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

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Orphan cow Chevy. Runt. She has barely grown. 🤦🏽‍♀️ First picture was from last year 2020 about this time amd 2nd the other day 2021. Notice how she isn't even in the fence. She thinks she is a dog. How do you get a cow to grow?
 

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Seven is coming right along out of winter I reckon. She oughtta breed this spring.
And yes she's a pain in the butt!
She came in with Bessie the other night and I like to never got her arse outta the pen. She will follow, but has no idea what being pushed is. She has some simmental and chianina in her. Among other things. Wonder if she will be capable of raising more than one? Shes got a ways to go. Still love her.
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MurraysMutts said:
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!
Click to expand...
Had a cow prolapse giving birth during the night winter before last. Cow bleed out and died. Wife found it next morning. Not sure if the calf nursed before the cow died. We gave it colostrum just incase it didn't. Wanted to take it to the sale barn. Wife decided differently. She fed it 2 bottles of milk replacer a day. It's time for it to go to the sale. Instead of taking it away from its moma. I am having to take it away from my wife which is harder to do.
 
The Hereford bull calf in the above pic will sell at auction tmrw. I'm not positive, but I think this will be the first bottle/bucket calf I've ever sold at a sale.
I'll let yall know how it goes!
 
It's hard to get ahead with Herefords, but I'd recommend not selling any weaned calves smaller than 400 lbs. Most lightweight calf buyers are looking for calves that can go out on grass.
 
And that's the truth around here too!
Unless u get very lucky and that special someone is looking for exactly what u have. At least hes off of my feed bill now
Buck Randall said:
Buyers won't pay as much for them, and the discount you get when buying them as bottle calves isn't big enough to cover the discount you take selling them as light feeders.
Click to expand...
 
If pure char with pink noses, they will get creamed here as feeders.... if more smokey char with black noses, they will take less of a hit than a hereford here.... GOTTA know your market for sales after the work is done.
 
farmerjan said:
If pure char with pink noses, they will get creamed here as feeders.... if more smokey char with black noses, they will take less of a hit than a hereford here.... GOTTA know your market for sales after the work is done.
Click to expand...
It's the same here with the pink noses. What caused them to fall out of favor so much with the feeders? Seems like when I was a kid they brought more towards the top. The char x calves will sell towards the top behind the blacks and above the reds here.
 
Straight chars grow too much height and are not favored at the feedlots/finishing lots. They hang too "long" (length) for the normal conveyor chains I have been told by a couple of buyers. They take longer to put a finish on... somewhat like some of the simmentals I have been told. More frame before meat and finish. Same as Brown Swiss in the dairy world... Frame before finish. Yet there are some places that they obviously do good at.
And then you get into the "black angus" marketing.... I can tell you that there are plenty of those smokeys that go through as black angus beef.....they are "half" black "angus"... well, half "black something"....

Look at the QUALITY Charolais that @Dubcharo has in Canada... those are some really NICE animals... and he seems to have a good market for them.
,
And one other thing, chars have a bad reputation for being high strung/crazy/mean many places... Which of course we all know, there are lots of high strung/crazy/mean animals in any breed... and from the ones I have been around, they are no worse than any other breed.... it depends on the strain, and HOW they are Handled......I have some real iffy thoughts on Limi's being high strung and meaner than a snake .... but that is from one herd I helped at... some of the momma's will kill you on that farm if you want to tag the new babies....and they are very "athletic" when it comes to fences and not staying where you put them. But I know that they aren't all like that.
 
farmerjan said:
If pure char with pink noses, they will get creamed here as feeders.... if more smokey char with black noses, they will take less of a hit than a hereford here.... GOTTA know your market for sales after the work is done.
Click to expand...
I did not buy them. Black nose/smokey/brown. They brought 425 each!! Kiss my grits!

I did however buy this lil gal, split off a poor uddered cow.
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Gonna get a bottle in her. She needs a bit of pep.
BUT!!! As you all know, I trailer weaned some calves Monday. My first attempt was Brown Cow. My gentlest cow. She loves being loved on. Doesn't accept bottle calves!! She kicked her every time I tried to get her latched on. Meh....
I'll try ol Big Bertha I guess. In the pen we go....
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How bout this??
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Not quite as easy as Bessie. Calf is a lil gun shy after getting kicked by my other cow. And I can tell she needs some energy. I'll bottle her shortly and try again in the morning.
 

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