Help with 2 week old calf

[classyclass]

Hello,
I have a 2 week old Hereford calf. I need some help to make sure I am doing the right thing for him. First, I am feeding him Land 0 Lakes milk replacer, 4 pints twice a day; my husband wants to increase it to 6 pints twice a day, because he looks so hungry. I have calf starter out for him, he has no interest in it, I put some in his mouth at the 2 feeding times to get him interested. He has fresh water, also no interest, and some hay, also no interest. The ag store in town said to get him off the bottle and teach him to drink out of a bucket. Is this right. He was born on my farm, and the cow did not have enough milk to keep him alive. We have about 15 cows, and this is the first time this has happened. I keep him up at the barn close to us, so we can care for him. He is also blind in one eye. Can he go out and play with the other calves during the day if we bring him in at night, or should he stay close to us. We still have his mom, and she keeps calling for him. Sorry for all the questions, but I really need some advice. Thanks

 

[backhoeboogie]

I disagree with the ag store but there are others here who will agree.

We took calves off of bottles and put them on buckets back in the 70's. They doggied on us when they were on the buckets and we didn't know why. Now I know that they need effective closure of their esophageal groove. This is a muscular fold that channels milk into the appropriate stomach (abomasum). Good closure is healthier than poor closure. Vacuum from the bottle, neck position, and stress have as much to do with it as anything else. Hence, I never put one on anything but a bottle. If I am doing several, I rig chutes with panels and put the bottle racks at the end. All I have to do is drop the bottles in each rack.

I have never lost a bottle calf - ever. I have only done something in the proximity of 500 in the span of my life time. Now I am using a nurse cow and it is much simpler all the way around.

At two weeks old, the calf won't have much appetite for feed or hay. It would help if he could hang around with other calves or cows to watch them eat. It seems to me that mine take to feed much quicker when they are around other cattle consuming it.

As far as they bottle goes, you will get lots of input both ways in the forum. I think it is best to find a method that works best for you. If I go with that bucket, mine will doggie

 

[TexasBred]

Boogie is right..forget the bucket. You've already got him sucking the bottle. I would try to gradually get the milk replacer intake increased over time. Heck I'd let him run with the others as well. Good exercies adn build up a good appetite. But keep him locked up with his feed a while before and after each bottle feeding.

 

[angie1]

Hate to repeat the same thing over but bhb is right, you are going to get those that say get it on a bucket. I too would advise keeping it on the bottle. 2 bottles, 4 pints each is adequate and I would not increase at this time. If you want to increase, give 3 pints 3 times per day. He will eat the grain, give him time. Yes get him out with the others. You can bring him in at night or not.

 

[CattleHand]

If he is lagging on energy my grandpa always says put an egg or two into them.

 

[larryshoat]

angie, TB, and BHB have this covered very well . The only thing I would add is don't listen to the feed store, it is not time to start thinking about weaning yet, be patient . It won't hurt to move him up on mlik a little, but very, very, SLOWLY .

Larry

 

[Earl Thigpen]

I disagree with the ag store but there are others here who will agree.

We took calves off of bottles and put them on buckets back in the 70's. They doggied on us when they were on the buckets and we didn't know why. Now I know that they need effective closure of their esophageal groove. This is a muscular fold that channels milk into the appropriate stomach (abomasum). Good closure is healthier than poor closure. Vacuum from the bottle, neck position, and stress have as much to do with it as anything else. Hence, I never put one on anything but a bottle. If I am doing several, I rig chutes with panels and put the bottle racks at the end. All I have to do is drop the bottles in each rack.

I have never lost a bottle calf - ever. I have only done something in the proximity of 500 in the span of my life time. Now I am using a nurse cow and it is much simpler all the way around.

At two weeks old, the calf won't have much appetite for feed or hay. It would help if he could hang around with other calves or cows to watch them eat. It seems to me that mine take to feed much quicker when they are around other cattle consuming it.

As far as they bottle goes, you will get lots of input both ways in the forum. I think it is best to find a method that works best for you. If I go with that bucket, mine will doggie

I'm impressed, BHB. When you get serious interesting stuff spills out.

 

[Rookie]

And don't be worried about calf starter and such. Keep it available free choice and nature will be takin it's course. Ya calf WILL start himself on it when he be ready. No need ta try force him,soon ya'll be wishin he didn't eat so much a the stuff. It ain't cheap. Good luck!

