Need advice on 3day old bull calf being bottle fed

[Alice]

alice, how much do you put in the milk replacer??

The probios is in a tube that has a ring on the plunger with grooves in it. Just screw it to the next groove each time and squirt it in. Thing is, it's better to put the probios in the bucket that you are mixing the water and replacer in before you mix it all up, 'cause that probios doesn't just dissolve

Alice

 

[TNfamilyfarm]

keep some GOOD grain, also hay or alfalfa and fresh water. sorry for your losses. lossing cows is hard, but lossing them birthing seems worse. as for the hunters aaaaarg

 

[GMN]

I'd keep him on the milk ration you have him on, but no grain yet, way too young for grain.

GMN

 

[cbattaglia38]

Does anybody else think this???

Don't mean to second guess you on this, GMN but this forum is for advice. Can grain hurt him at this age? I have it out but he hasn't been interested in it yet.

 

[GMN]

Does anybody else think this???

Don't mean to second guess you on this, GMN but this forum is for advice. Can grain hurt him at this age? I have it out but he hasn't been interested in it yet.

I am talking dairy calves here, as I assume you are too. I've been raising them for 13 years, and baby 6 day old calves show no interest in grain, and I do think it can hurt them starting them too early on grain. Here I wait till they are at least 2 weeks old before I introduce grain, and some eat it some don't, but by the time they are 3-4 weeks old they are all eating a 17% dairy calf starter grain.

GMN

 

[Alice]

We put calf starter/calf manna out when they are 3 days old, or shall I say the 3rd day they are here.

Alice

 

[dun]

We put calf starter/calf manna out when they are 3 days old, or shall I say the 3rd day they are here.

Alice

So do I with the few I mess with anyway. Gives them something to play with besides eating hay and drinking water.

dun

 

[GMN]

We put calf starter/calf manna out when they are 3 days old, or shall I say the 3rd day they are here.

Alice

So do I with the few I mess with anyway. Gives them something to play with besides eating hay and drinking water.

dun

I guess everyone does things different, my 3 day old calves are still on colustrum, feeding grain at this young of an age would just be a waste. I'd love to hear how much a 3 day old calf actually eats of the grain you all give to them? Just because the container is empty doesn't mean any is going in the calf, probably just tipped over in the hutch.

Also I do not give a 3 day old calf hay either, thats new to me.

GMN

 

[3MR]

We put calf starter/calf manna out when they are 3 days old, or shall I say the 3rd day they are here.

Alice

So do I with the few I mess with anyway. Gives them something to play with besides eating hay and drinking water.

dun

I guess everyone does things different, my 3 day old calves are still on colustrum, feeding grain at this young of an age would just be a waste. I'd love to hear how much a 3 day old calf actually eats of the grain you all give to them? Just because the container is empty doesn't mean any is going in the calf, probably just tipped over in the hutch.

Also I do not give a 3 day old calf hay either, thats new to me.

GMN

Your still giving colustrum at 3 days?

 

[cbattaglia38]

this calf is now 8 days old. I have been posting on this subject for a week now. I should have stated before the calf is a pb simmental, not a dairy. Anyway like I mentioned he hasn't eat any yet, but I just wanted to make sure it's ok to put it out for him. I figured the sooner I could get him on grain and off the bottle the sooner I can get him out to pasture.

 

[dun]

It's a pain in the butt, but if the pasture is near by you can leave him on the bottle and still turn him out.

dun

 

[fojokin]

Bottle calves suck on everything hungry or not. We have several every year. Sounds like plenty of milk. I agree with breaking it up into more feedings. We try for 3 a day.

Agreed. If they has the option to the calf would continue to suck on the bottle untill it was literaly about to explode. Do not overfeed! Just like a dog with food, you put a bowl infront of him full of food bigger than his stomach and he will try to eat it all. Is there not recomended feed on the packages of milk, check their website for weight to feed ratio perhapse. Just remember you can overfeed these young ones.

 

[Joy in Texas]

Just wondering how your calf is doing ? Mine is doing great. But he has been eating everything since he was borned. Has yours started eating feed or hay yet ?

 

[cbattaglia38]

thanks for the inquiry! Mine so far is doing great. Nibbling Grain a little, or maybe just playing in it. He is now about 13 days old. He is wide open!! Can't tell he has eaten any hay yet either. He seems to like to eat dead leaves though. Everytime I let him out that is what he goes for. I am keeping him in at night. Thanks for asking!!! Good luck with yours!

 

[shorty]

That should be enough milk, once he's about a week old put some good calf starter in front of him and then a little good 2nd cut grass hay I sometimes put a liitle in their mouth to help them get the taste of it

 

[shorty]

That should be enough milk, once he's about a week old put some good calf starter in front of him and then a little good 2nd cut grass hay I sometimes put a liitle in their mouth to help them get the taste of it

 

[Victoria]

If it were my calf I'd be feeding him more than 2 bottles a day. I'd be going 3 bottles, morning, afternoon and evening. Check his stomach to see if he is full, all calves are not the same and shouldn't be treated as such. We've had a few orphans and I have never had one that sucks on my clothes or goes after me. I give them a few minutes after they are done eating and then if they still want to go after the bottle they are still hungry and I will give them another pint. I've found that a lot of bottle calves look like bottle calves and I think it's because they don't get fed enough and/or get enough attention.
Hay I have always left out free choice. I have never given grain until they are a couple of months old.

I am sorry about the loss of your cow and your bull getting shot is one of our fears around here. We kick off hunters but they like to sneak over from across the river.

 

[Victoria]

One more thing, either put him in the pasture or bring one or two cows with their calves in to live with him. He will do better if he lives with other cattle. Even better if one of the cows will let him steal from her.