My bottle calf story starts with a horse... I sold my horse in 2014 for $400, bought my First bottle calf for $350. He was all Holstien and he was so sick a friend of mine thought he would be dead the next morning, he wouldn't take a bottle so I dumped 2 well beat raw eggs down him and the next morning his poop looked better and he sucked down 3/4 of a bottle, he didn't get sick again. at 6 months old he weighed 400 and brought $634. I was hooked, so I raised a jersey heifer and for the next few years I raised 6 to 15 bottle calves a year. 2 year's ago I lost my first bottle calf, I only bought him so the guys kids wouldn't have to watch him die. Then (this year) I lost 2 $50 beef auction calves that looked like death walking, they were skinny and looked Horrible. Then sometime in there I had to put a calf down that had been stepped on at birth, but I don't really count him as me losing, him because it was the only thing to do for him per vets advice. Then this year I had 70 bottle calves. I currently have 4 on the bottle 2 on my nurse cow. I have a contract with a Brown Swiss Dairy to buy All of their Bull Bottle Calves. Brown Swiss calves are Huge!..! The small ones are 80 at 4 days old, the big ones are over a 100 at 4 days old.. I had to put 2 of these brown Swiss calves down, 1 due to neurological issues the guy gave him to me. The other one due to he choked on milk, wouldn't cough and he was suffering and about dead from having milk in his lungs. I have fed 90% my calves on my jersey milk the rest on Milk Replacer. Bottle Calves are Fun but a Lot of work!!