feeding

[animalhouse143]

does anybody know about how much alfalfa 2 4month old cows should go through a day? both mine are still in a stall so they dont really graze..one is really skinny, yhe other is in good shape. im wondering if i might be under feeding them...thnx

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

IMO a 1000# animal unit should probably have 20 to 30# of roughage (hay, forage) per day. Depends on nutrient analysis. Otherwise, they need the roughage. If one is on same ration as other and not gaining (or losing) weight you may suspect a need to de-worm the non-gainer. This all assumes the animals are healthy otherwise. Also consider that the dominant animal will always eat the best, most, first until they are satisfied. The submissive animal gets what's left over. In "some" instances, animals "share equally" and all, but this is not according to Darwin...lol. Some animals may be "easy keepers" and gain weight on air! Other must stuff themselves to keep in condition.

 

[msscamp]

Not enough information to give you a definitive answer, but depending on the type of calves, whether or not they are nursing, and what else you're feeding (COB, Startena, or some other type of grain), anywhere from 1/2 to a whole small bale per day/animal. If they are confined to a stall - they will eat less overall because they are not getting the exercise to require more, if they have room to run they will eat more, especially if they are housed together in a pen.

 

[animalhouse143]

They are no longer being bottle fed. I consider them my pets, which is why they are in a stall during the rainy days. I let them out to pasture when ever its not raining. Born mid January... u think a bale a day each?!?! i need to up their intake then!! thanks for the advice

 

[dun]

The should probably be getting a couple of pounds a day of high quality grain too. The alfalfa nat provide the protein they need, but they would need a lot of it to match what a good grain supplement will have. That's one of the reasons so many bottle calves are potbellied.

dun

 

[animalhouse143]

sorry, forgot to mention they are also on calf startena....

 

[milkmaid]

I go more by weight than age. Weight and age are not interchangable - as months go by there can be a drastic difference in weight in one person's animals vs another person's, and all animals the same age.

If they're born in mid-January they're 3 months old now. 3 month old calf with a 50lb birthweight (Jerseys, right?) on a bottle, at 90 days of age x a 1.8lb average daily gain comes out to 162lbs of gain plus 50lb BW...they could be 212lbs right now. Could. I'd estimate lower, say maybe 200.

Now that we've got that figured out, calf that size needs to be on grain still, probably at 2% of his body weight plus free choice hay. 200lbs x 2% ...4lbs per head per day. So you should be feeding about 8lbs per day in twice a day feedings. What are they getting now? With that much grain, most calves won't eat much hay. I'd guesstimate maybe 2 flakes per calf depending on what type you're feeding.

 

[msscamp]

They are no longer being bottle fed. I consider them my pets, which is why they are in a stall during the rainy days. I let them out to pasture when ever its not raining. Born mid January... u think a bale a day each?!?! i need to up their intake then!! thanks for the advice

Dun is right. At 4 months old, my last bottle calf went through right at 3/4's of a bale/day - probably should add he was a beef breed. He also was getting approximately 2 pounds of COB/AS70 Range N Gro per day, but he had to deal with the elements. I'm not about to subject myself to cleaning stalls and sheds when it isn't necessary - I get enough of that with the horse barn! :lol: :lol: :lol:

PS Depending on how much alfalfa you're currently feeding, you might want to consider mixing it with grass until they are at their optimum level - as opposed to suddenly dramatically increasing their alfalfa as that could cause problems. Keyword here being could.

 

[animalhouse143]

they get 2 flakes a days as it is but they only weigh about 150 lbs. I guess im feeding enough, they have been de-wormed, i guess my next step is the vet. thanks again for the help guys

 

[msscamp]

they get 2 flakes a days as it is but they only weigh about 150 lbs. I guess im feeding enough, they have been de-wormed, i guess my next step is the vet. thanks again for the help guys

What breed are these calves?

 

[milkmaid]

How much grain are they getting? That's the most important thing, esp for this weight class, NOT how much hay they're getting. I use hay as "filler" only and feed grain at 1.5-2% of a calf's body weight up to...well, I have had 700-800lb "calves" still getting that much in grain per day. LOL. That weight class doesn't really need grain. Some folks might argue I feed too much, but mine sure gain well. :lol2:

msscamp - Jerseys. Check the poster's previous posts. ;-)

 

[msscamp]

msscamp - Jerseys. Check the poster's previous posts. ;-)

I would suggest you do the rechecking as there is nothing mentioned about breeds in this thread.

 

[milkmaid]

:lol: Not in THIS thread. But go below the user's name...date joined...posts...location... Click posts...look back through all the posts he/she has made. There's been several posts he/she has made concerning these calves. ;-)

 

[animalhouse143]

They are jersey crosses. I feed them about 5lbs of grain each everyday...

 

[Beefy]

if i were you i would experiment and give them what you are now plus some extra grass hay and just kind of get a feel for how much they will eat. of course you dont want to waste any but especially for bottle calves you want them to have plenty. also they more they get out and with each other the better. just dont over do it on the alfalfa.

 

[Beefy]

just looked at your pics. looks like the skinny one has had a rough go. a few questions. how much were you bottle feeding them, how long ago did you stop, how long have you been adjusting them to solid foods? has the skinny one always been less healthy than the other or did he go downhill after you got him and if so when?
I would venture to say that the skinny calf didnt get adequate colostrum and has been fighting an uphill battle eversince.
also, forget what i said previously about hay, take advantage of that grass you have!