feeding 2 month old bottle babies=getting enough?

[newbie]

Am back on line after a computer breakdown. Missed this forum. My two back yard heifers are now 2 month old. They are doing great. Susie beat the pneumonia! Have not been able to bucket feed yet The younger Charolais will bucket but the older Red Angus will not. Just does not get the idea of drinking with her head down. Trouble is that I leave around 6.30 am for work and will not get home between 5-7pm. I have been feeding them 125 grams of milk replacer to 2 litres of water early in the morning , I have my older son feed them the same when he gets home at 4pm and I feed them a bottle around 9pm to close them up for the night. They have also been eating grass all day, not drinking too much water but eating calf starter grain. So my question is what do you think that these calves require for being two months old and the only two cows in a back yard with a huge field to graze in? I know I should start to decrease the milk replacer. I know that they should already be on buckets but let me tell you it is way easier to feed a bottle at 6am than a bucket and then to have to rely on your 6 and 13 year old to feed them again by 4pm. How much grain should they be getting? I am so afraid of bloat because I read alot about that on this forum plus I am not around alot to moniter them. Thanks in advance for all your help. Cheers.

 

[msscamp]

The younger Charolais will bucket but the older Red Angus will not. Just does not get the idea of drinking with her head down.

Some calves won't transition to a bucket.

I have been feeding them 125 grams of milk replacer to 2 litres of water early in the morning , I have my older son feed them the same when he gets home at 4pm and I feed them a bottle around 9pm to close them up for the night.

Can you convert to ounces and quarts? I'm not up on my conversion rates, sorry.

They have also been eating grass all day, not drinking too much water but eating calf starter grain. So my question is what do you think that these calves require for being two months old and the only two cows in a back yard with a huge field to graze in?

Sounds like you're doing fine!

I know I should start to decrease the milk replacer. I know that they should already be on buckets but let me tell you it is way easier to feed a bottle at 6am than a bucket and then to have to rely on your 6 and 13 year old to feed them again by 4pm.

Do what is convenient, and easiest for you - if that means bottle feeding, so be it. There is absolutely no reason in the world that these calves 'should be on a bucket'.

How much grain should they be getting? I am so afraid of bloat because I read alot about that on this forum plus I am not around alot to moniter them. Thanks in advance for all your help. Cheers.

I would not feed them any more than 1% of their body weight in grain. Once they are cleaning that up, then start slowly increasing the grain until they are up to a couple of pounds per day per calf. How long have they been in the back yard, and what kind of grass. I would be more concerned about them bloating due to spring green-up (depending on your area), than from the grain.

 

[Weaver]

We raise holstein calves and we feed 2 liters twice a day. It is usually about 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. We decrease to one feeding after 6 weeks and quit the milk replacer all together at 7 weeks of age. During this whole time we feed them as much calf starter as they want. They really pick up the feed intake after decreasing milk, so if your calves are not eating much starter with three feedings of milk, thats not uncommon. You shouldn't have to worry about bloat with them on calf starter and grass now. My suggestion is to start weaning off the milk one feeding at a time and with them being two months of age, with fresh water, calf starter, and grass, they should have no problem adjusting.

 

[msscamp]

Some calves do well on that regime, and some don't. I prefer to tailor the number of my feedings, as well as the amount, to each calf - as opposed to the once size fits all approach. I usually don't have a problem with calves who are receiving 2 gallons of milk/day eating their grain, either.

 

[newbie]

Glad to hear that the grain should not cause bloat. I will try to weigh some grain so I get an idea of how much a few pounds are. It seems like they will eat whatever I give them. Should they get their grain in one feeding or a couple? I usually bottle them in the morning ( 125g to 4 quarts) and then I give them a couple of cups of grain right away as they are sucking each others ears and udders when the bottle goes away. (Am also learning how to get out of there fast!) Is that okay to give them milk then grain right away? They have alot of acres out back but they stick close to the fence surrounding the house and eat the grass along the fence line. I am going to cut out the middle bottle and just do morning and night bottles. The kids can give them grain instead. Cheers

 

[Weaver]

The calves on milk and calf starter shouldn't bloat. The bloat problem usually lies with older calves that have had no or very little grain go to a mostly grain diet in a very short amount of time. This shouldn't be a problem with your situation.
We keep calf starter in front of them all the time from the time they will start nibbling on it on but, it doesn't matter if you give them grain after milk, in one or more feedings, or however you choose to do it. I also noticed that they seem more apt to eat starter after they are done with their milk. Best of Luck.

 

[Weaver]

The calves on milk and calf starter shouldn't bloat. The bloat problem usually lies with older calves that have had no or very little grain go to a mostly grain diet in a very short amount of time. This shouldn't be a problem with your situation.
We keep calf starter in front of them all the time from the time they will start nibbling on it on, but it doesn't matter if you give them grain after milk, in one or more feedings, or however you choose to do it. I also noticed that they seem more apt to eat starter after they are done with their milk. Msscam is correct, if your calves weren't eating starter at all, were small for their age, or whatever, to some calves a custom tailored approach may work better, but for majority will be fine with the method previously given. Best of Luck.