Milk Replacer

[mnmtranching]

I bought this bag of milk replacer yesterday, It smells exactly like a box of Belgian waffle mix my kid got me for Christmas.

My question is :?: does it smell this good for the calf or me :?:

It's like! does the calf care. :?:

 

[Alice]

We tried some stuff that smelled wonderful...and was cheaper than what we'd been using. My nephew tasted it and said it tasted wonderful :shock: He said it tasted like cake mix. The calves loved it!

It was some the sorriest milk replacer ever made. We switched back quickly to the better stuff that didn't smell as good after the calves began scouring more than usual.

Alice

 

[cattleluvr18]

no the calf does not care. all there in for is the milk. god bless their drooly little hearts.

 

[Alice]

no the calf does not care. all there in for is the milk. god bless their drooly little hearts.

Ours did...they liked the cheap, crappy stuff a whole lot better...kind of like McDonalds...

Alice

 

[cattleluvr18]

no the calf does not care. all there in for is the milk. god bless their drooly little hearts.

Ours did...they liked the cheap, crappy stuff a whole lot better...kind of like McDonalds...

Alice

ok ya know what alice? you got me to thinkin now. now that i have thought about it...we used to same brand and never changed it. except for once. the elevator was out of the usual so we had to go with the other kind. they still drank their little hearts out, but you could tell they didnt like it as much and neither did we. so im sorry for postin my previous post. i was mistakin.

 

[Alice]

no the calf does not care. all there in for is the milk. god bless their drooly little hearts.

Ours did...they liked the cheap, crappy stuff a whole lot better...kind of like McDonalds...

Alice

ok ya know what alice? you got me to thinkin now. now that i have thought about it...we used to same brand and never changed it. except for once. the elevator was out of the usual so we had to go with the other kind. they still drank their little hearts out, but you could tell they didnt like it as much and neither did we. so im sorry for postin my previous post. i was mistakin.

hahahahahahahaha! You weren't mistaken...you just forgot... Lord knows, I'm doing that more and more these days.

Alice

 

[msscamp]

I bought this bag of milk replacer yesterday, It smells exactly like a box of Belgian waffle mix my kid got me for Christmas.

My question is :?: does it smell this good for the calf or me :?:

It's like! does the calf care. :?:

For you - the calf only cares about the taste. Come to think of it, I'm not sure some calves even care about the taste - only that their belly is full. They can suck a 4 pint bottle down in 2.5 seconds, and I'm not sure they even had a chance to taste what they just ate! :lol: :lol:

 

[mnmtranching]

I bought this bag of milk replacer yesterday, It smells exactly like a box of Belgian waffle mix my kid got me for Christmas.

My question is :?: does it smell this good for the calf or me :?:

It's like! does the calf care. :?:

For you - the calf only cares about the taste. Come to think of it, I'm not sure some calves even care about the taste - only that their belly is full. They can suck a 4 pint bottle down in 2.5 seconds, and I'm not sure they even had a chance to taste what they just ate! :lol: :lol:

Yeah, And this wasn't the cheap stuff. It was more expensive than waffle mix :shock: At just under $50 a bag. It was Land o Lakes all natural :?: What about the sweet smell :?:

It kinda reminds me of fishing lures, do you think all those pretty lures are for the fish or fisherman? :roll:

 

[mnmtranching]

The bottle calf.

 

[msscamp]

He/she is a cutie! As for the fishing lures - I don't know this for a fact, but I thought they had to be bright colored to attract the fish? I seem to recall reading that somewhere.

 

[Alice]

That baby deserves belgian waffle milk replacer. What a cutie!

Alice

 

[Cow_Town]

Its been few years since I raised calves on the bottle, but I was real pleased with the Purina 22/20. I love that calf, always enjoyed having a couple Charolais cross and Brammer cross when I was bottling. They were always the healthiest and heaviest.

 

[mnmtranching]

He/she is a cutie! As for the fishing lures - I don't know this for a fact, but I thought they had to be bright colored to attract the fish? I seem to recall reading that somewhere.

msscamp, Up in MN you grow up fishing. There are lakes in every direction within walking distance.

