bottle feeding/age

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Anonymous

Could someone please give me some information and help. I am bottle feeding two claves.How much should I feed them and at what age can I quit? Also I have gotten them to eat sweat feed, how long do I feed that to them before they can be turned out into the pasture? I waws hoping for some guide lines. Thank you for your help!!

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Calves should be fed a high quality milk replacer at the rate specified on the sack. High quality is milk or milk by-products, not soy based. They need a good quality calf starter grain, access to fresh water and after a couple of weeks either access to good grass hay or they can be on pasutre as long as they're still eating the calf starter and milk replacer. The rule of thumb is they can be weaned when they're eating 2 lbs a day of calf starter. That can be anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. When they are weaned and put on pasture they will still need the calf starter grain for a coupple of months.

dun

> Could someone please give me some
> information and help. I am bottle
> feeding two claves.How much should
> I feed them and at what age can I
> quit? Also I have gotten them to
> eat sweat feed, how long do I feed
> that to them before they can be
> turned out into the pasture? I
> waws hoping for some guide lines.
> Thank you for your help!!
 
If you was these calves to turn into something nice, I would feed them on the bottle till they reach a minimum of 120 days, feeding 2 quarts of milk replacer 2x a day, or 1.5 quarts 3x a day if you have the time and energy. Get them on feed as quick as you can and keep them on feed till the are 150 days, they if they have grown well, and have been wormed and vaccinated turn them out on pasture, but I would still feed them 5-10 pounds of a grower ration each for another 4-6 monthes,and provide a good quality loose mineral. If I were keeping them, if not then don't worry with it.

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> If you was these calves to turn
> into something nice, I would feed
> them on the bottle till they reach
> a minimum of 120 days, feeding 2
> quarts of milk replacer 2x a day,
> or 1.5 quarts 3x a day if you have
> the time and energy. Get them on
> feed as quick as you can and keep
> them on feed till the are 150
> days, they if they have grown
> well, and have been wormed and
> vaccinated turn them out on
> pasture, but I would still feed
> them 5-10 pounds of a grower
> ration each for another 4-6
> monthes,and provide a good quality
> loose mineral. If I were keeping
> them, if not then don't worry with
> it.

If you feed milk replacer for 120 days, you will have $100 or more in milk replacer and a lot of work. No doubt you will have a happier calf, but dun and I have a happier banker.

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That would mean that no diary cow would ever amount to much. Many dairys wean at 4 weeks and still have high quality productive cows. Once a calf is well into the grain, milk isn't all that much good to them, Beef calves on their dams that aren't grained need the extra that milk supplies.

dun

> And a calf that will never amount
> to anything.
 
The question was not asked as to how to achieve a Happier banker, it was asked how to feed a bottle raised calf, I answered that question, and answered it accordind to the best development one can achieve, with a bottle raised calf. No one asked to hear a smart ass remark from you!



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Hey Black Power! Would be nice if you could joing the group and stop being so critical of people! People on the message boards are asking for help, not unkind remarks. Just because someone is a novice doesn't mean their brain is in a vacuum. Have a nice day!

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A baby calf's rumen does not have the right bacteria to efficiently use grain, this is why they always do better on a cow. If you want an inferior calf go right ahead.

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> A baby calf's rumen does not have
> the right bacteria to efficiently
> use grain, this is why they always
> do better on a cow. If you want an
> inferior calf go right ahead.

Guess you missed the point of my post to you...lol: (attitude issue). [Think probably most of us know that a calf on a cow until naturally weaned is better off as a calf in the long run.] Personally, we have never had to bottle feed a calf...all of our foundation dams are excellent milkers and mothers. Peace!



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> The question was not asked as to
> how to achieve a Happier banker,
> it was asked how to feed a bottle
> raised calf, I answered that
> question, and answered it
> accordind to the best development
> one can achieve, with a bottle
> raised calf. No one asked to hear
> a smart ass remark from you!

I didn't mean to insult. What works is frequently a matter of personal experience. That said, there is a lot of information compiled by KSU, Texas, and several others concerning bottle raised calves. Studies indicate that early weaning results in early rumen development. That early activation makes the animal a measurably more efficient consumer of roughages. Granted, these studies were done on dairy heifer babies and their adult productive life. It is a fact that by 4 weeks of age calves can efficiently digest plant proteins and carbohydrates. Early weaning requires very careful attention to feed nutrient density and individual animal intake. Early weaning also stops the possibility of scours from bacteria, crypto, corona virus and some strains of claustridiums. Over 9 years, we raised over 1500 babies(dairy/beef cross from Texas). 95% were weaned by 6 weeks. We averaged 2.1 gain/day from day old to 400lb over that period. The bottom line: Its all nutrition, wether its milk to 400lbs or a carefully managed early wean program, there are several roads to the destination.

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> A baby calf's rumen does not have
> the right bacteria to efficiently
> use grain, this is why they always
> do better on a cow. If you want an
> inferior calf go right ahead.

You may want to research rumen activity a bit more. I think you will find that those bacteria are common in the environment that a baby calf lives in.

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