Bottle calf! Some say I'm crazy...

[MurraysMutts]

But it keeps me from going insane...
Found this lil gal a while back. Turns out my biggest cow had twin heifers and she was left behind. She was very lucky to be found even. I was out on the 4wheeler and just stopped and shut it off. Let out a big moooooo like I sometimes do, and she popped up outta the tall grass. I thought who the heck are you?Mama wanted to name her Lucky.
We settled on naming her Seven




As you can she, she was pretty thin, but had obviously nursed at least once. Colostrum issue worried me, but we pressed on....


The regular milk really made the scours. She had issues getting in and out of her temporary accommodations. Lol





Moving along well tho.



Newest picture. Shes on feed now. About 5 or 6 pounds a day. Seems to be doing well.

I know it takes lots of time. Not so bad if you get things organized and establish a routine tho.
I plan on keeping this heifer just because I can. They really grow on you. The last 2 I've raised have all been sent off down the road for one reason or another.
Questions, comments, and especially other bottle calf stories are more than welcome. Pictures please!

 

[CG1]

:help: Bottle calf people are crazy. The good ones anyways.

I love bottle calves. I kept 6 of my heifer bottle calves and bred them last year. That has been a cool experience. The bond I have with those animals is different. I recorded one of them minutes after her first calf stood up and she immediately pushed her nose against her calf’s butt and nudged him towards me. They trust me and it’s a really neat thing.

But. They also will try and mount me and head butt me very aggressively haha. They are expensive, time consuming and can be hard to manage. They chase us in the tractor and have no fear of us. They keep our hearts racing.

You got yourself a good calf there. I’d most definitely keep her!

Here are some of my past calves
















The black cows here are all those calves grown up. The calf is a calf I call June Bug. Her dam I got from a dairy. Angus X Holstein. I bred her to a red angus bull and that is the result.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I must apologize. I put this thread here because of all the other bottle calf threads. Feel free to move it if we need to. Thanks.

I loooove love love the pic of the one with the board fence behind her.
Let me guess. El Chapo is ur escape artist?? Lol

Mine definitely loves to rub on me. We are working on that tho. Respect for each others space. I'm sure I'll have to keep my eyes peeled later in life...

As far as nutrition goes.
Shes on 14% grower.
Is that sufficient?
She does get some high grain sweet feed occasionally mixed in. Shes really taken to the pelleted feed tho.
No antibiotics. No hormones. No vaccinations.
Shes just doing well. I havnt taken in any new animals for a while so hoping the vaccination issue doesnt become an issue!

 

[ccr]

MM - 7 is definitely lucky.

this thread here is good as any, no apology needed.

cowgal - ricky, dolly, stella, and blue,
ruby, chapo, and a thing or two.

we used to name ours, but run out of names. you and nesi have got the name thing going on. :clap:

 

[CG1]

I must apologize. I put this thread here because of all the other bottle calf threads. Feel free to move it if we need to. Thanks.

I loooove love love the pic of the one with the board fence behind her.
Let me guess. El Chapo is ur escape artist?? Lol

Mine definitely loves to rub on me. We are working on that tho. Respect for each others space. I'm sure I'll have to keep my eyes peeled later in life...

As far as nutrition goes.
Shes on 14% grower.
Is that sufficient?
She does get some high grain sweet feed occasionally mixed in. Shes really taken to the pelleted feed tho.
No antibiotics. No hormones. No vaccinations.
Shes just doing well. I havnt taken in any new animals for a while so hoping the vaccination issue doesnt become an issue!

I feed mine calf starter grain from day 1 until they are about 6 months then switch them over to beef text. Hay at choice and pasture during the day when possible. Sounds like she’s getting enough. My bottle calves always end up super fat. But we bottle feed all ours to 4 months.

Yes...el chapo escaped and got his name. Took us a whole day to find him. Just poof. Always sketchy that calf. All our red ones are fiesty.

 

[Nesikep]

I've been lucky, haven't had a bottle calf in decades.. Was always able to convince a cow to adopt an orphan




the calf above is this cow's calf (lost her her following year)... What goes around comes around I guess


And when you have twins, but what's one more? (Middle one)

 

[Luckiamute]

Looks like you've done a great job with her from the time you found her. Your hard work has paid off! Continued good luck with her. :clap:

 

[greggy]

:help: Bottle calf people are crazy. The good ones anyways.

