Bottle Calves Not Shedding Off

[newtondak]

I have raised bottle calves for a number of years and it always seems that they don't shed off and get slick-coated like the calves that are still on the cows - I'm assuming maybe because they don't get the milk fat that the nursing calves get. Is there anything that I can use to supplement their feed that will give them the smooth coat of the other calves?

 

[dun]

None of our calves slick out the first year, doesn;t matter if they;re on the cow or the bottle/bucket.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Maybe it is the high temperature here that makes them slick. I've got one fuzzy heifer out of all those I bought last summer, all of those that were grafted on my nurse cows, and all of those that were born to the herd. Right off hand I think that is 48 (heifers that I still own) and only one is fuzzy.

 

[msscamp]

I have raised bottle calves for a number of years and it always seems that they don't shed off and get slick-coated like the calves that are still on the cows - I'm assuming maybe because they don't get the milk fat that the nursing calves get. Is there anything that I can use to supplement their feed that will give them the smooth coat of the other calves?

Assuming you have salt and mineral available to these bottle calves from day one, some calves just don't shed out as well as others.