I have a three day old calf that we tried to graft on a cow and was unsuccessful. So we put the calf on a bottle. She was very hungry and sucked a full bottle down last night and this morning. My question is I am reading the best practice is to feed only twice a day, 12 hours apart. What is the reasoning for this?
Best tips on bottle feeding calf
- Thread starter garnetann
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shortybreeder
Well-known member
Check out the Lely Calm system... It is a robotic feeder that is not financially feasible for beef farmers raising 1-2 bottle calves a year, but if you read about how it works then you could probably pick up a few tricks. Ideally, it would be small amounts fed many times over the day. I've heard that calves raised with cows will nurse as often as every 4 hours... Not that anyone would want to be going out to feed every 4 hours! :lol:
Edit: And don't forget consistency... same feeding time every day.
Edit: And don't forget consistency... same feeding time every day.
TexasBred
Well-known member
As often as you want but just don't exceed the 4 quarts per day. Many small meals are always better than a couple of big ones. If it starts wanting more simply add water but don't increase the milk replacer.garnetann":2r8pjzw3 said:
skyhightree1
Well-known member
This may be a stupid question as I have never really had any bottle calves before but kids want one and this post is right on time... but does it matter if water is cold or warm ?
TexasBred
Well-known member
Warm works best. Better for dissolving that stick milk replacer too.skyhightree1":13ivxe0a said:
skyhightree1
Well-known member
oh ok thanks. My kids and their grandma will be handling the bottle calves just wanted to know what is the best warm or cold.
Hey, if you're going to have a bag of calf milk sittin around, go to the Tips and Tricks room and look at my thread 'powdered calf milk'. That powdered milk is so expensive now you dont want to waste a drop. And, if you dont bag it up, the powder will get clumpy and or full of bugs. Bagging it preserves it and helps mixing on down the line.... And, if you dont feed it all, its there when you do need it. Some years we feed a lot, some almost nothing. But when i need it i'm sure glad i dont have to run to town to get a bag..
skyhightree1
Well-known member
dun":7k1kgajk said:
gotcha.. thanks dun
cowgirl8":7k1kgajk said:
thanks I have a huge supply of mason jars do you think that would be beneficial as well?
Just buy a bag of sandwich ziplocs, they are cheap and make it easy to pour into the bottle. Use a plastic storage container to put the bags into and store them out of direct light and they will last a long time. I got a bag of dollar store ziplocs for around 2 bucks.
skyhightree1
Well-known member
I guess thats what I will do cause that stuff is expensive its like its powdered gold.
aprille218
Well-known member
We keep our milk replacer in a plastic tote with snap on lid, it works well. We do feed 3 times daily but give more than recommended. We heat water in a pan to very warm then add in the powder and whisk it till smooth. Right now the bottle calf we have is 2 months old and getting 4 quarts 3 times a day (3 gallons per day). 7:30am, 2:30pm and 9:30pm You have to gradually increase the milk given but it's worth it because they turn out as good as or better than momma raised calves.
Aprille
Aprille
When it came to powered calf milk i've always been under the impression that more is not better. When they need more than the 2 recommended bottles, i graduate them to feed and grass....not more milk. How many have you raised on more milk? I'm assuming its worked for you, so i'm asking out of curiosity.aprille218":1x9d3rcb said:
You go to way much trouble in mixing. I just use hot tap, stir with a stick and its done. I mix so many bottles in a season, aint nobody got time for that.lol. If you bag it in serving sizes, the milk stays powdery like when you open a fresh milk replacer bag. So every single serving bag you dump, mixes easily. And open one end of the sandwich bag and it easily pours into the bottle.... I remember in the day when my kids mixed the milk. By the end of the bag it was all clumpy, and where they dumped the cup of milk, the garage floor would be a sticky mess. And that stuff just eats my hands up, so i try to never let it touch my skin.
aprille218
Well-known member
cowgirl8 This is bottle calf #11. Generally 1-2 per season. Mixing in a pan for me works better and I like that there is no little clumps stuck inside the bottle like when I've mixed it in the bottle. If it works that way for you though great, maybe your tap water is hotter? Our calves do get starter as they grow also but really do much better on more milk than the bags say. Grass is at least a month off up here but that'll be available also eventually 
I think the key with this is to find out what works best for you/ them and stick with it. I just wanted the original post author and others to realize that the 2 quarts twice daily feeding that is listed on the bag can be adjusted to what works best. It's not a set in stone thing.
I think the key with this is to find out what works best for you/ them and stick with it. I just wanted the original post author and others to realize that the 2 quarts twice daily feeding that is listed on the bag can be adjusted to what works best. It's not a set in stone thing.
TexasBred
Well-known member
It's not chiseled in stone but it is very thoroughly researched. The idea is to give them enough "nutrients" not necessarily fill them up all the time and a well fortified high quality milk replacer will do it...also you want to get them on solid food as quickly as possible thus good high quality calf starter along with fresh water from day one.aprille218":3k3c1zpx said:cowgirl8 This is bottle calf #11. Generally 1-2 per season. Mixing in a pan for me works better and I like that there is no little clumps stuck inside the bottle like when I've mixed it in the bottle. If it works that way for you though great, maybe your tap water is hotter? Our calves do get starter as they grow also but really do much better on more milk than the bags say. Grass is at least a month off up here but that'll be available also eventually
nurseynicole
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We have raised LOTS and LOTS of bottle calves, did 25 in the spring two years ago and they were all on bottles :???: Yes we were crazy! Never use a soy replacer for calves read your labels it may not be easy to tell! We use Dairy Way by Nutrena, it is pricey BUT I would never feed a calf anything else. It is medicated and we always feed according to the package directions and adjust for scours, usually you may get them a few days in, just cut back on your replacer until the stool looks normal then resume with the right powder dose. You can go ahead and treat your scours too if you want, but it isn't normally needed. We have always fed a full bottle twice a day 12 hours apart and as far as I know you are suppose to have pretty warm water, helps them absorb. We use a 1 gallon plastic pitcher and a wisk, mixes right up and you want that powder dissolved. The only time we feed 3X is if we are still in the learning phase and the calf is bottle feeding well but not the full bottle, then will we feed at midday to help him get it all in.. Good luck they are buggers sometimes. 90% of the time we have to tube at least 1 day and up to 3 days before they figure it out, something about that 3rd day makes them kick in.
Nesikep
Well-known member
NurseyNicole, That's about when my "Tina" really got it.
I haven't needed to bottle feed a calf for any extended time for years now, but I found I put the milk replacer in the blender, fill about 3/4 full with not-quite-hot tap water, blend it until it's smooth, then dilute to what's needed.. the blender has gotten rid of the clumps and it'll mix well after that.
More feedings IS better, assuming you have the time to do it... Keep the calf with the others if you can, and maybe it'll learn to steal, or get adopted
I haven't needed to bottle feed a calf for any extended time for years now, but I found I put the milk replacer in the blender, fill about 3/4 full with not-quite-hot tap water, blend it until it's smooth, then dilute to what's needed.. the blender has gotten rid of the clumps and it'll mix well after that.
More feedings IS better, assuming you have the time to do it... Keep the calf with the others if you can, and maybe it'll learn to steal, or get adopted
Craig Miller
Well-known member
How can you tell if they are getting what they need? Also i cant tell if it is eating any of the feed. Its so interested in sucking when im there that it wont do anything else. Ive tried to give it feed but it doesnt seem to take any. At what age do they start taking feed? Its 3 weeks and ut with the rest so not in a pen.
