Ended up with a orphan Angus calf that has been on milk replacer for 17 days, fed out of a bucket with some calf starter mixed in at each feeding. When the calf gets to the bottom of the bucket she sucks the milk out of the starter mix but doesn't seem to care much for the starter mix itself. I manage to stick some in her mouth but she shows no appetite for it. I assume at 17 days old she is still a couple of weeks away from eating it freely but is there anything else I can do to help facilitate/speed the process along? thnx for your comments
Orphan calf feeding
- Thread starter bman4523
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I would not bother trying feed at all until closer to 6 or 8 weeks. The milk replacer has everything she needs. It reminds me of a veterinarian I heard on the radio. His professor in Vet School had a saying "Don't just do something. Stand there." Give her the milk and wherever you are when the time comes she will start eating grass. At this stage you want to focus on keeping her hydrated (but don't give her extra milk). Be prepared with electrolytes in case you go out one morning and she doesn't take the milk. Good luck. You are doing a great job getting her to take the milk out of the bucket.
I would provide a small amount of the grain separate from the milk. After she drinks the milk, poke some of the grain in her mouth. By 2 weeks she should be starting to show an interest in eating grain/hay/pasture.
