Bottle Calves

[M-5]

Finally the price of dairy bottle calves has come down enough picked up a 3 Saturday morning. I mainly want to have a couple around when the rest of the cows finish calving to have a graft calf if needed. One of them was puny and very frail but not dehydrated and he took to sucking a bottle right away the other 2 had to be tubed Saturday night. The puny one was dead sunday morning but other 2 are thriving. both were ready to eat this morning and both downed 2qts. Some folks don't want to bottle feed a calf but I find a great deal for satisfaction in it.

 

[skyhightree1]

M5 Sorry you lost one. I was talking to another local man that raises them no matter what as he has a deal with a dairy near here. I told him I was going to fool with some as well soon. I like feeding bottle calves and find it rewarding. The only reason I stopped was they were too expensive.

 

[M-5]

There was something wrong with it apparently. He never filled in his flank when fed. also his sheath had a hard mass about the size of a tangerine. I knew there wasn't much hope for it but I just wanted to give a try. This small dairy has a good reputation and does a good job on the calves. they try to leave it on the dam for 2 or 3 days before pulling the calves and put them into the milking string. I've been on the waiting list since OCT. I can get HOJO heifers from her and am thinking about getting a few and raising them to be Homestead /nurse cows. I want to see how these do first.

 

[Bigfoot]

There not my favorite. If I have one, it's because something malfunctioned. I'll usually buy one to go with it. If you gotta feed one, might as well feed 2.

 

[TexasBred]

Finally the price of dairy bottle calves has come down enough picked up a 3 Saturday morning. I mainly want to have a couple around when the rest of the cows finish calving to have a graft calf if needed. One of them was puny and very frail but not dehydrated and he took to sucking a bottle right away the other 2 had to be tubed Saturday night. The puny one was dead sunday morning but other 2 are thriving. both were ready to eat this morning and both downed 2qts. Some folks don't want to bottle feed a calf but I find a great deal for satisfaction in it.

Been several years since I've done it but started out with the calf confined (actually on a dog chain with a collar around it's neck). Gave it a name, called it's name often, finally turned it out with the cows.....in the mornings it would be standing at the back fence waiting on bottle. In the afternoon I could call it a few times and it would come running. Took about 20 minutes each feeding to mix milk replacer, feed calf and clean up and money to be made.

 

[skyhightree1]

There was something wrong with it apparently. He never filled in his flank when fed. also his sheath had a hard mass about the size of a tangerine. I knew there wasn't much hope for it but I just wanted to give a try. This small dairy has a good reputation and does a good job on the calves. they try to leave it on the dam for 2 or 3 days before pulling the calves and put them into the milking string. I've been on the waiting list since OCT. I can get HOJO heifers from her and am thinking about getting a few and raising them to be Homestead /nurse cows. I want to see how these do first.

I would rather buy from those folks that leave them on. The folks around here either sell same day born if possible it may or may not had colostrum. I want a jersey for my milk so I can start making my own butter and cheeses seriously its a rare occasion to find a good bottle baby heifer that's not a free martin.

 

[Ky hills]

M5 Sorry you lost one. I was talking to another local man that raises them no matter what as he has a deal with a dairy near here. I told him I was going to fool with some as well soon. I like feeding bottle calves and find it rewarding. The only reason I stopped was they were too expensive.

I had a deal with a dairy for about 10 years, I bought all of their calves, and sold a lot of the heifers back to them at about time to breed. They sold out the dairy, to concentrate on raising grain, I really miss raising the calves, and having a little bunch to sell every 2-3 months.

 

[Ky hills]

There was something wrong with it apparently. He never filled in his flank when fed. also his sheath had a hard mass about the size of a tangerine. I knew there wasn't much hope for it but I just wanted to give a try. This small dairy has a good reputation and does a good job on the calves. they try to leave it on the dam for 2 or 3 days before pulling the calves and put them into the milking string. I've been on the waiting list since OCT. I can get HOJO heifers from her and am thinking about getting a few and raising them to be Homestead /nurse cows. I want to see how these do first.

Sorry about the loss of the calf. I am guessing it m have had a navel infection, That was fairly common in he bottle calves that I bought, until they started putting iodine on the calves navels soon after birth, the mass could also be an umbilical hernia. I am guessing that HOJO is a Holstien Jersey cross, I really like them, I had some for nurse cows when I raised dairy calves.

 

[skyhightree1]

im watching a sale now for a lil while and the bottle angus calves are bringing $150-165 no dairy calves to sell

 

[jltrent]

By the time I buy the powdered milk and everything else, time involved and as slow as they grow it is hard to make any money on bottle calves for me. With good prices I would make sure they were in good shape and it was cheaper for me to sell them. With prices down and powder milk still as high there is no way I could come out.

 

[skyhightree1]

By the time I buy the powdered milk and everything else, time involved and as slow as they grow it is hard to make any money on bottle calves for me. With good prices I would make sure they were in good shape and it was cheaper for me to sell them. With prices down and powder milk still as high there is no way I could come out.

You wont find any here on my place until they drop way down.

 

[Son of Butch]

I want a jersey for my milk so I can start making my own butter and cheeses....

*highjacking in progress*
Jersey is an excellent choice for butter and cheeses. Do you have any cheese making experience?
What type of cheeses would you like to make?

 

[skyhightree1]

I want a jersey for my milk so I can start making my own butter and cheeses....

*highjacking in progress*
Jersey is an excellent choice for butter and cheeses. Do you have any cheese making experience?
What type of cheeses would you like to make?

:lol2: No experience in cheese making at all but I would like to make cheddar mozza and the farm style cheese but my favorite is smoked provolone. I have a good mentor on the cheese making. I also ordered this book. I was told a electric wine chiller is ideal for cheese making.

https://play.google.com/store/books/det ... &gclsrc=ds

 

[backhoeboogie]

By the time I buy the powdered milk and everything else, time involved and as slow as they grow it is hard to make any money on bottle calves for me. With good prices I would make sure they were in good shape and it was cheaper for me to sell them. With prices down and powder milk still as high there is no way I could come out.

Graft them onto a nurse cow. 3 or 4 calves on a good cow will earn you some nickels. I like beef calves.

 

[kickinbull]

curious what price range you consider reasonable?

 

[rnh2]

What problems would you have if you used bottle calves for brood cows? Too much milk?

 

[Son of Butch]

What problems would you have if you used bottle calves for brood cows? Too much milk?

"Bottle calf" is not a breed, it can be any breed or breeds.
Black baldy - hereford/angus - bottle calf sold yesterday at local sale barn - it's momma died shortly after giving birth.

 

[skyhightree1]

curious what price range you consider reasonable?

Reasonable for me is 50 bucks now.

 

[Bigfoot]

What problems would you have if you used bottle calves for brood cows? Too much milk?

I'm not in the "too much milk camp". I'm trying to wean a big calf, and big bagged cows do that for me. Cows that are half milk stock, seem to winter hard, and have a calf that is not necessarily going to top the market. Often times, that's a loud color, or a hatchet butt. I like them for a cow, don't get me wrong, but if she's eating me out of house and home, and her calf is big, but doesn't net very much then it's a lose lose situation.

 

[TexasBred]

What problems would you have if you used bottle calves for brood cows? Too much milk?

rnh2 bottle calves with some dairy in them have the genetics to produce a lot of milk but feed volume and quality normally dictate how much milk they produce.