Raising Two Calves

[gg4rebels]

I need your input on feeding my two calves. Both are Holstein. Bermuda is 2 months old. He is eating 2 quarts of milk replacer from a bucket twice a day. Sometimes he will drink it all sometimes not. He is offered calf starter in a bucket as well. He seems to nibble on it but never really chows down. He is also given fresh hay. Water is also available. He just seems disinterested in the solid food. Thoughts?

Spade is just about two weeks old. He is also getting 2 quarts of milk replacer twice a day. He loves his bottle! I am working with him on drinking from the bucket. I let him start sucking on the nipple and then slowly put it in the bucket of milk. Sometimes he will keep drinking after I slip the nipple away....sometimes not....we just start the process over. I make sure he gets all the milk. I have also started putting some solid food in the milk bucket.

Am I feeding these two boys enough? Where do I go from here. I want healthy, happy calves. Thanks for any advice. Gale :help:

 

[TexasBred]

Sounds right to me. Just typical holsteins. (probably bull calves as well).

 

[FarmGirl10]

They're getting enough food. In our area though, the two month old would have already been weaned (typically 6 weeks on milk, 4 weeks at 2 quarts twice a day and the last two weeks 2 quarts once a day). I would try feeding the 2 month old the starter by hand, I've noticed that it'll get them eating it faster. Also, since you are having calves drink the milk directly out of the bucket, the development of their stomach is being effected. Hopefully someone will further my point about that, I can't remember which compartment that is full developed when they are born. But since they suck the milk up instead of letting it run down their throat it is going into a stomach compartment that is not completely developed. The enzymes in the milk hinders the development of this compartment which is the one that will process grain. So if you want them to take to grain quicker, they should be fed through a nipple.

 

[msscamp]

Also, since you are having calves drink the milk directly out of the bucket, the development of their stomach is being effected. Hopefully someone will further my point about that, I can't remember which compartment that is full developed when they are born.

It is the abomasum. The act of nursing causes the esophageal groove to close off access to the rumen, thereby allowing the milk to flow into the abomasum - also known as the true stomach. Drinking from a bucket does not stimulate the esophageal groove, and the milk flows into the under-developed rumen.

 

[Keren]

To add to what msscamp and farm girl said.

When a calf is born the abomasum (fourth or true stomach) is the largest and fully functional stomach, whereas the rumen (which will dominate when weaned) is undeveloped. When a calf makes a suckling action, combined with stretching out its neck, a thing called the oesophageal groove is activated, which makes the milk flow directly into the abomasum. If it were to go into the rumen it would get 'lost' and the calf would not get as much benefit.

But here's the important thing - the rumen develops by the calf licking at solid feed and ingesting microbes excreted by adult cattle. These settle in the rumen, reproduce and so the rumen grows to accomodate them. As the microbial population increases, the function of the rumen increases, the size of the rumen increases and thus the calf eats more solid feed. When calves drink from a bucket, some of the milk ends up in the rumen. The milk favours the growth of a different sort of microbes in the rumen, ones which do not enhance rumen function and actually decrease the population of the rumen-enhancing microbes. So for that reason, bucket feeding can influence the rate of rumen development and thus weaning age.

 

[gg4rebels]

WOW so much to learn. Thanks for all the comments

The youngest calf we are still feeding from the bottle. After his bottle we give him some milk in the bucket with some feed mix just get him started on some calf starter. He is eating 2 quarts twice a day from the bottle.

I thought the oldest should be weaned by now. I did try feeding him by hand last night and he ate more than he usually does. He will also eat hay.

 

[syork]

I am feeding this holstein calf of mine out of a feeder that u use for horses that hangs over the fence. He sucks it up just like he would his water. It doesnt seem to be affecting him. I hope i can do all of my calves this way. He is putting on weight now and is doing really good. I am having the same problem you are gg4rebels. I still am not having that much luck with him eating his grain. I am gonna go tomorrow to git some molasses and put over his feed and see if that jumpstarts him into eating his grain you may want to try that. He is 6 weeks old now and I know I need to git him weaned and I am not going to till I git him going on grain really well and eating 2 pounds of grain a day before I even think bout weaning him.

 

[lineman-up]

gg, cut back on the milk, give him a bottle in the morning or evening and then the other of warm water. once he gets hungry he will start eating the feed. you might have to help him find the water trough also mine wouldnt drink until i dunked their head in the tank. get ready for the screams they will not be happy when the milk goes away but it only last a week or so. are you feeding sort of sweet feed that seems to help get them going also....

 

[spinandslide]

keren, that post was VERY informative! I did not know all that!
Im curious, you say the calfs pick up the microbes that will live in their rumen from adult cattle..what if said calf is not around adult cattle(in the case of a bottle calf)? What type of effects will this have on the bottle calf?

To gg- I ended up handfeeding alot of the feed my bottle calf ate, Id let her start to suck on my fingers and Id kind of work some feed into her mouth. afew days of this and then she was actually going to the feed pan and licking around in it herself. Shes getting over being sick, so has been set back abit regarding solid feed, but this method worked really well for us.

 

[TexasBred]

The best way is what works best for you. Bottles and buckets both work....calfs can swallow "uphill". I've always tried to locate the bottle as nearly as possible to the position the cow's udder would be located if the calf were nursing her which puts her head down, nose up, and a bow in the neck.

 

[bambi_boy]

I've always tried to locate the bottle as nearly as possible to the position the cow's udder would be located if the calf were nursing her which puts her head down, nose up, and a bow in the neck.

Wow did something right! I did this for my babies, didn't know there was a reason, just felt that it was more natural for them. Makes for a sore back for the slow ones, but what the hec, nothing but the best for them!

 

[msscamp]

Makes for a sore back for the slow ones, but what the hec, nothing but the best for them!

You might consider buying a rack for the bottle - it saves wear and tear on the back, but still allows you to monitor your calves while refilling water tubs and doing other things. Most farm supply stores carry them, and they are not expensive.

 

[gg4rebels]

Thanks for the great info! This morning when the older calf finished drinking his milk from the bucket I put some calf starter in the leftover milk. The 2 week old started licking it. Someone else had suggested feeding him from my hand. That works well too. I am going to cut out one of the milk feedings for the older calf as suggested. Hopefully he will be more encouraged to eat the grain. They both take water from a bottle and I have noticed that the water level in the water pan has gone down so I think they are drinking freely now. They will both eat hay I put out in the mornings. Maybe I should back off on the hay - don't really give them much - to see if they would eat more grain. Thanks again. g

 

[dun]

Thanks for the great info! This morning when the older calf finished drinking his milk from the bucket I put some calf starter in the leftover milk. The 2 week old started licking it. Someone else had suggested feeding him from my hand. That works well too. I am going to cut out one of the milk feedings for the older calf as suggested. Hopefully he will be more encouraged to eat the grain. They both take water from a bottle and I have noticed that the water level in the water pan has gone down so I think they are drinking freely now. They will both eat hay I put out in the mornings. Maybe I should back off on the hay - don't really give them much - to see if they would eat more grain. Thanks again. g

More grain and less hay. The grain is where the real nutrition the calf needs is unless the hay is alfalfa