new calf

[Anonymous]

we are trying to raise a newborn watusi bull calf. we supplied him with colostrum for the first days after his birth and have been giving him milk substitute, 3 times daily and water since the colostrum was eliminated. are we doing the correct thing or not....not many watusi calves in our area..any help would be greatly appreciated...fyi, his name is sport

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[Anonymous]

> we are trying to raise a newborn
> watusi bull calf. we supplied him
> with colostrum for the first days
> after his birth and have been
> giving him milk substitute, 3
> times daily and water since the
> colostrum was eliminated. are we
> doing the correct thing or
> not....not many watusi calves in
> our area..any help would be
> greatly appreciated...fyi, his
> name is sport

With a very young calf (3 weeks old or younger) I would encourage you to use a good calf milk replacer with only milk protein. It seems that young calves have a more difficult time digesting plant proteins such as wheat and soy for the first few weeks of their life.

In Canada some feed companies encourage dairy farmers to feed a all milk protein milk replacer for the first three weeks and then gradually switch to a milk replacer with some plant protein (i.e. soy) for the following three weeks, if the producer is trying to save money.

 

[Anonymous]

Feeding the calf more than twice a day may not accomplish much except take more of your time. As a young calf less than a couple of weeks old, the only fluid needed ie. water, could be supplied during your twice a day feeding. Feed enough energy and protein as required through your milk replacer with 3-4 quarts of water. A "curd" will form in the calf's stomach following feeding and an extra feeding a day could possibly interfere with the digestion process and have a potential for scours. This all depends on your regularity to feeding time.



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