Bottle Calf switching to starter feed

[herefordhandler16]

My bottle calf Buddy is a hereford bull calf. he was a twin and i started with him when he was two days old. He's two months old now and gotten to the point to where hes getting too big too keep buying all that milk replacer for him. We have a bag of calf starter but i haven't had much luck getting him to eat it? how can I get him to start eating feed so I can take him off the bottle? :drink: :D

 

[regolith]

reduce the milk, and pop a handful of feed in his mouth instead every time he begs for his missing bottle :D

To be serious, if I find a palatable brand of starter I stick with it - not all are made equal. With access to good grass and plenty of milk a lot of calves will turn their noses up at even the palatable stuff - if the calf is young it's safer to just keep giving them the milk they need but at his age he can handle being cut back and pushed to eat other stuff instead.

 

[msscamp]

how can I get him to start eating feed so I can take him off the bottle? :drink: :D

See if your feed store carries AS70(I think that is what it's called). It is a medicated (chlortetrycline I think), and it smells and tastes like licorice. It's been quite a while since I've raised a bottle calf, but I used to use it with all of mine and it usually got them to eating grain within a couple of days. I don't know what it goes for these days but, when I was using it, it was around $12.00 for a 50 lb bag.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Braden bottles/nipples work on some of them. Texas pawpaw put me on to them back in the spring. One calf took off with them.

 

[TexasBred]

My bottle calf Buddy is a hereford bull calf. he was a twin and i started with him when he was two days old. He's two months old now and gotten to the point to where hes getting too big too keep buying all that milk replacer for him. We have a bag of calf starter but i haven't had much luck getting him to eat it? how can I get him to start eating feed so I can take him off the bottle? :drink: :D

All of the above comments help. With your next one try putting a good sweet textured calf starter in front of him from day one. Just a small handful in a feeder. He may not eat any for awhile but eventually he'll get a little in his mouth and will begin eating. Do the same with fresh clean water everyday.