I have about 4 Heifers who just had their first calves within the last 2 months. The problem is with the cold weather and rain they arent doing very well. At what age should i pull the calves from the cows in order for the calves and cows to both be healthy?
Calf Help
- Thread starter dbc
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bigbull338
Well-known member
what id do is feed the heifers some grain since they are looking rough.wett nasty weather can make calves not grow good.takes engery to keep them warm.you can wean the calves at 4 to 5 months old.dbc":ltn0hq33 said:
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
i hate calving this time of year especially heifers they have a hard time keeping condition and raising a baby .their gonna pull down now no matter what. so best to throw a little more feed and pull calves later. and shoot for a spring or fall calving seasondbc":1b0qs7ys said:
I would not personally pull the calves from the moms. I would give them free choice good quality hay and a grain supplement , or one of the higher quality protein Tubs and some cracked corn with a good loose mineral available along with fresh water. I also would make a creep feed area for the calves with a calf starter or grower in it for them to eat with some very tender hay if you have any. Can you portion off a part of a barn or shelter for the calves with lot's of dry bedding and tender hay with their calf starter? That helps them stay dry and gives them extra feed to help them gain their strength. It would be nice to have the heifers in the barn with them also but an area ajoining it for just the calves.
Also probiotics for all of them in their feed for at least a month or two could help.
A nice dry area and good feed will help tremendously.
Let us know how it goes.
Also probiotics for all of them in their feed for at least a month or two could help.
A nice dry area and good feed will help tremendously.
Let us know how it goes.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
dbc":8qeycn6p said:
As long as cows and their calves have some protection from cold, damp weather & winds (e.g., run-in or "loafing" shed), they should be ok as long as they have sufficient food & water.
We wean our Longhorns +/- 205 days. When our "blizzard" hit 2X in past couple weeks (we didn't get nearly as much as other people in other parts), our 1+ week old calves did fine with place to get out of cold, damp winds.
Our temps in the just mentioned "bad" weather got down to about 15 deg. F., and winds ranged from about 10 to 25 mph. Had about 3-5 days of freezing or below weather.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
dam and i thought i was suggesting throwing money at em. let us know how many years it will take to recover from this ordealKelly":1c7l5qou said:
Nowland Farms
Well-known member
ALACOWMAN":2tzcptb3 said:
Alacowman,
Your solution is based on our Alabama winters. Kelly's solution is based on Minnesota winter's.
Heck. I'd just give the hefiers some special attention (feed, watch'em closer, etc...) and they will be fine.
Sorry Alacowman that you didn't agree with me. I did say " I would" that doesn't mean that is the only way. I would rather be safe then sorry because I would hate to lose one if they are as bad off as it sounded. It wouldn't take much to push a calf over to pnemonia whan they are already " not doing very well"
You can put money in to them to help them get or stay healthy or lose the money on sick or dead ones.
And , yes I am in Minnesota so I didn't look at the location of the poster but I probably would do the same thing anyway. So , I guess I am not sure what you are questioning???
You can put money in to them to help them get or stay healthy or lose the money on sick or dead ones.
And , yes I am in Minnesota so I didn't look at the location of the poster but I probably would do the same thing anyway. So , I guess I am not sure what you are questioning???
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
why put all that time and effort in the calves. and alot more money when the momas can raise em their selves. i had rather put a little more feed too em and keep them running. you pull those calves off now. those momas or still gonna lose about as much weight as they will with them on em due too stress. if their any mothers at all to em they will bawl and pace and lose condition that this time of year is hard to put back on em. nope keepin the calves on them and boostin their diet would be cheaper and easier on you and them both
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
ALACOWMAN":kbyf5wu3 said:
I agree. Give them all the hay they can eat, and be done with it. Hold the heifers off from the bull until June.
I never said to pull the calves off the moms. Is that what you thought? I said give them their own area with dry bedding and creep feed to supplement them so they do not drag the mom's down any farther then they are. As well as feed the heifers extra with the right protein and minerals.
My words were..." I would not personally pull the calves from the moms"
My words were..." I would not personally pull the calves from the moms"
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
why put all that extra money and time in them when the moma can take care of it with just a minimum amount. ill be the first too go the extra mile to maintain one but not trowing good money after bad.its her job let her do it. and realise its abad time of year to calve out heifers in alot of areas. keeping weight on theirself plus a little leach dragging her down then getting her bred back is another story
novatech
Well-known member
Kelly":107mycqq said:
Sounds good to me.
There is nothing wrong with creep feeding calves. Its been done for at least all my 60 years. If the heifers cannot keep up there has to be suppliment given somewhere. It is a lot easier to maintain a cow or heifer than it is to pull one back up into shape. Now as for that dry bed? :roll:
novatech":13zfn14x said:
Just my personal thoughts but, if one has to creep feed calves, it looks to me like you've got the wrong cows. Our heifers were fed differently than our mature cows in order for them to maintain condition, and continue growing while raising a calf, but we've never creep fed in all the years we've raised cattle.
novatech
Well-known member
msscamp":1ksufd9q said:
Feed the heifers to give more milk and stay in condition?
Feed the calves to drink less milk and stay in condition?
Feeding hay is just as much a supliment as feeding grain, it is only an economic choice. At $60 per bale it might be cheaper to feed grain. But that is not the point. The point is the heifers & calves need some help. The calves are 2 months old. Sell the calves, Or get them back in shape?
Now if you want to carry this a little further. Maybe, if you have to feed hay, you have to many cows and need to sell some. The only time my cows get sweet feed is when I call them up. The only time they get hay is when they need to get pluged up from to much clover.
So I beleive it only a matter of economic and/or personel choice.
OK, so one of my heifers ended up dying (got stuck in the mud). I'm trying to bottle feed her calf thats about 5 weeks old but he wont take the bottle but will drink it up if i put it in a bowl. my question is does it have to be bottle fed or is it ok for him to take the milk in a bowl(mixed with a little feed)? Thanks for the help
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
dbc":1pmptlmt said:
The short answer is no.
If you pm msscamp, she can give you are the technical terms and details. I'll try to explain it. As you know, cows have different stomachs. The neck position and vacuum open a flap in the neck flow path allowing milk to go directly to the correct stomach. Anything else and the milk goes to the wrong stomach and the calf has to transfer it on his own. They can do it, but it is not as nutritional or as healthy for them. The buckets with nipples on the side don't do it either. They'll survive on them, but you won't be getting the most benefit for your time and nickels spent on manna.
He'll probably make it on just feed. At 5 weeks he should survive.
Now I am going to have to read all the replies from folks who have raised hundreds of dairy calves just fine on buckets and don't know about the flap in the flow path. Don't listen to them. PM msscamp and you will get all the correct terms and details.
*Cowgirl*
Well-known member
I've heard of the flap too, so we always use bottles whenever we have to bottle feed. I agree just give him grain. Give him some good calf starter and go from there.
