bottle calf

[Anonymous]

i have a 4 day old jersey bull calf .i am feeding it 1 and 3/4 quart of milk replacer twice daily.my question is the calf looks hollow(thin)but is eating all the replacer i put to him. not sure if the farm i bought him from was feeding him regular because it is a dairy farm and all they want is the heifers.is there anything i came give him to help him gain alittle more.i know feeding him more could make him scour but was wondering if there might be something else

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[Anonymous]

I have seen calves start to nibble sweet feed at a week old and eat 2-3 cups by two weeks. Depends on the calf, the feed,etc. I would offer him a little sweet feed and if he shows interest add a little calf manna. If they don't get colostrum pretty quick after birth, they can be a real problem. Unfortunately by the time you get them it is too late.

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[Anonymous]

i have grain calf starter that i have been giving him after the bottle a couple hand fulls after and he licks it around in his mouth so he ends up with about half of what i give him and the rest falls out.he did get his colostum i believe they do do that for them at least.he has plenty of energy hps around and plays with my kids.maybe i am just overreacting this is the first of what i hope to be many i plan on raising if i have good luck with it. thanks

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[Anonymous]

Your calf is doing fine. He will look hungry and hollow as a young bottle fed calf, but don't over feed him. Just keep an eye on him and as long as his eyes are bright & he's active, he's doing well.

If he humps up and looks a bit dull, get the vet immediately. Those are signs he's probably ill.

The calf manna is a good idea, and he'll waste less as he gets the hang of eating it. He can have that free-choice.

A little fresh hay and clean water available at all times is a good idea, too. He'll nibble at the hay a bit. By doing this, he'll start developing the proper microbes in his gut to digest hay and grass later. He should always have fresh water available, no matter what else he's being fed.

Rafter L Murray Greys

 

[Anonymous]

> Your calf is doing fine. He will
> look hungry and hollow as a young
> bottle fed calf, but don't over
> feed him. Just keep an eye on him
> and as long as his eyes are bright
> & he's active, he's doing
> well.

> If he humps up and looks a bit
> dull, get the vet immediately.
> Those are signs he's probably ill.

> The calf manna is a good idea, and
> he'll waste less as he gets the
> hang of eating it. He can have
> that free-choice.

> A little fresh hay and clean water
> available at all times is a good
> idea, too. He'll nibble at the hay
> a bit. By doing this, he'll start
> developing the proper microbes in
> his gut to digest hay and grass
> later. He should always have fresh
> water available, no matter what
> else he's being fed.

thanks for the reply rambler and linda. dumb question coming what is calf manna is the the calf starter grain feed? if so i leave him free choice about 2 hands full in a shallow pan all the time.i also leave him fresh water so it sounds like i am doing good so far huh? i just found this site and am glad i did you people are very helpful thanks alot. his eyes do look bright and he is full of energy so guess i am overreacting. thanks again people for the replys and helpfull info. ken

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[Anonymous]

Calf Manna is the brand name of a pelleted feed you can start calves on and leave out free choice. You can buy it at your feed store. It's all I've ever used for bottle fed calves and is a very good product.

I haven't used grain for these little ones, so someone more familiar with that method would have to explain the best way to do it.

 

[Anonymous]

I have two bottle fed calves. The first one I did not supplement on grain for the first month--I didn't know. The second one is eating grain (sweet feed) after the bottle and she looks good and healthy. They will be thinner than a calf on the momma, but in the end, it will be okay.



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[Anonymous]

> I have two bottle fed calves. The
> first one I did not supplement on
> grain for the first month--I
> didn't know. The second one is
> eating grain (sweet feed) after
> the bottle and she looks good and
> healthy. They will be thinner than
> a calf on the momma, but in the
> end, it will be okay.

We raised our first calf on a bottle. We had trouble getting her to eat feed so I ran it through the food processor and made a cereal bottle like I did for my kids when they were small. I also left out sweet feed with calf manna mixed in. If she got scours then we would mix a raw egg in the milk replaced. If you can get her with other cows that are eating it will try to copy them. Good luck!

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

> thanks for the reply rambler and
> linda. dumb question coming what
> is calf manna is the the calf
> starter grain feed? if so i leave
> him free choice about 2 hands full
> in a shallow pan all the time.i
> also leave him fresh water so it
> sounds like i am doing good so far
> huh? i just found this site and am
> glad i did you people are very
> helpful thanks alot. his eyes do
> look bright and he is full of
> energy so guess i am overreacting.
> thanks again people for the replys
> and helpfull info. ken

be very careful with the calf manna and other feeds on these calfs. I went through this with 2 bull calves and due to they were never on mothers milk they got ill ALOT!!! You should continue the bottle milk and slowly add feed in the milk. Start out only once a day. Then I would thicken the milk little by little each week with the feed. I would only offer him some oats for starters. mix your milk and put a handful of the calf starter feed in the milk and let it disolve . later cut the slit in the bottle and thicken it up some more. when you are sure he is not scouring on the mixture of milk and feed , then start introducing the feed a little at a time in a bucket maybe mixed with some dry oats. good luck

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