milk replacer

[tim1970]

I have read on this board that Purina makes a good replacer. So I had my wife pick up some at the local feed store, and when she got home I read on the ingredients list, and it contains 22% protien, only 12% fat, and the first 3 ingredients are dried whey,dried whey protein concentrate, and SOY protein. It goes on to list dried milk protein farther down the list.

This seems to go against what everyone is telling me. (20% protien, 20% fat and no Soy)

Does Purina make different milk replacers ? What I have now is nurse CHow #200.

 

[dun]

They make several:
http://dairy.purinamills.com/OurProduct ... fault.aspx

 

[tim1970]

So which one should I use.

I take it the one I am using is the wrong one.

 

[novatech]

Old dairy cow from auction barn. Money ahead. Better calf, less expense as you can resell the cow when done.

 

[dun]

I would use the hi-energy 100 stuff, the regular 100 would work ok but not as good as the latter I don;t think. If you've already opened it go ahead and use it, just make a mental note for next time. If soy was the first ingredient I'ld just pitch the stuff and get the good stuff.

 

[tim1970]

Would it hurt to mix in some of the Nurse Chow 200 (which contains some SOY) with some of the Nurse Chow 100 or High energy 100 that doesn't contain SOY. That way this bag that I bought is not a total waste. Or should I just Throw it out?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Old dairy cow from auction barn. Money ahead. Better calf, less expense as you can resell the cow when done.

Nova is dead on. Nurse cows are where the money is if you are going to do bottle babies. Buy those beef calf splits at the auction and put 4 of them on a cow twice a year.

$885 spent on feed for cow during nurse period. Cow had one natural calf.

$925 spent acquiring 7 split calves, mostly from Dublin, TX Auction.

$300 (or so) maintaining cow for entire year.

________________________________________

8 calves (total) sold at auction from said cow (two trips of 4)with an average weight of 435 lbs.



Not bad profit. Time consuming tho. It would be a great venture if you had ten nurse cows.

 

[holly heifer]

:lol: Nurse cow would be ideal, Snowflake replacer is a really
great replacer, just expensive ( now about $70.00 per bag)

 

[rockridgecattle]

Nurse cows are cool, and a good idea

BUT
and this is a big but!!! If you have to go out and buy one for a calf, good idea, but, you have to be real careful. Especially if you have new borns, stressed young calves etc.
Reason, and this is from our Vet
Dairy cattle and beef cattle have same diseases and yet they are different. And some different diseases. You could be bringing in a whole host of problems by introducing a dairy or even for that matter a different cow into the herd just before calving or during.

The mess that can follow, and i stess can, not will but can, cause more problems, more medications, more death, and more money.

Seen it happen. Especially when introducing unfamilliar on a farm with new calves

 

[dun]

Would it hurt to mix in some of the Nurse Chow 200 (which contains some SOY) with some of the Nurse Chow 100 or High energy 100 that doesn't contain SOY. That way this bag that I bought is not a total waste. Or should I just Throw it out?

At the price of replacer, unless it was all soy based I sure wouldn;t throw it out. Use it as a top dress in small amounts on the calfs grain. I'ld probably do that even if it was all soy. But I'm a cheap SOB.

 

[oscar p]

Land o lakes makes the best. Milk replacer, In my opinion.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Land o lakes makes the best. Milk replacer, In my opinion.

Land O Lakes and Milk Specialties are both tied for 1st Place.(IMHO)

 

[KS Cattle]

Land o lakes makes the best. Milk replacer, In my opinion.

Land O Lakes and Milk Specialties are both tied for 1st Place.(IMHO)

LOL and Purina are pretty much one in the same. I bet that both replacers are about identical.

 

[jvicars]

good points. i have a bottle calf now. the costs are really tough.

question: How hard is it for a nurse cow (i assume diary is the best) to take a unfamiliar calf?

