Anyone let a Bottle Baby run in a pasture?

[robertwhite]

Wondering if anyone has ever let a bottle baby run in a small pasture, either by itself or with a small herd of cow/calf (all related)?

Here's why I ask. Right now I have a bull calf (3 weeks) that is in a corral panel enclosure (50x30) with his 2yr old sister and her calf. (his mama prolapsed and died). I would love to turn him and the cow/calf pair out into the small pasture that is next to the corral just to let them stretch their legs and roam around. The bottle calf comes when called and also comes to a ringing bell. My biggest concern is that he would want to bolt thru a fence line in search of his "fictional" mama whom he never knew. Or maybe try and get thru the cross fence where I will be turning the rest of my small herd out from the small pasture into a larger pasture shortly.They all know each other and can currently lick each other thru the corral panels.

I am not looking to do this tomorrow, but would like to if possible in the next couple of weeks. I would probably call them up at night and put them back in the corral at least for a while.

I would also like to know if anyone has ever let a bottle baby run with their herd? Will cows attempt to hurt it being that it has no mother to protect it?

Not really worried about the calf coming in 3x a day to eat as he comes running for food, but more concerned about the other scenarios I stated above.

Am I crazy for even thinking about doing this, or is it possible?

 

[denvermartinfarms]

It is perfectly fine to turn a 3 week old calf out, I have done it a lot over the years when I wasn't feeding a bunch of baby's at a time, the only thing is having to go out to where the calf is and feed it instead of it always being in a pen. And you have to bring them back to a pen to give them grain. So as long as the calf is healthy and doing good it is fine just a little more work.

 

[robertwhite]

It is perfectly fine to turn a 3 week old calf out, I have done it a lot over the years when I wasn't feeding a bunch of baby's at a time, the only thing is having to go out to where the calf is and feed it instead of it always being in a pen. And you have to bring them back to a pen to give them grain. So as long as the calf is healthy and doing good it is fine just a little more work.

When you say you have turned them out, is that on their own or with the herd? And if it was with the herd, is there anything to worry about the calf not having its mama to protect it?

 

[dun]

We always turn them out with the cow/calf herd. The last one lost interest in the bottle after about 4 days and we noticed that Granny had claimed her and raised her with her own calf. Both of those calves (now cows) have calved this year and are raising their third calves.
The only claves we've raised separate were those that we were training to be oxen

 

[denvermartinfarms]

It is perfectly fine to turn a 3 week old calf out, I have done it a lot over the years when I wasn't feeding a bunch of baby's at a time, the only thing is having to go out to where the calf is and feed it instead of it always being in a pen. And you have to bring them back to a pen to give them grain. So as long as the calf is healthy and doing good it is fine just a little more work.

When you say you have turned them out, is that on their own or with the herd? And if it was with the herd, is there anything to worry about the calf not having its mama to protect it?

With a cow herd, I don't know if I would do it with one calf by it's self. But you should be fine with the other cows.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Turn it out with the others. Give him his bottle as usual.

 

[Putangitangi]

Presumably your other cows have calves as well? Once they're that old, I don't think I've ever seen any of my cows come to the rescue if her calf gets a knock from another cow; that's just part of learning to be a bovine (remember when we used to be allowed to reprimand other people's children if they were up to no good?) If some predator turned up in the paddock, I bet every cow would be there to see it off anyway, since danger to one implies danger to all.

We have an orphan this year. He went pretty nuts in the 24hrs after his mother stopped producing milk and before I was able to yard and feed him (his mother had an intussusseption and had to be shot before she died anyway), but once he was onto his third feed, he was coming to the bottle in a small yard and then he went out grazing with the house-cow whose milk he's continuing to be fed each day (no way she'll let him take it direct). The calf was 11 weeks old when his mother died, so bigger than yours, but it was important that he be out eating pasture and learning to be a steer, not a human.

I reared a bull calf one year from two weeks on powdered milk and he was out in the paddock with the cows, ran over to me when I called with his bottle. Did fine.

 

[lavacarancher]

Turn him out. He will, more likely than not, find a new momma and you won't have to continue feeding him.

 

[robertwhite]

Turn him out. He will, more likely than not, find a new momma and you won't have to continue feeding him.

All my cows have calves (same age) at their sides, so he might get a knock or two until he learns to come back to the bottle, but who knows.


And thanks for all the advice folks. I will let him in with the others in the near future.

