Howdy i work for a farm with cows and horses already but want to get into doin ti all myself when im young so ill be able to et in early. im only 18. i got 32 acres behind my house onyl problem is that it doesnt have any pastures its all cropland. but im plannin on taking 5 acres and fencing it off and building a lean to shelter on it. i had questions concerin bottle calves. just any information on hwo to start them, what kidna starer milk ya give em. what kinda vacinaions ya give em. all that kinda stuff. thanks for your information. also i put a poll on here also see how many peopel make money jsut doing bottle calves.
Bottle Calves
- Thread starter KsCTMan
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CKC1586
Well-known member
If you go up to the top of this page and click on search and ask for Bottle Calves you will get a ton of information on bottle babies.
bottle calves dont do well for me. but YOU could make a little money raising bottle calves. the trick is knowing who is healthy enough to raise. if you get them for free or little to nothing and grow them out and sell them i dont see why a responsible young person couldnt make a few dollars at it. a lot of larger cattle producers just dont have the time to put into nursing a baby so if you can find healthy calves that just need a little patience you could do some good there. dairies are another place to get cheap problem calves, right MilkMaid?
Beefy":2pwwtvt2 said:
Right. :lol: ;-)
As far as normal, healthy calves though... Get 'em at a reasonable price, raise 'em cheap but raise 'em right, sell at the right time, and a person can do really well off bottle calves.
dun":3kzy0zyk said:
That's for sure.
I saw a place a few months back with a good 50+ holstein steers of various ages. I was discussing a certain heifer calf they had for sale, and talk strayed into bottle calves and raising them. They'd lost all 15 from one dairy once, 8 or 9 out of 10 from another place, said sometimes they did alright, sometimes they didn't. Got to discussing the age on a calf in the next pen...11 months and 400lbs.
Gotta raise 'em better than that to make money.
cattlemom
Well-known member
My best advice would be to find a reputable dairy farmer & try to get calves only from there. We thought we would give ourselves a boost once & bought 6 calves off of a different dairy that was advertising in the paper but we didn't know the guy. BIG mistake - we lost most of those calves. I think he was buying calves at the sale barn and putting them together in groups. As long as we stuck to our buddy that we new & trusted we got along great.
Good luck - I think bottle babies are a great way to get started.
Good luck - I think bottle babies are a great way to get started.
is there much diffrence in prices between dairy and beef cattle in refrence to prices at sale barns for buying the bottle calves and then re-selling them back to the sale barn.
also you said that dairy farmers liek to sell most their bottle calves. you think there would be interst in setting up an arrangment of sellign their bottle calves to me and then if the calves come out good then them bying them back, especially if the calf is out of a good milkin cow. jsut a thought but thought i might try it out.
also you said that dairy farmers liek to sell most their bottle calves. you think there would be interst in setting up an arrangment of sellign their bottle calves to me and then if the calves come out good then them bying them back, especially if the calf is out of a good milkin cow. jsut a thought but thought i might try it out.
Another option for bottle calves is to check with feedlots. A lot of times they will buy a bunch of heifers - one or two of which is bred - and they don't want the calves. I've gotten several from local feedlots and they have done very well for me. If you choose to go this route, make sure the calf has had colostrum and also find out how long the heifer has been at the feedlot as the feed results in hot calves (which you do NOT want) if the heifer has been there very long. A sure sign of a hot calf is distinctive, sweet breath.
Well...first off, dairies do not like to sell their heifer calves. I've heard prices quoted from $300-500 for day olds, but no one knows (or says) where I can find them like that. To be honest, I would pick up heifer calves at those prices - if I could find them.
Bull calves would likely be all you could find, get, and afford. Even in my area, with the exception of calves from my boss, I can't touch holstein bull calves for under $165, most are closer to $180, and some, even day-olds, to $225! - and almost all dairies are contracted out. That means there's someone who's buying all the bull calves, and you probably would not be able to acquire any. The rumor is that there's folks in California who are buying all the holstein bull calves in the nearby states and raising them from day-olds to slaughter, and that's what's driving the prices in my area. Your area may be cheaper.
