denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
Thats what i'm doing right now, i am feeding a twin and making a game out of it to try to keep him up with the other one, so far i am.Alan":2rxhgedk said:
Bottle baby . . . this belongs on the beginner's board
- Thread starter Kathie in Thorp
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chippie
Well-known member
Kathie,
I will tell you what I am doing. I have one calf that I am bottle raising because we milk his mother. He was born Feb. 1. He goes out in a pen during the day and I put him in a stall at night. I gave him a calf dose of probiotics one time when he was a couple of days old. I feed him one calf bottle twice daily and he has access to fresh water and a little hay. When he was about 10 days old I offered him a mouthful of an all natural 12% creep feed (no urea) after his bottle. He would mouth a little bit and got a taste for it. When he was about 2 weeks old, after his bottle I put out a little coastal hay. He nibbled at it. Then I started giving him about a cup of feed in a pan after his night bottle.
He is now 4 weeks old and is still getting one bottle in the morning and one at night. I am giving him more feed to nibble on during the day and he has hay all of the time in addition to access to fresh water.
He is thriving.
I do not agree with automatically giving antibiotics to calves that you know the background and do not come from an auction barn. People cause more problems by overdoing the antibiotics. That is one reason why penicillin and LA200 do not work like they used to.
Tractor Supply carries an all milk replacer made by Dumor. Dumor isn't the best brand, but it is all that is available here and the calf is doing fine on it. Usually he gets milk replacer in the morning and real milk at night. Right now the cow is at fairs and I am feeding just the milk replacer.
Don't worry that the calf seems to be starving. It should be hungry. You can tell when it is full because the area at it's left flank (the triangle hollow spot at the hip bone) will fill out after being fed.
Good luck with it. I know that people enjoy bottle calves, but I don't. I feed through the gate. The calf that we have now will suck on your knees.
I will tell you what I am doing. I have one calf that I am bottle raising because we milk his mother. He was born Feb. 1. He goes out in a pen during the day and I put him in a stall at night. I gave him a calf dose of probiotics one time when he was a couple of days old. I feed him one calf bottle twice daily and he has access to fresh water and a little hay. When he was about 10 days old I offered him a mouthful of an all natural 12% creep feed (no urea) after his bottle. He would mouth a little bit and got a taste for it. When he was about 2 weeks old, after his bottle I put out a little coastal hay. He nibbled at it. Then I started giving him about a cup of feed in a pan after his night bottle.
He is now 4 weeks old and is still getting one bottle in the morning and one at night. I am giving him more feed to nibble on during the day and he has hay all of the time in addition to access to fresh water.
He is thriving.
I do not agree with automatically giving antibiotics to calves that you know the background and do not come from an auction barn. People cause more problems by overdoing the antibiotics. That is one reason why penicillin and LA200 do not work like they used to.
Tractor Supply carries an all milk replacer made by Dumor. Dumor isn't the best brand, but it is all that is available here and the calf is doing fine on it. Usually he gets milk replacer in the morning and real milk at night. Right now the cow is at fairs and I am feeding just the milk replacer.
Don't worry that the calf seems to be starving. It should be hungry. You can tell when it is full because the area at it's left flank (the triangle hollow spot at the hip bone) will fill out after being fed.
Good luck with it. I know that people enjoy bottle calves, but I don't. I feed through the gate. The calf that we have now will suck on your knees.
OP
OP
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
I forgot what a pain in the butt bottle babies are! We had to hog panel the inside-barn pen, then put up some tarps to help keep our mega winds (cold right now) at bay, and a couple of extra straw bales where he wants to nest. I went to town and got a Lab-sized water-proof dog coat and a tube of probios. He was pretty chilled on arrival at noon and not interested in eating. He has been on both Mom and the bottle since he was born Wednesday, and was not keen on the bottle at all for feeding of a quart today at 2:30 (but he took it); he was hungry and better at 5:30, and we'll get him again at 8:30. Then, 4 one-qt. feedings a day until he moves up to bigger doses farther apart. He's only, maybe 40 lbs. He also has a low-dose heat lamp, that we'll turn off during the day if it's not bitter (or take off the coat -- one or t'other). I had forgotten how much trouble cold-weather bottle babies can be. Yes, this one is likely over-protected; but no, no issues about turning him into beef.
denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
Don't sound to bad, good that you got him eating something.
chippie
Well-known member
sounds like you are doing a good job.
OP
OP
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
Chippie and dmf, calf was nice and warm and ready for his 8:30 PM feeding (hubby calls him Bosco, so I guess he ain't Chuck now-- name-wise). He has the bottle thing figured out, with the nipple he most prefers; when feeding is done, he's butting my leg. I need to leave for a couple days of work training tomorrow, but after AM feeding, I think hubby will do fine alone -- he'll probably be calf-attacked for subsequent feedings. S'all good.chippie":3lxoboz0 said:
aprille218
Well-known member
When their done with their bottle fill it 1/4 to 1/2 full of plain water and offer that to them. It increases their water intake and makes them less likely to bunt you when they're done.
chippie
Well-known member
hate the butting. that is why I feed through the gate. when I go into the pen to give him his grain and hay, he isn't quite so starving and leaves me alone.
OP
OP
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
BOSCO (new name; hubby didn't like CHUCK) is doing well. We are giving him some extra fluids w/electrolytes and a dose of probiotics daily, in addition to his bottles. We are warming up. Today, mid-afternoon, it's near 60. The night we brought him home and last few days , it got down to 22 and daytime highs were mid 30s. His dog coat is off; he can move under/out of the heat lamp as he chooses, and we'll put up panels so he can go outside in a limited area tomorrow.
