new calf

[tim1970]

Well I finally made the plunge and acquired a new steer calf. He is around 275lbs right now. I am a little concerned because he does not seem to be eating much. I put hay out for him in the morning, and when I check on him in the evening not much is gone. (Although my holding pen still has grass growing in it). Last night I also put out about a quart jar full of sweet feed, and this morning there was still some left. Other than that he seems just fine. Walks and runs just fine around the pen. Plenty of energy. He does lay down in the shade during the hottest part of the day (98 here yesterday) but I assume that is normal.

So after all that should I be concerned? He has been by himself for the first week, but tonight I will be adding a second for sure and possible third steer to keep him company. Am I just expecting him to eat more than he should? He was bought from a sale yard, but he was bought by someone who is very knowledable, and assured me he was very healthy at time of purchase. When I got him home, I gave him a round of vaccinations, and de-wormed him. Any advice would be appreciated. My wife swears I worry more about him than I do my own kid.


Tim

 

[dj]

Shade and ample water is very important during the hot months.
You might cut the sweet feed back to what he will eat in one sitting. From what I can see life is good. And your wife is probably right.

 

[bigbull338]

your calf sounds like he is just fine.an you are taking good care of him.as for his eatig.at 275lbs he wont be eating much feed.id say 3 or 4lbs a day.when it cools off he will be eating more.scott

 

[shorty]

He needs a buddy but if you are getting more calfs from a sale barn you might want to keep them seperate for a few weeks just to make sure they didn't bring something along with them. Years ago when we fed steers we brought one home from the sale and put him in with the ones we had for awhile, the one we brought one didnn't get sick but a few of the others did and we almost lost one of the nicest ones , we got him over it but he never seemed to do as good after that.

 

[tim1970]

Thanks for the tips. I would like to go ahead and worm and vaccinate this one when I get him, and since I had a neighbors help with the last one, I am not sure what and where to buy what I need. Can I just go to TSC and buy the de-wormer and vaccines that are needed, along with syringes? Do I need to go to a vet? And what exactly (In Dummy terms) do I need to get? I could get my neighbor's help again, but I would really like to learn to do this myself.


p.s. I do not know exactly what kind it was but I really like the de-wormer that my neighbor used, since it was just poured over the back of the calf, and not forced fed to him.


Tim

 

[Chuckie]

I agree with Shorty. He needs company. They are herd animals and that is where they are happy. Also, competition will make him eat more.