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

[Travlr]

High protein for her then. Creep feed ain't gonna cut it I don't reckon. I bought a bag of 16% starter to see how that goes. She sure didn't eat much today.

O! Hey @Buck Randall u were posting as I was typing. Thanks!

She might have loaded up because she's not used to getting fed much. Now she's full. I wouldn't worry too much unless she's not pooping on the regular.

And ya gotta worm her sometime. Better sooner than later.

 

[SDgrampa]

Someone said you could turn her around. That's what I woudo turn her around right back to the sale barn

 

[Farm Family]

Goodness…worse case she grows poorly…there is always hamburger for the freezer…easy to sell by the pound and no one will notice the size of the ribeye This happened to us…calf was her 6th…and a one off…it just was small, she had milk but he did not gain like her other calves. Vet was preg checking and I mentioned her calf was not really doing much which was weird…vet checked his heart and lungs with the ultrasound and said looked good. Vet felt it was his intestines…lacked the ability to properly absorb nutrients. So that fall he stayed home and we finished him out…made 998#…turned him into hamburger and some small steaks. We did supplement him with some feed yeast for his gut…not sure it helped him but he did have a sensitive tummy when he weaned…ate good one day off the next…feed yeast seemed to keep him more balanced. He tasted just fine. Butcher said he looked normal, passed inspection so who knows? Good luck MurraysMutt.

 

[gcreekrch]

When you posted the picture my first thought was that the heifer will not take a bottle. I bet it's 2 months old or older. If it eats that's all you can do. If your determined that it gets milk mix the powder in her feed. Use a feed with molasses.

As my thoughts were reading the first part.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Well there's that. She took right to the alfalfa/orchard grass hay.
The challenge is gonna be getting enough nutrition in her to keep her alive. She's turned her nose up at the last 2 fresh feedings of calf starter.
Perhaps she needed some roughage..

 

[Buck Randall]

I wouldn't even give her the option of eating hay. Calf starter is a complete feed.

 

[kenny thomas]

Add molasses to any feed your trying. It has very little nutrition but sure gets them to eating.

 

[farmerjan]

I also think she is going for the hay because that is what she knows... she survived on it and her instincts are that is what she needs to eat. I also would cut the hay for at least 12 -24 hours and see if she will go for some grain... yep, molasses helps... our calf starter here has a good molasses coating... most all of them love it after a couple feedings of trying it.
I'd say that you ought to try worming her since she is eating and I assume, doing manure? She is not going to get much further along with the hay if she is wormy...and if she is not wanting the grain very well, you need to make sure her gut tract is "clean" so if there are worms, they do not continue to rob her body of nutrition and blood.

 

[Travlr]

Any time your calf is going without worming... she's depositing worms to be picked up by your other animals.

 

[MurraysMutts]

@Buck Randall
@farmerjan
@kenny thomas
@Travlr

Thanks guys!
Shes wormed and I've penned her without hay. My starter is 16% but it's a dry feed. I got a bag of sweet feed to sprinkle on it.
We will see how she goes from here.

I'm thinking if I get her eating the feed better, I'll control/limit feed some alfalfa/orchard grass hay.

I was not aware the calf starter was a complete feed.
Here's a pic of the label. Says it's got molasses products...
Hmmmmm

Thanks again guys n gals!
I'll keep updating as we go. And I won't have my buddy buy me another one like this!

 

[Buck Randall]

@Buck Randall
@farmerjan
@kenny thomas
@Travlr

Thanks guys!
Shes wormed and I've penned her without hay. My starter is 16% but it's a dry feed. I got a bag of sweet feed to sprinkle on it.
We will see how she goes from here.

I'm thinking if I get her eating the feed better, I'll control/limit feed some alfalfa/orchard grass hay.

I was not aware the calf starter was a complete feed.
Here's a pic of the label. Says it's got molasses products...
Hmmmmm
View attachment 28145View attachment 28146
Thanks again guys n gals!
I'll keep updating as we go. And I won't have my buddy buy me another one like this!

For what it's worth, calves like texturized calf starter more than pelleted. It costs more, but usually they eat it better.

 

[MurraysMutts]

For what it's worth, calves like texturized calf starter more than pelleted. It costs more, but usually they eat it better.

Wish I could find something.
This is the ONLY labeled calf starter I can find.
I found a Purina product called precon but it's for weaned calves.
I mean, I guess she IS weaned.

 

[kenny thomas]

Buck and Jan are much more qualified to give advise on the really small calves than I am but that just looks like a really dry feed. I add liquid molasses to 16% mix and calves normally start licking it and eating it the first day. It just smells so much better. Like me the smell is what sells me on some food before I ever taste it.

 

[faster horses]

Why would you not worm her yet?

It would be stressful on her system. She needs a bit to get going on the new feed, etc.

 

[50/50Farms]

I wonder how corn syrup would work in place of molasses.

 

[Ky hills]

Wish I could find something.
This is the ONLY labeled calf starter I can find.
I found a Purina product called precon but it's for weaned calves.
I mean, I guess she IS weaned.

I used to get a calf starter feed from Purina called Startena. Now I get a similar product from our Southern States Co op that they call starter/grower.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I used to get a calf starter feed from Purina called Startena. Now I get a similar product from our Southern States Co op that they call starter/grower.

Startena. That's the one I've heard about!
I've been told they discontinued it. But no word on what replaced it. Figure that one out!

I have found some textured grower rations. But they are all lower in protein.

 

[kenny thomas]

I wonder how corn syrup would work in place of molasses.

I would think that would be fine too if it's sweet.

 

[50/50Farms]

I would think that would be fine too if it's sweet.

Molasses is cheaper anyway unless you're up in the corn belt.

 

[TCRanch]

I wonder how corn syrup would work in place of molasses.

It works. Essentially anything sweet, even honey.