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Severly constipated Calf??? Help!
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<blockquote data-quote="Ann Bledsoe" data-source="post: 110645" data-attributes="member: 60"><p>There's no way that any milk replacer can be as good as mama's milk, there are components in fresh milk that just can't be duplicated. </p><p></p><p>Calves can drink a large amount of mama's milk, but feeding more than 10% of the calf's birth weight in replacer daily is just asking for digestive problems. You also have to make sure that the replacer is ALL MILK and has adequate protein and fat (20/20). Calves under 3 weeks of age can't digest soy and very well may waste away and die on a soy-based replacer, if they don't scour and die.</p><p></p><p>But bottlecalves don't *have* to look deprived. </p><p>I wean from replacer when the calf is consuming 2 lbs or so 18% calf starter (usually about 8 weeks of age). Grass hay is introduced at about that same time. (studies show MUCH better early rumen development when only grain/starter is fed during bottlefeeding and the hay is introduced later)</p><p>From then on they get 2% of their body weight in starter/grower, hay is limited because if allowed free access, they'll fill up on the hay and won't get the protein they need to grow. If I start to see a potbelly, I reassess the amount of hay and/or increase the protein. When they go to the salebarn, my calves look just as good, and bring just as much as (and sometimes more than), the calves raised by their mamas.</p><p></p><p>Ann B</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ann Bledsoe, post: 110645, member: 60"] There's no way that any milk replacer can be as good as mama's milk, there are components in fresh milk that just can't be duplicated. Calves can drink a large amount of mama's milk, but feeding more than 10% of the calf's birth weight in replacer daily is just asking for digestive problems. You also have to make sure that the replacer is ALL MILK and has adequate protein and fat (20/20). Calves under 3 weeks of age can't digest soy and very well may waste away and die on a soy-based replacer, if they don't scour and die. But bottlecalves don't *have* to look deprived. I wean from replacer when the calf is consuming 2 lbs or so 18% calf starter (usually about 8 weeks of age). Grass hay is introduced at about that same time. (studies show MUCH better early rumen development when only grain/starter is fed during bottlefeeding and the hay is introduced later) From then on they get 2% of their body weight in starter/grower, hay is limited because if allowed free access, they'll fill up on the hay and won't get the protein they need to grow. If I start to see a potbelly, I reassess the amount of hay and/or increase the protein. When they go to the salebarn, my calves look just as good, and bring just as much as (and sometimes more than), the calves raised by their mamas. Ann B [/QUOTE]
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Severly constipated Calf??? Help!
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