A
Anonymous
Why, if I am bottle feeding a calf, do I only do it for seven weeks, when if mom is doing the job, she should nurse the calf from four to six months?
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Anonymous
When you are bottle feeding you are also providing a high quality calf starter grain. In drought years it is frequently recommended to wean the calves early, if the are into the grain well. The other reason is because it gets damn old feeding it twice a day.
dunmovin farms
> Why, if I am bottle feeding a
> calf, do I only do it for seven
> weeks, when if mom is doing the
> job, she should nurse the calf
> from four to six months?
dunmovin farms
> Why, if I am bottle feeding a
> calf, do I only do it for seven
> weeks, when if mom is doing the
> job, she should nurse the calf
> from four to six months?
OP
OP
Anonymous
One feed store told the kids that the calf "manna" we were feeding the baby was 25% protein and too much protein for her. She doesn't particularly care for it anyway, and if I am trying to raise a beef cow... should I really be feeding her grain? The other feed store told me that the grain just gives her a boost that she would normally get from her mom, but I can't provide it.... that seemed to make sense. I have a hard time figuring out how much is feed bag advertising, and how much is good advice. I know that feeding twice a day is a hassle, but what happens if I decide to do it three times a day, since the calf REALLY wants to suck. What happens if I give her a mid-day bottle that is just water? I know... I know... I have too much time on my hands... lol
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Anonymous
If you are feeding Purina Calf Manna, I'll wager the store that told you it's no good doesn't sell that product line. Any good calf starter grain from a reputable feed company will be appropriate. Because we don't bottle feed as long, the calf needs the grain to get it's rumen functioning more at a younger age. Because grass hay, typically don't have to level of nutirents of good ol mommas milk and the calf is getting it for a shorter time they need the grain to keep them growing. Why would you give it calf a bottle of water. If it needs/wants water it should have it already available to it at all times.
dunmovin farms
> One feed store told the kids that
> the calf "manna" we were
> feeding the baby was 25% protein
> and too much protein for her. She
> doesn't particularly care for it
> anyway, and if I am trying to
> raise a beef cow... should I
> really be feeding her grain? The
> other feed store told me that the
> grain just gives her a boost that
> she would normally get from her
> mom, but I can't provide it....
> that seemed to make sense. I have
> a hard time figuring out how much
> is feed bag advertising, and how
> much is good advice. I know that
> feeding twice a day is a hassle,
> but what happens if I decide to do
> it three times a day, since the
> calf REALLY wants to suck. What
> happens if I give her a mid-day
> bottle that is just water? I
> know... I know... I have too much
> time on my hands... lol
dunmovin farms
> One feed store told the kids that
> the calf "manna" we were
> feeding the baby was 25% protein
> and too much protein for her. She
> doesn't particularly care for it
> anyway, and if I am trying to
> raise a beef cow... should I
> really be feeding her grain? The
> other feed store told me that the
> grain just gives her a boost that
> she would normally get from her
> mom, but I can't provide it....
> that seemed to make sense. I have
> a hard time figuring out how much
> is feed bag advertising, and how
> much is good advice. I know that
> feeding twice a day is a hassle,
> but what happens if I decide to do
> it three times a day, since the
> calf REALLY wants to suck. What
> happens if I give her a mid-day
> bottle that is just water? I
> know... I know... I have too much
> time on my hands... lol
OP
OP
Anonymous
No, it was a Darigold store that said this other stuff was too high...and Calf Manna is NOT what they recommended. I call the grain I am giving the calf, Manna, but it is pelleted and called something else. MY feed store guy is an agricultural college-trained nutritionist, plus having raised livestock of his own, and KNOWS the country we are ranching in... I take his word for how good what we are feeding is. The calf eats the grain... sort of, if I hand feed it, although it is starting to realize it has to do SOME things on its own. I would feed a bottle of water just so the calf can suck on something and thinks it is getting something extra. She has water all of the time, but doesn't seem too interested in it... at least not as interested as she was a one week of age. Maybe I am spoiling her. I put her with the herd calves to try and teach her that she is a cow, but she thinks I am her herd, I think. This morning, she was less afraid of them than ever before, so it may work. I was comparing her to a calf born a week before her, and the bottle fed calf isn't gaining as well as the other. Moms feed their babies five times a day, at least.... maybe, I am just spending too much time thinking about her, but I remember the bottle fed calves from when I was a kid, they sure weren't anything to write home about. I figure if I have the time and it will actually help, then why not give her more? water or formula doesn't matter to me. She is doing better about grazing and munching on the hay... that should mean less time at the bottle.