You know what the number 1 bait is? what these fish will take more than any other bait? Beyond doubt, Nightcrawlers and leeches, both are the color of a fresh cow pie.

But on the other hand most all fisher people have tackle boxes full of brightly colored lures. All will be tried one time or another, but very few will ever catch a fish.

 

[Alice]

Its been few years since I raised calves on the bottle, but I was real pleased with the Purina 22/20. I love that calf, always enjoyed having a couple Charolais cross and Brammer cross when I was bottling. They were always the healthiest and heaviest.

I'd used Martindale for several years, it's 20/20 and it worked ok enough, I guess. I say ok enough, 'cause when I switched to the Purina 22/20, I decided that was the way to go. And, for the iffy ones that were tiny in size, I used the Purina ProNurse for the 1st 3 weeks, then switched over to the Purina 22/20. I like that milk replacer.

Alice

 

[cattleluvr18]

such a cutie!! they only part that sucks is gettin so attached to them and then when its sale time comes...

 

[msscamp]

He/she is a cutie! As for the fishing lures - I don't know this for a fact, but I thought they had to be bright colored to attract the fish? I seem to recall reading that somewhere.

msscamp, Up in MN you grow up fishing. There are lakes in every direction within walking distance.

You know what the number 1 bait is? what these fish will take more than any other bait? Beyond doubt, Nightcrawlers and leeches, both are the color of a fresh cow pie.

But on the other hand most all fisher people have tackle boxes full of brightly colored lures. All will be tried one time or another, but very few will ever catch a fish.

Thanks for the correction! Leeches? :shock: I'd have them stuck on me, not the hook. Yuck!

 

[mnmtranching]

Update on my bottle calf. It's a heifer. Birth weight right around 75 pounds. 1/4 Black Angus 1/4 Simmental 1/2 Charolais.

Anybody care to hear why it's a bottle calf?

It's 5 days old. Neither the calf or I have the patients for the small hole in the nipple. I cut the end off to about a 3/8 in hole, made the milk replacer go down much better. 8) :cboy: Now I need some sort of valve on the bottom. [let the air in]

Feed her 3 qts twice today, She would drink more. Should I give her more?

 

[msscamp]

Anybody care to hear why it's a bottle calf?

It's 5 days old. Neither the calf or I have the patients for the small hole in the nipple. I cut the end off to about a 3/8 in hole, made the milk replacer go down much better. 8) :cboy: Now I need some sort of valve on the bottom. [let the air in]

Feed her 3 qts twice today, She would drink more. Should I give her more?

Sure, I would like to hear why she's a bottle calf. Why couldn't you punch a small hole in the cap, or the top part of the neck to let air in? I would give her more - I never feed less than 4 pints 2X/day, and always build my bottle calves up to 2 gallons split into 3-4 feedings/day (depending on their age, size, and whether they are eating grain pretty good).

 

[mnmtranching]

Update on my bottle calf. Her name is double 00. She just got her ear tag.
msscamp, I'm going to tell you why she's a bottle calf, later 8)

What are the thoughts on feeding eggs to calves?

00 is getting 4 eggs twice a day Is this a good thing :?:

Calving has kept me busy, the snow, mud, and all. We are getting average 3 new ones per day now. And with the first time heifers, well it's a job.
:roll: :roll:

 

[msscamp]

Update on my bottle calf. Her name is double 00. She just got her ear tag.
msscamp, I'm going to tell you why she's a bottle calf, later 8)

What are the thoughts on feeding eggs to calves?

00 is getting 4 eggs twice a day Is this a good thing :?:

Calving has kept me busy, the snow, mud, and all. We are getting average 3 new ones per day now. And with the first time heifers, well it's a job.
:roll: :roll:

I would be very careful with the eggs. If she is getting an adequate amount of good milk replacer they are not necessary. Also, eggs can be a source of salmonella poisoning, and they are almost pure protein and can cause scouring. I have never fed my bottle calves eggs for the reasons cited above.