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MurraysMutts
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I keep this carp up, I may have to get in touch with a dairy and see about buying waste milk!
Bottle calf! Some say I'm crazy...
- Thread starter MurraysMutts
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Peace
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I like the monkeying around you do...I really do...and it's dangerous as hell for me to see
Jeanne - Simme Valley
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It is so much fun to watch your adventures. I would NEVER be tempted to bring a calf on my farm because of potential health issues to MY calves. But, they are cute little buggers.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
I've got a lil 220lb steer that's not quite right. Can't seem to keep him from scouring. Color is right. Just liquid. And he's been on hay and feed. I think that lil group of 5 is gonna sell soon.
So yeah, the health issues bother me a bit. He has been penned for his stay here.
I got the neighbor hooked!
Shes in love with her Lil Princess, Cindy.
Another neighbor is probly picking up one of the new ones tonight. I bet they pick the red one. They got a thing for red baldies. And yet another neighbor may take 1 or 2 for winter projects for the youngest boy.
Rosie hasn't tried to kill the one we put with her, but at the same time, I don't know if the calf has nursed....
Updates later! So much fun!
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
The problem of bringing a calf to your farm is: Your cattle are healthy. New calf is healthy. But, new calf has DIFFERENT set of bugs in its system that he/she is immune to. Your calves have your farm bugs that they are immune to because of Mom's colostrum. You put two different herd bugs together with naive newborns. Way too dangerous for me.
Even if they never SEE each other. They SEE YOU. Your clothes, boots, hands, etc. Nightmare waiting to happen. But, I see people do it and get away with it. Maybe because there are no "specific" bugs on your farm - just rotating bugs all the time. I don't know how that works.
Even if they never SEE each other. They SEE YOU. Your clothes, boots, hands, etc. Nightmare waiting to happen. But, I see people do it and get away with it. Maybe because there are no "specific" bugs on your farm - just rotating bugs all the time. I don't know how that works.
Travlr
Well-known member
Careful there... pretty soon you'll get a reputation and people will be coming by to inspect what you've brought home every week... I was averaging $50 over what I paid on each cow I sold and was probably selling them in three days, and that was back when heavy bred cows were $450/600. I made more money trading cattle than raising them.
Unless pasteurized, I would be concerned about Johnes, e coli, bacteria, drug residue, etc...
Bingo! Don't do it, Murray.
Travlr
Well-known member
What do dairies feed their replacement calves? Surely they don't buy milk replacer. And isn't pasteurization is just heating the milk to 161 degrees, holding it at that temp for a short time, and then storing below 40 degrees?
Biosecurity would be my main concern. Best friend had 2 registered Gelbvich bulls that ended up with Johnes. Same breeder, bulls were a year apart. Breeder was dry lotting the weanling bulls in what used to be a dairy farm. Subsequent major cluster and a lot of culling ensued. Not to mention the financial hit.
That said, I have no clue how dairies operate & feed their calves, but no way would I buy a dairy calf and introduce it into my closed beef herd. Calf may appear totally healthy but has different pathogens.
Buck Randall
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I'd say a majority of dairy farms still feed milk replacer, but there are quite a few that feed pasteurized milk. A good dairy won't have nearly enough waste milk available to feed calves consistently. Only the bottom of the barrel are feeding raw milk to their calves.
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MurraysMutts
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Interesting. I didn't ask the fella I got Brandy from what fed their replacement heifers. But they never sucked a cow. Strictly bottle fed. I do know that.
Yall bring up great points! Thank you all!
I'll stick with powder for my calves.
I really don't keep that many at a time anyway. When they are bought right, they usually re-sell pretty fast. Especially once bottle broke. Tho I do try to hold em 2 weeks so if there is a problem, usually, it'll show up before I sell em. All bottle calves I've sold have done well and rightly so!
Surprisingly, I've had to treat very few for anything but scours
Thanks again guys!
Sometimes we forget important things
O yeah. Update.
I knew they would take the red one.....
Yall bring up great points! Thank you all!
I'll stick with powder for my calves.
I really don't keep that many at a time anyway. When they are bought right, they usually re-sell pretty fast. Especially once bottle broke. Tho I do try to hold em 2 weeks so if there is a problem, usually, it'll show up before I sell em. All bottle calves I've sold have done well and rightly so!
Surprisingly, I've had to treat very few for anything but scours
Thanks again guys!