 

[Lucky_P]

Should be OK.
Only concern I'd have is...I want my bottle babies weaned by the time they're 4-6 weeks old; feeding milk replacer is the most expensive & labor-intensive part of getting one of 'em going, and I'm not doing it for FUN anymore; I don't want to still be feeding a bottle at 3-4 months. Once they're eating 1.5 pounds of a good quality 16-18% calf grower ration, I stop the bottle and kick up the grain ration to 5#/day as quick as they can get there. I'd still want that orphan to be getting his grain ration until 4 months or so - to help develop rumen function - those little fellers will eat some grass, but it takes some time for them to develop enough rumen function and capacity to actually get much out of it -they may survive, but may not reach their potential. Now, if an ol' granny cow adopted 'em, or they got adept at stealing milk while another cow's calf is nursing, they may get along OK.

 

[dun]

Granny with the twins. One is Red Angus the other is an F1 angus Fleckvieh

 

[Cabo]

Granny with the twins. One is Red Angus the other is an F1 angus Fleckvieh

Good job getting them to pose like that. You got growing grass on rock down to a science. All look good.

 

[robertwhite]

Should be OK.
Only concern I'd have is...I want my bottle babies weaned by the time they're 4-6 weeks old; feeding milk replacer is the most expensive & labor-intensive part of getting one of 'em going, and I'm not doing it for FUN anymore; I don't want to still be feeding a bottle at 3-4 months. Once they're eating 1.5 pounds of a good quality 16-18% calf grower ration, I stop the bottle and kick up the grain ration to 5#/day as quick as they can get there.

I have already started him on an 18% starter. It has taken about a week, but he is starting to get the idea as to what to do with it. He will eat about 1/3-1/2lb at one feeding right now out of my hands. Now that he is really eating it instead of playing with it, I will start to try and get him to eat from a bowl. Once that is done (hopefully in a week or less) I will turn him out.

 

[lavacarancher]

Turn him out. He will, more likely than not, find a new momma and you won't have to continue feeding him.

All my cows have calves (same age) at their sides, so he might get a knock or two until he learns to come back to the bottle, but who knows.


And thanks for all the advice folks. I will let him in with the others in the near future.

I inherited one from a neighbor. I called and told her I had one of her calves but she never came to collect it. After a couple of days one of my cows (with calf at her side) adopted it and everything was OK. Some cows are OK with it and others are not - just like humans. Calves are going to get a "knock" or two anyway. Handing out knocks is a bovines way of establishing dominance anyway.

 

[TexasBred]

It is perfectly fine to turn a 3 week old calf out, I have done it a lot over the years when I wasn't feeding a bunch of baby's at a time, the only thing is having to go out to where the calf is and feed it instead of it always being in a pen. And you have to bring them back to a pen to give them grain. So as long as the calf is healthy and doing good it is fine just a little more work.

Denver you're suppose to give him a name and let him learn it. )Dammit is a good one). ;-) Last one I "pasture raised" learned when I called his name and he would come running from the other side of the pasture. I also kept a small creep feeder available to him so he could eat the creep feed. Grew out well. After one bag of milk replacer he was on his own.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

It is perfectly fine to turn a 3 week old calf out, I have done it a lot over the years when I wasn't feeding a bunch of baby's at a time, the only thing is having to go out to where the calf is and feed it instead of it always being in a pen. And you have to bring them back to a pen to give them grain. So as long as the calf is healthy and doing good it is fine just a little more work.

Denver you're suppose to give him a name and let him learn it. )Dammit is a good one). ;-) Last one I "pasture raised" learned when I called his name and he would come running from the other side of the pasture. I also kept a small creep feeder available to him so he could eat the creep feed. Grew out well. After one bag of milk replacer he was on his own.

:lol2: I have one out with some cows right now, and there is no need to call him, when he hears me on the four wheeler he finds me.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

This post interests me, too. We have a 1 mo. bottle calf, so we'll be feeding for awhile. He's in a big stall in the barn w/ outside access -- can see the rest of the bunch. Our cows won't start calving until early June, and there are a couple of yearling steers out there. Okay to put him out? We can put him in a 16X16 holding pen to get him up close and personal to the rest.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

This post interests me, too. We have a 1 mo. bottle calf, so we'll be feeding for awhile. He's in a big stall in the barn w/ outside access -- can see the rest of the bunch. Our cows won't start calving until early June, and there are a couple of yearling steers out there. Okay to put him out? We can put him in a 16X16 holding pen to get him up close and personal to the rest.

It would be fine to put him out.

 

[robertwhite]

I let the bottle baby out yesterday and it took him a very short time to get used to his siblings. It took his sister a bit longer, but they are fine. The bottle baby comes running as soon as the bell he was trained with rings.

The cow who was with him in the corral had a knockdown, drag out fight for dominance with my only heifer (who is due to calve in a few weeks) and I had to intervene so the unborn calf didn't get hurt. Seems that everyone is OK now.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Okay . . . . He'll be the only little feller out there.