rations for calves right off of weaning

[Iowa-angus]

I would like to know if anyone has any idea what the ration amounts for calves strait off of weaning from the bottle. Like the amount of oats, pellets, corn, Etc..... :help:

 

[TexasBred]

I would like to know if anyone has any idea what the ration amounts for calves strait off of weaning from the bottle. Like the amount of oats, pellets, corn, Etc..... :help:

Iowa, most all feed companies make a good starter ration. This will usually consist of oats, flaked corn, a high protein pellet and molasses and will run at least 18% protein. Costly but good to get a calf started on grain if they've had no exposure to it. I'd make it available to the calf before he's weaned from the bottle. Years ago Acco and Nutrena made the best calf starter I've ever seen. It was 22% protein and would really grow a calf while nursing a bottle.I don't know if they still make it or not. It was expensive but well worth the extra money.

 

[ROB]

nutrena has a product called "doin fine"
mfa sells "cattle charge"

you can feed it free choice, then after they are eating good transition them over to a corn/protein ration.

ROB

 

[randiliana]

First off, you need to have them on a calf ration before you wean them. They need to be eating at least 2 lbs of a calf starter ration before you wean them. Maybe you know this, I am just making sure. Feed them a high protien ration, something that is at least 17% protien, and higher wouldn't hurt. Once you wean them, you can keep them on the same feed for a while, they are young, and the high protien will help them develop better.

There are many different rations available, just go to your local feed store, and see what they have on hand. Most of them work quite well. Again, remeber you need to have a high protien ration.

 

[Iowa-angus]

I know that i need to have them on starter first. They have been on it and eating it good for about a month now, free choice. the thing I am asking about is that starter prices are really high, we have all the engredience for normal starter (except for the coating but they are on a brand that doesn't have the coating) and we could mix in a little feed to just to get them ready for 2 a day rations of full ground corn. what I wanted to know is the ratios of each thing that is in there.

 

[Iowa-angus]

I also probly fraised it wrong in my first post. We also make hay avalible to them if they want some. They seem to like it. At first we started them out on land o' lakes milk replacer, then we started to take some decalb coated starter in our hands and then get them to suck it off. then they licked it off, and after a while we had them on free choice amount of starter. In this time they were still on the milk replacer. I little bit after that we cut them down to one feeding a day of milk, and a higher amount of starter in the bucket each time we refilled. Then we switched to a diferent brand of replacer, I don't remember what. it was not coated. we then presented hay also, and yesterday we took them off of the bottle completly.

 

[TexasBred]

I like a 16% protein 10% fat feed.

For freshly weaned calves??? Why??? Bet it cost a small fortune. Paid $.95 a pound for soybean oil last week.

 

[msscamp]

I would like to know if anyone has any idea what the ration amounts for calves strait off of weaning from the bottle. Like the amount of oats, pellets, corn, Etc..... :help:

Ideally, the calf should have been introduced to solid feed at roughly a week old while still on the bottle. If possible, the calf would have been housed with a little bit older animal that already knew what solid food was, how to eat, and could teach the calf. If that wasn't possible, the owner would have poked a small amount of solid food in the calves mouth following each bottling. The grain would have been fresh, and palatable - say a little molasses mixed in to encourage eating. The owner would have started out with a small handful at roughly a week old, and increased until the calf was eating 2-3 pounds of grain/day before weaning. Following weaning, the amount of grain fed would be dependant on the owner's plans for this calf - slaughter, sale, or breeding.

 

[Iowa-angus]

That is almost exactly what I did. Yes, there was a slightly older calf that might have taught the other ones. They have been on starter for a long time, and we were thinking since they are eating it good we could probly mix our own since we have all of the things to make it, exept for coating, which they would eat without. What I would like to know is what the ratios of each food item in the starter. Such as corn, oats, and high protein pellets.

 

[cowsrus]

64% rolled corn
20% soybean meal
10% cottonseed hulls
.5% cane molasses
.5% limestone
.5% salt
1lb per ton vitamin A(30,000IU/gm


got this recipe from OSU for early weaning calves, says feed for two wks or so and then switch to a little lower protein ration. you could do a search and find the whole article. OSUextservice