 

[classyclass]

Thank you all for the great advice.
There is one more question I have about this, what would you do with the cow(his mom)? My husband said that last years calf from her was a runt. Would you ship her? Will she be the same next year? If I let him run with the other calves, the cow is out there also, will this be a problem?
Thanks

 

[TexasBred]

She's dead weight. Sell her and use the money to buy milk replacer and calf feed. :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

Would you ship her?

In a heart beat. She is an economical loss. Replace her with somethng productive and with something that doesn't produce runts. "Its just business" are pretty hard words but they are to the point. Better cows than that one get culled all the time.

 

[dun]

Are you sure it's the cow and not the bull? If you're sure it's the cow it's time for her to grow wheels

 

[hillsdown]

I disagree with the ag store but there are others here who will agree.

We took calves off of bottles and put them on buckets back in the 70's. They doggied on us when they were on the buckets and we didn't know why. Now I know that they need effective closure of their esophageal groove. This is a muscular fold that channels milk into the appropriate stomach (abomasum). Good closure is healthier than poor closure. Vacuum from the bottle, neck position, and stress have as much to do with it as anything else. Hence, I never put one on anything but a bottle. If I am doing several, I rig chutes with panels and put the bottle racks at the end. All I have to do is drop the bottles in each rack.

I have never lost a bottle calf - ever. I have only done something in the proximity of 500 in the span of my life time. Now I am using a nurse cow and it is much simpler all the way around.

At two weeks old, the calf won't have much appetite for feed or hay. It would help if he could hang around with other calves or cows to watch them eat. It seems to me that mine take to feed much quicker when they are around other cattle consuming it.

As far as they bottle goes, you will get lots of input both ways in the forum. I think it is best to find a method that works best for you. If I go with that bucket, mine will doggie

:nod:

I hate to repeat as well ,also my experience is with bottle calves, because in dairy that is all we did with calves and none of them were as the saying is "doggie".

The key to bottle feeding is giving your calf as much milk as they can handle as soon as they can handle it. If your calf is still hungry do feedings three times a day if at all possible and increase by a pint at a time at one month old your calf should be receiving a minimum of 12 pints per day. My last calf was receiving 8 pints of milk 3 times a day and she still was stealing milk so she definitely could handle more. This usually is not the norm though as a person could go broke really fast having to feed that much replacer.

The grain and hay eating will come ,they have their own schedules as to when they require more of that and each animal is different.
If your cow does not even supplement your calf with milk at all I would ship her; sounds like she has had two calves and not done her "job" as she should have.
Good luck ,it is a pain to have a bottle calf sometimes but I kind of like it as you see all your hard work come to fruition.

 

[angie1]

If I let him run with the other calves, the cow is out there also, will this be a problem?
Thanks

No ~ at worst she will ignore him, at best you will have a good babysitter.
He will be fine. :nod:

 

[tup]

i say increase his bottle. i'm a beef farmer now, but was raised on a dairy. the calf will usually let you know when they have had enough. if you can offer a bit of feed where the calf cant soil it, he may mouth it at first, same with hay. i wonder about the calves blindness, you did'n't say why. i have raised many calves and every once in a while one will fail to thrive, in spite of any extra minutes spared for it. never lost a beef calf yet. what a different world. even i spent many hours on a calf that i felt deserved a shot, sometimes it paid off and sometimes it would be cold in the morning. i'm a woman now,but was once a little girl determined that everything would live, now that i'm grown i have learned when to throw in the towel on a certain animal. i don't see how one can farm without gaining that sort of savvy ,but it comes in time, if that helps any.

 

[classyclass]

I put the calf out in the pasture with the others, It is nice to see him run and play, and getting some sun. I go out with the 4-wheeler twice a day to feed him, he is starting to reconize the 4-wheeler as the sound of his dinner time. The cow keeps a close watch on what I am doing to her baby. After I give him about 5 pints, he runs to her to get more, but when he gets nothing he runs back to me. I do not know why he ended up blind in one eye, but after he was 2 days old, the eye started to drain and get cloudy. Because of his blind eye, he will hold his head at a slight tilt. He is very cute. I will try and post of picture of him. Thanks for all the comments,