I like the idea of using a nurse cow but hate to buy a diary cow if my calf wont take to her or vise versa.

love to get a short horn that will also feed her and then i can use her in the herd.

what type of nurse cow should i get? thanks.

 

[backhoeboogie]

good points. i have a bottle calf now. the costs are really tough.

question: How hard is it for a nurse cow (i assume diary is the best) to take a unfamiliar calf?

I like the idea of using a nurse cow but hate to buy a diary cow if my calf wont take to her or vise versa.

love to get a short horn that will also feed her and then i can use her in the herd.

what type of nurse cow should i get? thanks.

Mine is 1/2 Jersey, 1/2 Holstein. She was cheap as a calf.

The lady I know who runs many, runs Jersey.

When the cow drops her calf, ensure the calf gets plenty of colostrum. Let the calf get three nurse cycles or so in the first 10 hours or so. Then milk her out and put the excess colostrum in a gallon zip lock and freeze it for future use. You can put the cow in a head gate if need be. Put the calf in a pen and let him in with her periodically. Get her in a cycle of coming to feed in the pen. Milk her out each time the calf is through. When you get your orphans, take the excess milk you have stored and rinse them with it completely. That puts the scent on the calves. Put the cow in a head gate when you let the calves nurse the first few times. After that you can just let her put her head in a feed bucket in the pen if you have a good one.

Works for me.

 

[Hitch]

You have received some really good inputs; here's my thoughts from afar... Do not waste any milk replacer you already paid for. Mix it in with the new stuff so the calf doesn't get sick from sudden changes in feed. I like Land o Lakes but believe in reading the tags on feed bags. No need to pay more just for name on the bag. Colostrum is of the highest priority. I dont like buying from sale barns (risk of importing illness plus stressed calves off the git go) but then I am a small scale operator and can afford not to. I am willing to pay a farmer a little extra if the calf is left with "Mom" for a week to 10 days. Freezing colostrum is a great idea - I freeze in quart portions; some folks say pint is better for portion control, less waste, etc. You may want to talk to a dairy farmer about picking up milk he can't sell cuz of recently freshened cows. Use a double boiler when you thaw out/prepare frozen milk. Do not use the mircowave as it is just to easy to burn the milk or overheat it and ruin the value of colostrum in particular. Goat's milk can pass for a milk replacer too. A candy thermometer can help getting the milk to the best feeding temperature. Good luck and have fun. Those first 8 weeks or so of a calf's life can keep you busy. After that, if all is going well, you can relax a tiny bit and progress onwards with weaning and new diet - more fun!

 

[angie1]

Goats milk is an excellent milk for calves and a good milking doe can milk enough. Just, if at all possible, milk goat by hand rather than letting calf nurse from her. I used to put my does on milking stand and let the calves nurse ~ was not long before goat developed nervous tics and tendency to hide in corner ;-) Make sure doe is wormed and fed well.

 

[Hitch]

An opinion regarding a nurse cow; maybe something like an Irish Dexter or similar breed is available in your area at reasonable cost. You would get ample milk and Mom's pasture/hay/feed and shelter requirements would be roughly half that of a standard/full sized bovine. Lots of possibilities; cull dairy cows to whatever your local market tends to favor. Try to run a cost benefit analysis on paper and see what may be the best fit for your budget and scope of your operation - nurse cow vs. milk replacer.

 

[jvicars]

are most nurse cows acceptable to strang calfs? I assue we are talking about an old diary cow? I have 2 bottle calfs that i would love to have a nurse cow for.

 

[dun]

are most nurse cows acceptable to strang calfs? I assue we are talking about an old diary cow? I have 2 bottle calfs that i would love to have a nurse cow for.

Some will take any calf, others won;t take a calf no matter what. It all depends on the animal. The dairy has a problem with one cow that trys to steal any calf that's born. She hangs around the calf barn calling to all of her kids. Her milk production will go down for a day or 2 following any new birth, then it goes back up.