My husband and I just brought home a calve. We are having a horrible time getting him to eat from a bottle. He is 7 days old now. He only takes 1-2 quarts of milk replacer at a time, and we are practically force feeding him. We were told by the farmer we purchased him from he should be drinking about 2-3 quarts twice daily. Any suggestions on how to get him to consume more?
bottle feeding calve
- Thread starter cmorris
- Start date
novatech
Well-known member
Try more times per day.
May want to give a multi vitamine shot.
If he is pretty active I would not worry to much.
I have had slow starters. After they get going you will be more worried about the price of milk replacer.
May want to give a multi vitamine shot.
If he is pretty active I would not worry to much.
I have had slow starters. After they get going you will be more worried about the price of milk replacer.
holly heifer
Well-known member
:shock: $70.00 for a 50 lb bag!!!!!!!!!!! :roll:
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
Depending on his size, 2 quarts may be all he needs.
I had a twin heifer that was rejected and almost dead from dehydration. She was so small that she would only take 2 pints at first. I had to straddle her, squeeze her jaws to force milk out of the bottle, hold her head up so that she had to swallow. After about 4 days she got after the bottle agressively. After a week, she'd take two quarts each feeding. All I had to do was drop the bottle in a rack and she'd do the rest. She turned out to be a nice cow. She and her twin sister have each calved a few times for me. It was a pain initially.
I had a twin heifer that was rejected and almost dead from dehydration. She was so small that she would only take 2 pints at first. I had to straddle her, squeeze her jaws to force milk out of the bottle, hold her head up so that she had to swallow. After about 4 days she got after the bottle agressively. After a week, she'd take two quarts each feeding. All I had to do was drop the bottle in a rack and she'd do the rest. She turned out to be a nice cow. She and her twin sister have each calved a few times for me. It was a pain initially.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
3MR":1t8gku85 said:
Are you buying it from a convenience store? The good stuff is $52 a bag last check.
backhoeboogie":13ezf5ns said:
Where are getting the good stuff for $52.00 a bag? Around here the stuff has skyrocketed. A month ago my brother paid $40 for a 25 pound bag (Suckle) at a feed store here.
And, BTW, I don't consider Suckle "the good stuff."
Alice
Im not sure what it is here right now. I havent bought any in a while. I know it wasnt 70 bucks last fall, but Alice said the price has gone up considerably.
I never buy the cheapest or most expensive. I try to stay somewhere in the middle. I may be weird, but I will spend 30 minutes walking back and forth comparing nutritional info and ingredients before I buy something new. I might be a cheapskate, but if I am going to pay extra for something it better have something extra. The best deal isnt always the best price.
I never buy the cheapest or most expensive. I try to stay somewhere in the middle. I may be weird, but I will spend 30 minutes walking back and forth comparing nutritional info and ingredients before I buy something new. I might be a cheapskate, but if I am going to pay extra for something it better have something extra. The best deal isnt always the best price.
Cmorris,
Was that calf nursing it's mother when you got it? If it was, it's gonna take a lot of work to condition that calf to a bottle nipple. I refuse to even try anymore. It's one of the maddening and frustrating things in the world.
Personally, and I mean this in all sincerity, I'd take that calf back to whomever I bought it from and beg him to either take the calf back or let that calf nurse it's mother for the next 2 months. I'd offer to pay the guy what I'd pay for milk replacer. That's how bad I hate trying to get a calf to take a bottle after it's been nursing its mother. :shock:
As to the amount of milk...the calf needs 32 oz milk replacer powder a day. Make it easy on yourself. Mix the milk replacer as follows: 16 oz (two 8 oz cups) powder to 2 pints of water...feed this mixture once in the morning and once in the evening. Provide plently of fresh water and put out some dry calf feed and grassy type hay.
Good luck!
Alice
Was that calf nursing it's mother when you got it? If it was, it's gonna take a lot of work to condition that calf to a bottle nipple. I refuse to even try anymore. It's one of the maddening and frustrating things in the world.
Personally, and I mean this in all sincerity, I'd take that calf back to whomever I bought it from and beg him to either take the calf back or let that calf nurse it's mother for the next 2 months. I'd offer to pay the guy what I'd pay for milk replacer. That's how bad I hate trying to get a calf to take a bottle after it's been nursing its mother. :shock:
As to the amount of milk...the calf needs 32 oz milk replacer powder a day. Make it easy on yourself. Mix the milk replacer as follows: 16 oz (two 8 oz cups) powder to 2 pints of water...feed this mixture once in the morning and once in the evening. Provide plently of fresh water and put out some dry calf feed and grassy type hay.
Good luck!
Alice
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
I'll check prices later on in the week. $70 is nearly a 40% increase. It may be correct.
On the bottle calves, I prefer them to be about a week old. That ensures a good ration of first milk. Generally I buy splits and use their navel chord as age identification. True I usually am grafting onto a nurse cow rather than the bottle but I have bottle fed them too.
On the bottle calves, I prefer them to be about a week old. That ensures a good ration of first milk. Generally I buy splits and use their navel chord as age identification. True I usually am grafting onto a nurse cow rather than the bottle but I have bottle fed them too.
USMCRanchGirl
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
- Messages
- 132
- City & State/Province
- Peculiar, MO "Where the 'odds' are with you&q
dun":6ewy87fk said:
Yup. 50lb bag was about $38.50 here. A couple months ago it went up to $69.95 for the same bag! Not sure what it's at now ... or why. Just glad I'm not buying it!
novatech
Well-known member
Three bags before it gets on feed = $210.backhoeboogie":1ro05a1s said:
Old milk cow at the sale barn $200 plus.
Next calf I'm going to the barn.
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
Land-O-lakes Cow's Match is/was up to $82.00 per 50lb bag a month or so ago. 2 weeks prior to that the same product was $62.00 for 50lb bag, a month prior to that, it was $52.00 per bag. :shock:
Calf Maker, (all milk product, no soy) $70.00 per 50lb bag and $42.00 for 25lb bag. 3 weeks prior to those prices each one was $10.00 less per bag.
This is the price at the co-op. I have no idea what the "cheap" stuff is going for, I never buy it.
At these prices, having a nurse cow isn't all that bad. ;-)
Katherine
Calf Maker, (all milk product, no soy) $70.00 per 50lb bag and $42.00 for 25lb bag. 3 weeks prior to those prices each one was $10.00 less per bag.
This is the price at the co-op. I have no idea what the "cheap" stuff is going for, I never buy it.
At these prices, having a nurse cow isn't all that bad. ;-)
Katherine
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
Now that I think about it, a gallon of milk has taken a huge price jump. I guess that "$70 a bag" price has me suffering "sticker shock." I'll check later in the week when I am at the feed store.
The nurse cow I have did a good job this season. She is 1/2 jersey and 1/2 hostein. She raised 8 calves, one of them being her own. I could have put 4 more on her for a third cycle if I would have had the time. She is drying off now. Once I see the actual price of replacer, I may put much more value on that cow.
The nurse cow I have did a good job this season. She is 1/2 jersey and 1/2 hostein. She raised 8 calves, one of them being her own. I could have put 4 more on her for a third cycle if I would have had the time. She is drying off now. Once I see the actual price of replacer, I may put much more value on that cow.
