Kate
Well-known member
Cow had twins. One bull, one heifer. I know the heifer will not breed but will the bull? Bottle feeding the bull and wanting to keep him. Thanks.......
Question On Twins
- Thread starter Kate
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Kate
Well-known member
Thanks Dun! Appreciate that! Have a nice "Labor Day" week-end! :banana:
CKC1586
Well-known member
Yup bull will be fine, and there is a 1 in 10 chance that the heifer could be too....I have not seen that "1" but maybe you could get lucky?
Kate
Well-known member
Appreciate all your help. The bull calf is solid red and the heifer is red and white. Both are pretty good size calfs. Both are doing well. :tiphat:
Kate":3k608hu4 said:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but since the chances are high that the heifer will not be fertile and you're looking to keep the bull I believe I would be bottle feeding the heifer and leave the bull on his mother.
CKC1586
Well-known member
I was wondering the same thing! I figured momma had made the decision...assumption on my part?msscamp":1yqrn341 said:
Kate
Well-known member
You are right! Momma made the decision! She took the heifer and left the bull.
hillsdown
Well-known member
Kate":17n1rqoj said:
He'll be fine ;just follow the rules of bottle feeding and he should grow out fab..
Good luck..
Lucky_P
Well-known member
Hmm. I've raised a number of orphaned or rejected beef calves on the bottle, and they never grow off like their contemporaries raised on the cow - and they don't perform half so well as a dairy calf.
One thing to keep in mind, if you're planning to keep this bull calf as a herd sire - he could potentially be a killer, like so many dairy bulls - removed from 'mom' and raised on a bottle, they have little or no fear of humans, like most beef bulls raised on the cow, and once he reaches maturity and the testosterone starts flowing, he may come to regard you as a potential rival - and even if he's a scroungy little knot of a bull, you'll be no match for him.
One thing to keep in mind, if you're planning to keep this bull calf as a herd sire - he could potentially be a killer, like so many dairy bulls - removed from 'mom' and raised on a bottle, they have little or no fear of humans, like most beef bulls raised on the cow, and once he reaches maturity and the testosterone starts flowing, he may come to regard you as a potential rival - and even if he's a scroungy little knot of a bull, you'll be no match for him.
hillsdown
Well-known member
Sorry, but then you haven't done it right. I am not going to argue ,as there are a few of us that specialize in bottle, especially with a dairy background and can feed out a beefer better than the dam can.. ;-)
The bottle feeding and scrawny pot bellied myth has been done do death and proven by many of us to be wrong wrong wrong EVEN with beef.. :nod:
I am not saying you can do it at the same cost as mom would ,and the extra time it takes is a sacrifice. All dairy bulls are bottle fed and turned in with the herd once weened they are easy to handle just don't make them a pet..
BUT you do make some very good points Lucky ,that should be considered by the inexperienced..
The bottle feeding and scrawny pot bellied myth has been done do death and proven by many of us to be wrong wrong wrong EVEN with beef.. :nod:
I am not saying you can do it at the same cost as mom would ,and the extra time it takes is a sacrifice. All dairy bulls are bottle fed and turned in with the herd once weened they are easy to handle just don't make them a pet..
BUT you do make some very good points Lucky ,that should be considered by the inexperienced..
Kate
Well-known member
I've raised many a calf on a bottle and kept most of them. No pot bellies, in fact look better than when the mother raised them. I did sell 2 bulls that I bottled raised due to they were not afraid of me and I will not have that on this farm. I was just curious about the twin situation before I put all this money and time in him. Thanks for all your comments.