I love bottle calves. I kept 6 of my heifer bottle calves and bred them last year. That has been a cool experience. The bond I have with those animals is different. I recorded one of them minutes after her first calf stood up and she immediately pushed her nose against her calf’s butt and nudged him towards me. They trust me and it’s a really neat thing.

But. They also will try and mount me and head butt me very aggressively haha. They are expensive, time consuming and can be hard to manage. They chase us in the tractor and have no fear of us. They keep our hearts racing.

You got yourself a good calf there. I’d most definitely keep her!

Here are some of my past calves





Do you enjoy being headbutted around the yards ?

I am coming to re evaluate all this, I have some calves I got at 3, 5, and 7 months, one one is a bit of a nasty biatch if you get too close, all have learnt same as bottle calves, re fencing, my habits, etc, seems hardly worthwhile if you get some with complications or wont drink etc...

It is better if they are not petrified of you, but stilll will move when you close in realclose, beavis the head butter bottle calf is no fun to move when he gets to 600 or 1000lbs












The black cows here are all those calves grown up. The calf is a calf I call June Bug. Her dam I got from a dairy. Angus X Holstein. I bred her to a red angus bull and that is the result.

 

[TCRanch]

My rejected twin/subsequent bottle calf. She'll always be my baby girl even though she's currently in her 3rd trimester with her 6th calf. Uterine prolapse with her first calf - in the middle of the night. Vet was here in record time and she bred back immediately after I turned out the bulls, is still one of the first to calve and raises a whopper. Sometimes it's more than worth the time and effort!



This was her reward for letting me take out her stitches in the pasture after her prolapse (as opposed to the hassle & subsequent drama of getting her to the barn/in the chute). In one end, out another!

This was 2 years ago.

 

[Hereford2]

I love raising bottle calves! One of my cows is one I raised from a bottle and she is a pet ! But she respects my space.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I got a couple pics of Sevens twin sister.
Not the best but anyway...

 

[greggy]

My rejected twin/subsequent bottle calf. She'll always be my baby girl even though she's currently in her 3rd trimester with her 6th calf. Uterine prolapse with her first calf - in the middle of the night. Vet was here in record time and she bred back immediately after I turned out the bulls, is still one of the first to calve and raises a whopper. Sometimes it's more than worth the time and effort!



This was her reward for letting me take out her stitches in the pasture after her prolapse (as opposed to the hassle & subsequent drama of getting her to the barn/in the chute). In one end, out another!

This was 2 years ago.

G

Yeah? She will still take a bottle.......wow.....

Whats wrong with our aussie calves....many stop milk when away from mum for a bit.....

 

[TCRanch]

My rejected twin/subsequent bottle calf. She'll always be my baby girl even though she's currently in her 3rd trimester with her 6th calf. Uterine prolapse with her first calf - in the middle of the night. Vet was here in record time and she bred back immediately after I turned out the bulls, is still one of the first to calve and raises a whopper. Sometimes it's more than worth the time and effort!



This was her reward for letting me take out her stitches in the pasture after her prolapse (as opposed to the hassle & subsequent drama of getting her to the barn/in the chute). In one end, out another!

This was 2 years ago.

G

Yeah? She will still take a bottle.......wow.....

Whats wrong with our aussie calves....many stop milk when away from mum for a bit.....

She will still take a bottle, it just cracks me up! Fortunately I rarely have to supplement so she doesn't get one very often and it's generally just the leftovers.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Rofl!
Nursing a bottle while her calf is nursing.
That's great!

 

[greggy]

She is filtering it for her calf

 

[MurraysMutts]

So here's Sevens mama with the twin she decided to keep. She is my heaviest cow. Right around 1500 lbs
The other day I caught her nursing not only her heifer but another mamas bull calf! What a twat...

 

[greggy]

She has the baby bug......

Clucky as soon as one gets out ?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Haha!
Lil better pic of both together.

 

[MurraysMutts]

No pics but...

Almost outta that textured sweet feed grower whatever ya call it.
Shes going on dry pellets from here out.
Funny. I think she prefers it anyway. She picks thru and eats the pelleted feed first. Lol

 

[greggy]

That is all I give them and milk when young, and far smaller than those 2.....