How long to Bottle feed a calf?

[Anonymous]

We took in a calf that's mother calved him in a draingage ditch and then abandoned. My uncle kept him for 5 days near the same area he was calved hoping the mother would come back and on the evening of the 5th day we agreed to take since they were going to abandon him too. After nursing him through a cold and getting him to finally thrive we don't know when to quit the bottle feeding. He is very healthy and eating some type of started feed recommended by a local feed store owner, when my boys let him out of the stall he is also eating what grass has sprouted. He will be four weeks old on 2-11-01. He drinks 2-4 quarts of milk a day depending on the amount of feed and grass he gets.
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[Anonymous]

I always bottle fed my calves for 8 weeks. The way you're feeding the calf sounds right. Usually bottle calves are fed milk replacer equivalent to 8 to 10% of their body weight; this comes out to 2 quarts twice a day for an average size calf. They are fed the same amount of milk replacer during the whole period so as they get older they will start to eat more dry feed. Before you wean the calf you should get him started eating some hay too besides the grain mix, and you also have to make sure he can drink water without a bottle before you wean him.
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[Anonymous]

: I always bottle fed my calves for 8 weeks. The way you're feeding the calf sounds right. Usually bottle calves are fed milk replacer equivalent to 8 to 10% of their body weight; this comes out to 2 quarts twice a day for an average size calf. They are fed the same amount of milk replacer during the whole period so as they get older they will start to eat more dry feed. Before you wean the calf you should get him started eating some hay too besides the grain mix, and you also have to make sure he can drink water without a bottle before you wean him. <p>Thanks for your help. We are really proud how well he is doing considering that he never nursed from the mother. My boys just came in from feeding him after church and mentioned that he is eating some hay and he always has feed and water in the stall. He drinks the water pretty regularly. We have decided to keep him as a breeding bull rather than feed him off since he seems to have such a good nature thus far, (we are presently raising him in the middle of town and almost everyone thinks we have gotten a really big dog) beisdes I don't think we could bare to eat "Black Bart" and he has been named. He is half Black Angus and half Polled Hereford so we are hoping for a good sized animal. Thank You so much for the information.

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[Anonymous]

: : I always bottle fed my calves for 8 weeks. The way you're feeding the calf sounds right. Usually bottle calves are fed milk replacer equivalent to 8 to 10% of their body weight; this comes out to 2 quarts twice a day for an average size calf. They are fed the same amount of milk replacer during the whole period so as they get older they will start to eat more dry feed. Before you wean the calf you should get him started eating some hay too besides the grain mix, and you also have to make sure he can drink water without a bottle before you wean him. <p>: Thanks for your help. We are really proud how well he is doing considering that he never nursed from the mother. My boys just came in from feeding him after church and mentioned that he is eating some hay and he always has feed and water in the stall. He drinks the water pretty regularly. We have decided to keep him as a breeding bull rather than feed him off since he seems to have such a good nature thus far, (we are presently raising him in the middle of town and almost everyone thinks we have gotten a really big dog) beisdes I don't think we could bare to eat "Black Bart" and he has been named. He is half Black Angus and half Polled Hereford so we are hoping for a good sized animal. Thank You so much for the information.<p><br>

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