Sometimes we forget important things
O yeah. Update.
I knew they would take the red one.....
Peace
Well-known member
What they feed usually depends on the operation. When they feed waste milk they usually pasteurize it and then feed it. Many will use milk replacer and then there are others that will use both depending on what is available or circumstance.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Annnnddddd....
Here we go!
Rosie wasn't letting her nurse. Wasn't even concerned when we pulled the calf out of the pen from her. Her fate is sealed. Calf has been eating feed and hay with the cow. Couldn't get a bottle in her yet...
So off we go to the ponderosa!
Cindy is a trip!
Typical bottle calf. Following her mama everywhere. All the kool stuff a bottle calf does. This is the neighbors now, not mine. Rosie's calf. Here she's checking out some fall foliage...
And the big heifer I got a bottle in this morning. So I got 2 nice lil black baldie heifers for cheap. Had to go buy a new bag of milk. D'oh!
This girl is 100lbs and still has her dried up umbilical cord.
Calf slobbers!!!!
Here we go!
Rosie wasn't letting her nurse. Wasn't even concerned when we pulled the calf out of the pen from her. Her fate is sealed. Calf has been eating feed and hay with the cow. Couldn't get a bottle in her yet...
So off we go to the ponderosa!
Cindy is a trip!
Typical bottle calf. Following her mama everywhere. All the kool stuff a bottle calf does. This is the neighbors now, not mine. Rosie's calf. Here she's checking out some fall foliage...
And the big heifer I got a bottle in this morning. So I got 2 nice lil black baldie heifers for cheap. Had to go buy a new bag of milk. D'oh!
This girl is 100lbs and still has her dried up umbilical cord.
Calf slobbers!!!!
How many calves have taken a righteous dump in your truck? Cuz one day, I guarantee the shyt will hit the fan and you won't be hauling them shotgun anymore
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MurraysMutts
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Surprisingly no ginormous dumps ever. I had 1 calf in this truck make a mess. No! 2 calves. Seperate occasions.How many calves have taken a righteous dump in your truck? Cuz one day, I guarantee the shyt will hit the fan and you won't be hauling them shotgun anymore
Nice thing about this ol Ford, garden hose is easy to use....
They both got a bottle tonight. I was worried about the lil one after I couldn't get her to take this morning. She downed it this evening!
Someone took a "righteous" dump on her at the sale. She's had a rough couple days...
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
We hit that wall tonight. I knew it would come. Have not heard a peep (No bawling) today. I go out with 2 full fresh made bottles, and both are just laying there all snuggly and content!
Got em up. Neither one is interested tonight....
Ugh!
Hate hate hate keeping milk in fridge and re heating next morning.
As an aside. Only do that once!
If they still don't take it next feeding, dump it and start over the feeding after that.
O yeah. Here's that crazy lil Cindy Lou
Idk why she does that. I've raised a BUNCH and never had one doing that. She does it a lot! Starting to wonder if she's got something going on. Told neighbor to watch her...
Got em up. Neither one is interested tonight....
Ugh!
Hate hate hate keeping milk in fridge and re heating next morning.
As an aside. Only do that once!
If they still don't take it next feeding, dump it and start over the feeding after that.
O yeah. Here's that crazy lil Cindy Lou
Idk why she does that. I've raised a BUNCH and never had one doing that. She does it a lot! Starting to wonder if she's got something going on. Told neighbor to watch her...
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
I had a calf that constantly played with her tongue. It was a little heifer that our sponsored 4H boy showed this past summer.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Neighbors lil Cindy Lou who...
I took my lil fresh worked steer down there so she will have company. He's got the bottle calf grazing some fall re-growth and shes joining him at the feed trough. Not really eating much yet, but that was the plan. He can teach her to eat and she will have a buddy.
Can ya tell that hay was cut off of a cemetery?
fake flowers. Gotta pick em out of there. Somehow they don't eat em...
I took my lil fresh worked steer down there so she will have company. He's got the bottle calf grazing some fall re-growth and shes joining him at the feed trough. Not really eating much yet, but that was the plan. He can teach her to eat and she will have a buddy.
Can ya tell that hay was cut off of a cemetery?
fake flowers. Gotta pick em out of there. Somehow they don't eat em...
Hey @MurraysMutts, 10 baby calves for sale at the Winfield auction today, starts at 11:00 and you can bid online.