As far as dairy farmers selling calves to you, letting you raise them, and then buying them back... most dairy farmers would not consider it as it's a losing proposition. Look at it from their perspective; they sell the calf to you for, say, $500, you raise it for 2 years, probably don't put more than $700 into it in feed, and then you sell it back to them for $2000-2500. Yes that's what holstein springers are going for nationally. It just does not make sense from their end. There are some dairies that do sell all their heifers, but they're contracted out as well.
Your best bet would be to try some bull calves for starters (at least that way if you lose one it's not going to put you under) and then later when you have more experience - and connections - try for some heifers.
As to beef calves - I wish you luck. I'd raise them as well if I could find them. Dairy calves are pulled from the cow shortly after birth, which would is what makes them available as "bottle calves". Beef calves stay with the cow until 6-7 months of age, so the only beef calf you could find would be an orphan or a twin, and even those aren't available very often.
Bull calves would likely be all you could find, get, and afford. Even in my area, with the exception of calves from my boss, I can't touch holstein bull calves for under $165, most are closer to $180, and some, even day-olds, to $225! - and almost all dairies are contracted out. That means there's someone who's buying all the bull calves, and you probably would not be able to acquire any. The rumor is that there's folks in California who are buying all the holstein bull calves in the nearby states and raising them from day-olds to slaughter, and that's what's driving the prices in my area. Your area may be cheaper.
As far as dairy farmers selling calves to you, letting you raise them, and then buying them back... most dairy farmers would not consider it as it's a losing proposition. Look at it from their perspective; they sell the calf to you for, say, $500, you raise it for 2 years, probably don't put more than $700 into it in feed, and then you sell it back to them for $2000-2500. Yes that's what holstein springers are going for nationally. It just does not make sense from their end. There are some dairies that do sell all their heifers, but they're contracted out as well.
Your best bet would be to try some bull calves for starters (at least that way if you lose one it's not going to put you under) and then later when you have more experience - and connections - try for some heifers.
As to beef calves - I wish you luck. I'd raise them as well if I could find them. Dairy calves are pulled from the cow shortly after birth, which would is what makes them available as "bottle calves". Beef calves stay with the cow until 6-7 months of age, so the only beef calf you could find would be an orphan or a twin, and even those aren't available very often.
RichieMaGoo
Well-known member
I make more money off of bottle calves than my neighbors make the regular way. The trick is to keep the death rate low. Out of 26 I've raised so far, I've only lost one. I raise them in hutches with large outdoor runs- use a good quality milk replacer (with at least 22% protien and 22% fat)- give them access to hay and water from day one- no vaccinations or meds- and, probably the most important thing: I buy mine off the farm- not from sale barns/auctions.
The biggest problem I'm having is finding calves- as everyone seems to be taking them to the auctions, to try and get top dollar for them. I've paid as much as $130 for a calf- but I'm not going to pay $180 for a few-day-old calf- it's just not worth it.
If ya can find 'em, this is the way to make the best profit in the cattle business. I average $175-$250 profit per head. I just bought a 7 month old beef heifer today....but she's for my own use- I don't see much profit in maintaining a cow year round just to throw off one calf per year...if your lucky.
With the bottle calves....just make sure they get colostrum for the first few days- real colostrum. If they're not given their mothers colostrum for the first few days, get some colostrum and feed it to them till they're at least 4 days old. Wean them between 4 and 5 weeks (they do fine- and it helps keep profits up) and as soon as they're old enough, let 'em free range. If they have access to varied plants and grasses, they'll eat what they need to stay healthy.
All of my country neighbors that have fooled with bottle calves have not had good luck....so I don't know if I'm just lucky or what- being a former city boy....but bottle calves are working great for me.
The biggest problem I'm having is finding calves- as everyone seems to be taking them to the auctions, to try and get top dollar for them. I've paid as much as $130 for a calf- but I'm not going to pay $180 for a few-day-old calf- it's just not worth it.