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OP
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Anonymous
We never have had very good consistant success feeding the pelleted feeds. Some calves just don't seem to like the texture. Any good 16% sweet feed with a mixture of pellets, various grains and rodent butts, (that's mole asses) usually gets them pretty charged up about eating.
dunmovin farms
> No, it was a Darigold store that
> said this other stuff was too
> high...and Calf Manna is NOT what
> they recommended. I call the grain
> I am giving the calf, Manna, but
> it is pelleted and called
> something else. MY feed store guy
> is an agricultural college-trained
> nutritionist, plus having raised
> livestock of his own, and KNOWS
> the country we are ranching in...
> I take his word for how good what
> we are feeding is. The calf eats
> the grain... sort of, if I hand
> feed it, although it is starting
> to realize it has to do SOME
> things on its own. I would feed a
> bottle of water just so the calf
> can suck on something and thinks
> it is getting something extra. She
> has water all of the time, but
> doesn't seem too interested in
> it... at least not as interested
> as she was a one week of age.
> Maybe I am spoiling her. I put her
> with the herd calves to try and
> teach her that she is a cow, but
> she thinks I am her herd, I think.
> This morning, she was less afraid
> of them than ever before, so it
> may work. I was comparing her to a
> calf born a week before her, and
> the bottle fed calf isn't gaining
> as well as the other. Moms feed
> their babies five times a day, at
> least.... maybe, I am just
> spending too much time thinking
> about her, but I remember the
> bottle fed calves from when I was
> a kid, they sure weren't anything
> to write home about. I figure if I
> have the time and it will actually
> help, then why not give her more?
> water or formula doesn't matter to
> me. She is doing better about
> grazing and munching on the hay...
> that should mean less time at the
> bottle.
dunmovin farms
> No, it was a Darigold store that
> said this other stuff was too
> high...and Calf Manna is NOT what
> they recommended. I call the grain
> I am giving the calf, Manna, but
> it is pelleted and called
> something else. MY feed store guy
> is an agricultural college-trained
> nutritionist, plus having raised
> livestock of his own, and KNOWS
> the country we are ranching in...
> I take his word for how good what
> we are feeding is. The calf eats
> the grain... sort of, if I hand
> feed it, although it is starting
> to realize it has to do SOME
> things on its own. I would feed a
> bottle of water just so the calf
> can suck on something and thinks
> it is getting something extra. She
> has water all of the time, but
> doesn't seem too interested in
> it... at least not as interested
> as she was a one week of age.
> Maybe I am spoiling her. I put her
> with the herd calves to try and
> teach her that she is a cow, but
> she thinks I am her herd, I think.
> This morning, she was less afraid
> of them than ever before, so it
> may work. I was comparing her to a
> calf born a week before her, and
> the bottle fed calf isn't gaining
> as well as the other. Moms feed
> their babies five times a day, at
> least.... maybe, I am just
> spending too much time thinking
> about her, but I remember the
> bottle fed calves from when I was
> a kid, they sure weren't anything
> to write home about. I figure if I
> have the time and it will actually
> help, then why not give her more?
> water or formula doesn't matter to
> me. She is doing better about
> grazing and munching on the hay...
> that should mean less time at the
> bottle.
