Four Little Bottle Babies - We Did it Again!

[Mcp220]

It's now our 2nd time doing this - Got 4 little guys the other day. Seem to be doing well so far! Seem to be pretty healthy and active! Took right to the bottle buckets and all! Much easier than our last bunch - So far at least So, back to waking up for the early morning feedings, driving an hour to work for 8 hours and an hour back, getting home and changing from my office clothes to my farm clothes, throwing my hair up and taking car of the little guys once again! There's just something about it that gets me Any advice on shots and what age to do so is appreciated - I believe we started at 8 weeks the last time, but we are still new to this, so please feel free to make suggestions!

 

[wbvs58]

You look like you are well prepared for it. Nice clover content in your grass there.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

Develop a good relationship with a local vet. They will recommend what's appropriate for your bottle calves - and location. Plus, you need that relationship for any antibiotics and, quite often, treatment. Cute little buggers!

 

[J Hoy]

It's now our 2nd time doing this - Got 4 little guys the other day. Seem to be doing well so far! Seem to be pretty healthy and active! Took right to the bottle buckets and all! Much easier than our last bunch - So far at least So, back to waking up for the early morning feedings, driving an hour to work for 8 hours and an hour back, getting home and changing from my office clothes to my farm clothes, throwing my hair up and taking car of the little guys once again! There's just something about it that gets me Any advice on shots and what age to do so is appreciated - I believe we started at 8 weeks the last time, but we are still new to this, so please feel free to make suggestions! View attachment 4282View attachment 4281View attachment 4280View attachment 4279View attachment 4283

It's now our 2nd time doing this - Got 4 little guys the other day. Seem to be doing well so far! Seem to be pretty healthy and active! Took right to the bottle buckets and all! Much easier than our last bunch - So far at least So, back to waking up for the early morning feedings, driving an hour to work for 8 hours and an hour back, getting home and changing from my office clothes to my farm clothes, throwing my hair up and taking car of the little guys once again! There's just something about it that gets me Any advice on shots and what age to do so is appreciated - I believe we started at 8 weeks the last time, but we are still new to this, so please feel free to make suggestions! View attachment 4282View attachment 4281View attachment 4280View attachment 4279View attachment 4283

The calves in the third and fourth photos appear to have an underbite. Did you check their bite to see if the lower incisors all contact the dental pad where they are supposed to. If the calf has an underbite studies say they were likely mineral deficient during development, especially manganese deficient. There seems to be quite a few photos of calves posted on Cattletoday that have an underbite. Is there something causing widespread manganese deficiency in cattle now? As a 4-Her who was on a cattle judging team, I can say for certain that underbite/underdeveloped premaxillary bone was not seen on cattle 60 years ago. It seems to be a birth defect that is quite prevalent on calves now, both beef and dairy cattle, if all those in photos on Google and on sites like Cattletoday are any indication. You might want to ask a veterinarian if the calves might need a little extra minerals.

 

[Mcp220]

The calves in the third and fourth photos appear to have an underbite. Did you check their bite to see if the lower incisors all contact the dental pad where they are supposed to. If the calf has an underbite studies say they were likely mineral deficient during development, especially manganese deficient. There seems to be quite a few photos of calves posted on Cattletoday that have an underbite. Is there something causing widespread manganese deficiency in cattle now? As a 4-Her who was on a cattle judging team, I can say for certain that underbite/underdeveloped premaxillary bone was not seen on cattle 60 years ago. It seems to be a birth defect that is quite prevalent on calves now, both beef and dairy cattle, if all those in photos on Google and on sites like Cattletoday are any indication. You might want to ask a veterinarian if the calves might need a little extra minerals.

Out of our last 4 one had a severe underbite - We called him Bucky I did some research and confirmed with the vet that most of the time, they grow out of it - or actually into it, which is exactly what happened with him, so no issues. As for the cause, that's interesting. Thank you!

 

[Mcp220]

Develop a good relationship with a local vet. They will recommend what's appropriate for your bottle calves - and location. Plus, you need that relationship for any antibiotics and, quite often, treatment. Cute little buggers!

We had the vet come out for banding and basic stuff with the last group we had. Super nice guy and reasonable cost wise. He was great with even just taking a phone call since it was the first time we had bottle calves. Helped us out tremendously. These 4 little guys we have now seem to really be doing well. Very alert, active, and clean. The guy we got them from seemed to be really thorough about their care. He's a retired guy who used to raise cattle, but then had a heart attack, so couldn't anymore. Since then, he works with a local dairy farm and takes the bulls and gives them good care. So far, we are on a less stressful track than the last batch!

 

[farmerjan]

Good luck with them. I think you are in with a better situation with getting these from someone who is "in the know" about young calves.