If ya can find 'em, this is the way to make the best profit in the cattle business. I average $175-$250 profit per head. I just bought a 7 month old beef heifer today....but she's for my own use- I don't see much profit in maintaining a cow year round just to throw off one calf per year...if your lucky.
With the bottle calves....just make sure they get colostrum for the first few days- real colostrum. If they're not given their mothers colostrum for the first few days, get some colostrum and feed it to them till they're at least 4 days old. Wean them between 4 and 5 weeks (they do fine- and it helps keep profits up) and as soon as they're old enough, let 'em free range. If they have access to varied plants and grasses, they'll eat what they need to stay healthy.
All of my country neighbors that have fooled with bottle calves have not had good luck....so I don't know if I'm just lucky or what- being a former city boy....but bottle calves are working great for me.
RichieMaGoo":3qw9idnh said:
What would be purpose of this? A calf cannot utilize/absorb the antibodies in colostrum past 24 hours of age, seems like expensive milk replacer to me. Thanks for the clarification in advance.
RichieMaGoo
Well-known member
Hello, Msscamp,
To answer your question: I don't know the "scientific" explanation- but all my calves have had colostrum for at least four days....and since this is the ammount of time that the mother cow gives strong colostrum, I'd say nature knows better than science. I'd also be willing to bet that this is why my calves live....while many other people seem to have a 50% death rate or higher.
Many dairies (at least in my area) will give you colostrum for free, or for a modest price if they sell it. I have never used the store-bought variety- I'd imagine the antibodies in the store-bought (read: EXPENSIVE) colostrum replacer are probably rendered non-existent.
Cows actually can detect (from the calves saliva) what nutrients their calves need, and if allowed to free-range, will eat the proper things necessary to provide those nutrients. Therefore, bottlefeeding a calf colostrum is no substitute for nursing on the mother.....but it's better than plain old milk replacer (maybe it has something to do with the high fat content and other such stuff in the colostrum too- that helps the claf avoid scouring- even if it's true that they can't absorb the antibodies)
All I know is the colostrum sure beats substitutes/drugs/vitamins....and even if one does have to pay alot for it......that cost seems minimal, compared to losing a calf.
....or so it seems to me...but I lived in the city (New York) only four years ago.(I don't profess to be an expert at this...but I know what works)
To answer your question: I don't know the "scientific" explanation- but all my calves have had colostrum for at least four days....and since this is the ammount of time that the mother cow gives strong colostrum, I'd say nature knows better than science. I'd also be willing to bet that this is why my calves live....while many other people seem to have a 50% death rate or higher.
Many dairies (at least in my area) will give you colostrum for free, or for a modest price if they sell it. I have never used the store-bought variety- I'd imagine the antibodies in the store-bought (read: EXPENSIVE) colostrum replacer are probably rendered non-existent.
Cows actually can detect (from the calves saliva) what nutrients their calves need, and if allowed to free-range, will eat the proper things necessary to provide those nutrients. Therefore, bottlefeeding a calf colostrum is no substitute for nursing on the mother.....but it's better than plain old milk replacer (maybe it has something to do with the high fat content and other such stuff in the colostrum too- that helps the claf avoid scouring- even if it's true that they can't absorb the antibodies)
All I know is the colostrum sure beats substitutes/drugs/vitamins....and even if one does have to pay alot for it......that cost seems minimal, compared to losing a calf.
....or so it seems to me...but I lived in the city (New York) only four years ago.(I don't profess to be an expert at this...but I know what works)
I get calves from 3 different dairys. They all have the same vaccination plan on their calves. I don't have much sickness(knock on wood) in them. So I'm lucky there. I have raised their heifers up to 500lbs in exchange for the bull calves. He bought the milk, starter and meds for all of them. It was a sweet deal. I usually take all the bull calves from all 3 and broker off the ones I can't use, well, I could use them but sometimes it's too many to feed and keep a close eye on. You can make a little money on them but you won't get rich.
RichieMaGoo
Well-known member
Thank you, Msscamp!- I always enjoy and learn from your posts. I'd appreciate your input on my new post: "My 1st. Heifer- Whadduyah Think?".