OP
OP
Anonymous
I am the one who posted about the blind calf. I, too, am bottle feeding a one month old calf. He never got to suck his mom. I got powdered colostrum from the vet for its first feeding. Since then I have fed it Suckle (dry calf milk replacer) and have gradually added more of the Calf Manna Concentrated Ration to the milk in the bottle. He needs more nutrients than is in the milk replacer alone. I use my coffee grinder to grind it up into a powder. He is doing great on it. I try to get him to eat the grain from a bucket. But I can only get a little down him. He seems to want to graze now. He lives in my yard and tries to nibble on the grass. I have started giving him a little hay. After many tries at putting it in his mouth and getting him to chew, he has gotten the hang of it and eats it willingly. My husband said not to give him extra water in the bottle. Said it might give him diarrhea. But I have been anyway and so far no squirts. After he finishes his "power shake" bottle, I give him a pint of water in a clean bottle. This nipple has a smaller hole and he has to suck harder to drink the water which gives him a little more "sucking time". I think babies need to exercise that sucking instinct to feel satisfied and secure. If you think I am crazy, so does my husband. We have about 40 mother cows that normally take good care of their calves. So this is only our second orphaned calf. The first one is living a good life as a herd bull. His first calf turned out to be a good one. I agree with you 100%. If you have the time and don't mind giving it extra attention, it will thrive on it.
> No, it was a Darigold store that
> said this other stuff was too
> high...and Calf Manna is NOT what
> they recommended. I call the grain
> I am giving the calf, Manna, but
> it is pelleted and called
> something else. MY feed store guy
> is an agricultural college-trained
> nutritionist, plus having raised
> livestock of his own, and KNOWS
> the country we are ranching in...
> I take his word for how good what
> we are feeding is. The calf eats
> the grain... sort of, if I hand
> feed it, although it is starting
> to realize it has to do SOME
> things on its own. I would feed a
> bottle of water just so the calf
> can suck on something and thinks
> it is getting something extra. She
> has water all of the time, but
> doesn't seem too interested in
> it... at least not as interested
> as she was a one week of age.
> Maybe I am spoiling her. I put her
> with the herd calves to try and
> teach her that she is a cow, but
> she thinks I am her herd, I think.
> This morning, she was less afraid
> of them than ever before, so it
> may work. I was comparing her to a
> calf born a week before her, and
> the bottle fed calf isn't gaining
> as well as the other. Moms feed
> their babies five times a day, at
> least.... maybe, I am just
> spending too much time thinking
> about her, but I remember the
> bottle fed calves from when I was
> a kid, they sure weren't anything
> to write home about. I figure if I
> have the time and it will actually
> help, then why not give her more?
> water or formula doesn't matter to
> me. She is doing better about
> grazing and munching on the hay...
> that should mean less time at the
> bottle.
[email protected]
> No, it was a Darigold store that
> said this other stuff was too
> high...and Calf Manna is NOT what
> they recommended. I call the grain
> I am giving the calf, Manna, but
> it is pelleted and called
> something else. MY feed store guy
> is an agricultural college-trained
> nutritionist, plus having raised
> livestock of his own, and KNOWS
> the country we are ranching in...
> I take his word for how good what
> we are feeding is. The calf eats
> the grain... sort of, if I hand
> feed it, although it is starting
> to realize it has to do SOME
> things on its own. I would feed a
> bottle of water just so the calf
> can suck on something and thinks
> it is getting something extra. She
> has water all of the time, but
> doesn't seem too interested in
> it... at least not as interested
> as she was a one week of age.
> Maybe I am spoiling her. I put her
> with the herd calves to try and
> teach her that she is a cow, but
> she thinks I am her herd, I think.
> This morning, she was less afraid
> of them than ever before, so it
> may work. I was comparing her to a
> calf born a week before her, and
> the bottle fed calf isn't gaining
> as well as the other. Moms feed
> their babies five times a day, at
> least.... maybe, I am just
> spending too much time thinking
> about her, but I remember the
> bottle fed calves from when I was
> a kid, they sure weren't anything
> to write home about. I figure if I
> have the time and it will actually
> help, then why not give her more?
> water or formula doesn't matter to
> me. She is doing better about
> grazing and munching on the hay...
> that should mean less time at the
> bottle.
[email protected]
OP
OP
Anonymous
I suppose both of us sound a little crazy. But crazy to one is another's normal, so what the heck! I will watch for the squirts. I agree about the sucking time. With human children, if they don't get their "sucking" time, they suck on fingers, thumbs, or blankets... makes sense to me that baby calves would have the same sort of need.
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OP
OP
Anonymous
I can do the 16% grain.... on the bag it says, dairy cow/calf feed, so will try it. I know the calf feed doesn't smell as good as I remember calf manna smelling, not much odor at all, as a matter of fact. I appreciate your help. Thanks, until you are better repaid.
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