Nurse Cows

[MinneFarmer]

I am looking into maybe getting into Nurse Cows. My family had dairy cows (Holsteins) when I was a child so I have some experience with cows. We also have a stanchion style barn that I would use.

Okay my first question is how long do you keep calves on cow? I know that some will wean themselves eventually but I would want to wean them off after about nine months or two months prior to nurse cow calving? (assuming it gets breed first time it starts coming into heat after calving) When I wean them then what? Do you guys sell them right then or continue raising them? If so what do you feed them?

What breed of nurse cow would you suggest? What type of adopted nurse calves?

Bottom line is there any money in this? It would not be my primary income just something to supplement my crop income.

I will definitely have follow up questions

 

[trappersteve]

I've just weaned 2 holstien bull calves off of a good Jersey cow she did great with them and took them almost immediately. They weighed 232 pounds at 12 or 13 weeks so I thought I did pretty good with them my first time in. My advice for you would be sure you keep the cow fed good as those calves will take alot out of her.

As to weather I came out ahead I came out a little to the good but not much (probably 30 to 50 dollars) but I fed mine about 100 pounds of feed a week.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Keep them on the nurse cow 3 months. Get them started on feed as quick as you can. Wean them to feed then cycle another 4 calves onto the nurse cow.

Your goal is to keep the cost at $1 a day, per calf, pro-rated. That includes feed going in to the cow.

Buy beef calves split off of their dam. I like the sale barn. If an older cow comes in as a "pair" and bidding is slow, they will split the calve off and sell it as an individual. Calf is a week or so old is ideal. It has had colostrum. It is on its way. Last ones I bought were between $200 and $210. Add $100 onto their cost for feed and meds at 3 months.

I generally crate the cow for 3 days when I am grafting calves on. After 3 days the calf has the cow's scent and she will accept it. Sounds like you already have the facility.

There is a lot of info here on this subject if you search for it.

Nurse cows are the money makers for me. But you have to get the right calves and you have to do things correctly.

 

[MinneFarmer]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what does pro- rated mean?

I will likely talk to my local feed store about what they recommend as far as a mix goes. I would likely lock the cow in the stanchion and give it its feed at that time to distract it a little. Hopefully kicker will not be necessary, I am sure the first few feedings will be hard. Although maybe not so bad on our dairy farm by the time the calves were a week old most had figured out how to feed.(We used nipple pails)

What do you do with the calves after 3 months? Move them somewhere and feed them out?

 

[suzorse]

not all dairy cows make good nurse cows as some like my Jersey will not take other calves no way no how, she dose raise a heck of a calf of her own and gives me plenty of milk also , one thing to remember is you need to know if she can raise more than 2 calves before you put 4 on her , as you can end up with a very skinny cow and pot bellied calves , and you still have to make sure she is getting nursed out ,every time I have bought a cow that was a nurse cow they were either hard to graft calves
on , some I had to hobble or they had had bad mastitis that was never caught so they lost quarters
all of my cows have to do double duty give me milk and raise calves in order for me to come out in the end, as they are not cheap to feed ,
this is my Jerseys last bull calf pure bred and a beef steer I bought at the sale at 400lb for 170.00
he was around 8 months the photo and I sold him by the halves 1 month later milk fed till the end
for 1045.00 he dressed at 400lbs and the beef steer was 735 hanging

Suzanne

 

[backhoeboogie]

Wow. Sorry you are having such a hard time. I crate mine when new calves are grafted. It takes about 3 days. Here's the crate if the link works. Safest way for me. And yes, I strip them out completely. Never have bought a "nurse cow" per se' Usually just make my own.

http://ranchers.net/photopost/showphoto ... puser/2144

 

[backhoeboogie]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what does pro- rated mean?

If the cow eats a sack of feed, the cost of that feed is spread out amongst each calf that is nursing on the cow.

I will likely talk to my local feed store about what they recommend as far as a mix goes. I would likely lock the cow in the stanchion and give it its feed at that time to distract it a little. Hopefully kicker will not be necessary, I am sure the first few feedings will be hard. Although maybe not so bad on our dairy farm by the time the calves were a week old most had figured out how to feed.(We used nipple pails)

What do you do with the calves after 3 months? Move them somewhere and feed them out?

Usually put them on the pasture and cut their feed back gradually. Move them in with the herd after that. If prices are good they are sold. There are no specific rules other than making profit.