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

Help Support CattleToday:

Travlr said:
You've probably see those nose flaps with the barbs on them to keep a calf from being fed from willing cows. Maybe they'd be a bad idea because they hurt the cow rather than the offending drinker. You don't want a good cow learning that a calf can hurt her. Have you ever tried one of those things?
Click to expand...
I have not. But yeah, I don't want Seven thinking bad things. Because I PLAN on her having 2 calves when she calves again.

I really like the baldy heifer too. And she's almost a yearling now. I may give her one more shot yet. Buddy has a place with some calves I may be able to put her there for a while. See if her having nothing to nurse for a while will break her! Really need her with a group of steers for a while I think.
 
That calf may go to trying to suck other heifers and ruin their udders.

Sh!t can her and start with something that will not cause all these problems. That is the downside to raising calves on nurse cows.
I raised several and kept them and bred them... caught 2 of them that started sucking some of the other heifers AFTER they had calved... their calf is sucking them from the side and they are standing behind another fresh heifer sucking her from the back.
Used the nose flap things and they managed to get them off. Tried sucking around them too.....and yes, the cow kicked so didn't want it for their own new calf to get kicked. Shipped the one and the other went into a field with older cows totally away from her "sisters" (heifers she grew up with) and she got chased off and butted good by a couple of cows.... If I catch her ONE TIME trying to suck again... I don't care who she is, she will be gone.

When I weaned this group, (the 3 cows they had been on had all co-mothered the 8 calves) ; so they were moved away with just other calves, didn't seem to bother the other calves, and got bred and did NOT go with any other lactating animals until they freshened themselves...... The other 6 had not been a problem with sucking but 2 did not breed back and since they were the most "dairy" looking, and had not held their condition.... I shipped them. So, I have 5 of them left with their second calves on the ground. Been watching for any sucking from that one but so far, nothing. One has a sorry calf, the first was nothing special, so this will be her last go-round here.
 
farmerjan said:
That calf may go to trying to suck other heifers and ruin their udders.

Sh!t can her and start with something that will not cause all these problems. That is the downside to raising calves on nurse cows.
I raised several and kept them and bred them... caught 2 of them that started sucking some of the other heifers AFTER they had calved... their calf is sucking them from the side and they are standing behind another fresh heifer sucking her from the back.
Used the nose flap things and they managed to get them off. Tried sucking around them too.....and yes, the cow kicked so didn't want it for their own new calf to get kicked. Shipped the one and the other went into a field with older cows totally away from her "sisters" (heifers she grew up with) and she got chased off and butted good by a couple of cows.... If I catch her ONE TIME trying to suck again... I don't care who she is, she will be gone.

When I weaned this group, (the 3 cows they had been on had all co-mothered the 8 calves) ; so they were moved away with just other calves, didn't seem to bother the other calves, and got bred and did NOT go with any other lactating animals until they freshened themselves...... The other 6 had not been a problem with sucking but 2 did not breed back and since they were the most "dairy" looking, and had not held their condition.... I shipped them. So, I have 5 of them left with their second calves on the ground. Been watching for any sucking from that one but so far, nothing. One has a sorry calf, the first was nothing special, so this will be her last go-round here.
Click to expand...
Thanks gal!
I'm leaning towards selling her. I really am. I have a few others I can keep and that will still leave me with plenty!
Good thing is, calf prices are really good right now. And I could use another bill payer for sure. Sure had high hopes for the little snot tho. She ain't a bad looking calf and temperament is excellent.

Ah well. Such is life!
 
I have some nose flaps I never used and could ship 'em to you. But agree. As much as I like that baldie, she's gotta go. I have zero tolerance for resuming nursing, which is why the calves are never reintroduced back into the herd after they're weaned. Replacement heifers don't go back until after they've had their first calf.
 
TCRanch said:
From my experience, a (generally) freemartin heifer will grow like the dickens and end up a stout, bullish looking girl, but can easily top the scale. Knowing your magic, you'll do well with her!
Click to expand...
Bessie is really close.
But I should get two off of Eleanor and get a new one on her.

Hmmmmm

Decisions Decisions...

O yeah. Prices are so crazy!
I broke the rules....

This is a $300 calf

Until Saturday she is MY baby. I'll bottle her.
 
MurraysMutts said:
And another!
95lb bull. Lots cheaper!
That brings my average down.
View attachment 26691
Click to expand...
"TIME"...that's i what i think about..will take time to keep him alive and healthy without its mom.
....but there ARE benefits of bottle feeding a bull...they'd be a great behavioral connection between you and him when he's 2,400. lbs
 
TexasRancher said:
"TIME"...that's i what i think about..will take time to keep him alive and healthy without its mom.
....but there ARE benefits of bottle feeding a bull...they'd be a great behavioral connection between you and him when he's 2,400. lbs
Click to expand...
They are now with Eleanor!
He will be a steer in short order.

I'll update her thread this evening....
20230226_080447.jpg
 
TexasRancher said:
"TIME"...that's i what i think about..will take time to keep him alive and healthy without its mom.
....but there ARE benefits of bottle feeding a bull...they'd be a great behavioral connection between you and him when he's 2,400. lbs
Click to expand...
It can and often does go the other way around on that, bottle bulls can be dangerous as hell.
 
@TexasRancher
@50/50Farms

I don't think I could ever trust a bottle fed breeding bull.

Ya know I raised Seven and she let's me do pretty much anything I need to do to her or her calf. But there is times she can be a pain in the butt. She don't move like other cattle. And she was never fully halter broke so she can be hard to sort with other animals. Gotta work around her. It's an inconvenience but not terrible difficult.

But a bull, on the other hand, might just wanna play a lil too rough!!
 
And that's my take on it. Hell, we fed out a Holstein steer from bottle to burger once, you could say we kept him on the long side, and even without the balls he could be a bit of a handful at times, didn't respect personal space much.
 
MurraysMutts said:
@TexasRancher
@50/50Farms

I don't think I could ever trust a bottle fed breeding bull.

Ya know I raised Seven and she let's me do pretty much anything I need to do to her or her calf. But there is times she can be a pain in the butt. She don't move like other cattle. And she was never fully halter broke so she can be hard to sort with other animals. Gotta work around her. It's an inconvenience but not terrible difficult.

But a bull, on the other hand, might just wanna play a lil too rough!!
Click to expand...
It's strange how human contact with cattle can affect them. Bottle feeding can be a bad idea when raising a bull of the most common personality type, but the rare bull will be fine with it. I had to chase down a heifer once on foot. I just ran her until she wore out. I slipped a rope on her and led her home. She was different after that. In some ways easier because she wasn't as flighty... but harder because she wasn't as wary.
 

Similar threads

ClinchValley86
Problematic Bottle Calf
Replies
8
Views
588
sunnyblueskies
sunnyblueskies
Maxrock2306
Bottle calf
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
50/50Farms
50/50Farms
coachg
Bottle feeding : how much
2
Replies
22
Views
653
Hereford2
H
coachg
New type of bottle
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Double R Ranch
D
tom4018
Calf issues...
Replies
6
Views
319
gcreekrch
G

Latest posts

Top