starter feed that they have been putting down pretty good. There is hay in there and I think they just nibble on it. I was feeding twice a day and slowly dropping the amount of milk. Then a day ago i stopped feeding in the morning and upped the milk at night. They have been eating at least 3 or 4 big scoops of starter a day. So maybe 6-8lbs? I have a bag of creep feed I have been mixing in just cause I accidently bought it.

I cant thank all of you enough for all the help!!!

 

[Rafter S]

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

Actually it's not a lie. It is a great way to get your feet wet in the cattle business. If he had said it's a good way to make money in the cattle business, now THAT would have been a lie.

 

[Montanaidiot]

800 in calves
400 in milk
100 vacinations & other meds
100 vet visit
100 hay
100 in starter feed

I am not a smart man.....

 

[Katpau]

So $1600 on two calves, not counting labor...or the value of your pasture for grazing. $800 each and they are about 6 weeks old. Hopefully these are beef calves and will be worth at least $1.50 a pound and will weigh 533 pounds when sold at 7 months. You would then break even on your current out of pocket costs. Yep, that's the cattle business. It was a good lesson and I'm sure you learned a lot, and hopefully you enjoyed at least some of it.

Bottle calves seem to have been overpriced for too many years. When they sold for less than $100 you could make a little money, but if you're paying half what they will be worth in 6 months for new born calves, there is no way to turn a profit.
The truth is over the last 5-6 years most of us would have made a lot more money just leasing our pastures out to someone else and letting them do all the work and lose their money, while keeping the agricultural status for real estate taxes.

Most cattle people do it because they enjoy it. It is a tough business if you're hoping to receive reasonable compensation for all of your hard work.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Do they look a little pot bellied? They are way more cool with not having a morning bottle. And are eating about 10lbs of starter a day for the both of them.

 

[Montanaidiot]

So $1600 on two calves, not counting labor...or the value of your pasture for grazing. $800 each and they are about 6 weeks old. Hopefully these are beef calves and will be worth at least $1.50 a pound and will weigh 533 pounds when sold at 7 months. You would then break even on your current out of pocket costs. Yep, that's the cattle business. It was a good lesson and I'm sure you learned a lot, and hopefully you enjoyed at least some of it.

Bottle calves seem to have been overpriced for too many years. When they sold for less than $100 you could make a little money, but if you're paying half what they will be worth in 6 months for new born calves, there is no way to turn a profit.
The truth is over the last 5-6 years most of us would have made a lot more money just leasing our pastures out to someone else and letting them do all the work and lose their money, while keeping the agricultural status for real estate taxes.

Most cattle people do it because they enjoy it. It is a tough business if you're hoping to receive reasonable compensation for all of your hard work.

I am getting a ton of enjoyment out of it. I dont care if I dont make a dime. I stop by the barn before I even go to the house after work. Lol. I just want happy healthy grass puppies.

 

[sstterry]

Do they have access to grass at all?

 

[Buck Randall]

They look good to me.

 

[greggy]

So I feel like I'm doing this all wrong. I have them with starter feed that they have been putting down pretty good. There is hay in there and I think they just nibble on it. I was feeding twice a day and slowly dropping the amount of milk. Then a day ago i stopped feeding in the morning and upped the milk at night. They have been eating at least 3 or 4 big scoops of starter a day. So maybe 6-8lbs? I have a bag of creep feed I have been mixing in just cause I accidently bought it.

I cant thank all of you enough for all the help!!!

do not over feed milk any any one sitting.

if they are eating that much quality pellet each, and you were doing 2 quarts morning and 2 quarts night, 2 quarts once a day is fine.

They do not look pot bellied in the shots.

Nibbling hay is fine, you do not want them wolfing down lots of hay.

Your on track from what I can tell.

Read your pellet packs for intake req.....also look at the milk, it will prob set out how much pellet before you can cut the twice daily or to wean...but I can tell you some milk will help them along no matter how well they are taking other feed, it is your money & your calves.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Do they have access to grass at all?

Should they? I can certainly turn them out on a little 2 acre pasture or let them go on everything.

 

[kenny thomas]

Do they have access to grass at all?

Should they? I can certainly turn them out on a little 2 acre pasture or let them go on everything.

I like the idea of turning them out in the 2 acre pasture. At least turn them out during the day for a while. I always felt that the sun made all animals feel better. Including myself.

 

[76 Bar]

Sun and green grass makes for happy cattle.

 

[Katpau]

They look good in the pictures. I would definitely let them have that 2 acres. Most spring grass is better nutritionally than any hay you are feeding. Give them the chance to learn to be cattle. Two acres should be enough pasture for two small calves for some time, and it will make them easy to find when you come with pellets. They will come to you when you call so you can continue giving them their grain. They associate you with food, so most likely they'll come running as soon as they see you approach. You could still give them a bottle once a day if you want but, you got them April 11th, I believe, so they are almost 7 weeks now. Another week or so would do some good, but if they are eating well, they should do okay without the milk replacer. It would probably be best if you could bottle feed until they are four months, but economically it doesn't make sense. Dairy calves are routinely weaned at 6 to 8 weeks. If I had used up all of the replacer I bought so far, I would quit. Or you could buy another bag and quit when that one is gone. I have not raised as many bottle calves as others, but I always believe in getting them out on grass as soon as possible. My bottle calves have mostly been the unfortunate twin with no cow available to graft. I try to get them back out with their contemporary's on pasture as soon as possible.

 

[Montanaidiot]

I ended up getting them march 25th and they were a week old then. So they just turned 10 weeks. I will walk the fence tonight and double sure there is no holes and kick them out in the morning.

After some googling maybe a dewormer treatment just in case?

Those two are my whole herd!!! Ha ha for a week when I gave 2 yearlings coming in for them to hang out with.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Agreed! Cut the milk to one feeding.
One bottle, ie 2 qts a day.
If they are eating feed that well, I would cut it to one bottle a day. Wont be long and they can be on feed and grass without milk..