Bottle calf ELMER Pic on last post

[walkswithdog]

Neighbor is giving us a bottle calf, he's a jersey mix, he's been on momma a few days. I've not bottle fed a calf since my youth and when you do it then, with someone else in charge - you usually miss all the OTHER things that go with raising something. I've wanted to try a bottle calf for a couple of years, we have enough pasture.

I know he needs banding, needs to be halter trained, needs to not bump me with that head, needs dehorning? And usually they're fed 2 or 3 times a day? Shelter requirements? I know jerseys have temperament problems in some cases, I plan on watching for it and trying to compensate with more handling/training/early castration. He's here for the practice I need before I buy the calf or heifer I really want. I hate learning on something I have my heart set on. Figure if he's nasty or I just suck at this someone will take or buy him off me. Easier on me to learn on a freebie.

Whole milk for a few days and then half milk, half replacer - working toward all replacer. Don't overfeed because that will cause scours... Pen him under cover near the house or up in the big goat shed? How subject to drafts and cool temps are they? He is just a baby...

What size halter for a small calf? Rope or nylon at this age? I've worked with young foals, so I've got some of the handling stuff down. What age should he be vaccinated at? Or not? Which vaccines if he's going to be sold at some point at an auction or just to someone else?
What didn't I ask that I should have? Any usual rules I need to know about? Thanks.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

I have no experience with this but would like to see some answers too.

 

[walkswithdog]

So would I but no one is answering... bump

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:
I thought I did that lol!

 

[rooster0209]

put on milk replacer now. The rule is to feed twice a day feed two qts in the morning and 2qts in the evening. The head butting is part of the natural course of things...its how a calf gets mom to let her milk down so he can nurse. Even while on milk replacer, have water available at all times. Within a few days after birth, you can start to encourage the calf to eat dry food. In some areas this food is called "sweet feed" its a molasses, oat, corn, soybean meal mixture or "calf starter". Once the calf is eating 1 1/2 lbs of starter a day, you can wean from the milk replacer.

Shelter requirement is simple, give him a place to get out of the elements. Use straw for bedding. Keep it as clean as possible. Im not saying clean every day. With mom in the field he would be subject to cold temps. Its around the 60/70's here during the
day and in the 40/50's at night. My calf is in the barn with one side of the pen "open" to the outside (blocked with a cattle panel). If you have a calf proof fence you can let him run around outside. I say calf proof cause they can crawl under normal wire fences..even hot ones.

i would not worry about vaccines. The cow was probably given a vaccine sometime during pregnancy to help prevent scours, which is caused my a bacteria. Our calves are not vaccinated, the cows were several months ago.


Banding should be done as early as possible. We do it a day after birth. DH thinks it is easier to band a small calf that one that is alot bigger.

I dont know about halter size. I used a small one last year. They grow fast, so watch for the tightness around the nose. Good luck on halter breaking. I hear they can be quite obstinate. Back when I was in 4h/ffa, I knew people who halter broke using a donkey. Hopefully starting early with the halter & leash, you can get the calf to follow you then become accustomed to the lead.


I am bottle feeding a black angus calf at the moment. I use a nipple pail...keeps the slobber off my hands.

He has already learned not to head butt the pail.

Enjoy your calf!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

walkswithdogs, sounds like you have it under control. i am concerned about the whole milk, where are you getting the whole milk from? Milk replacer is best, about twice a day for a few weeks and then you can ease up to three times day, adding hay and creep feed. How long was he on his mother?

We do not vaccinate for scours on a regular basis, so you may want to find out if the cow was vaccinated. i know as the calf gets older you will need to find out about vaccinations for black leg, etc. ask your veterinarian.

make sure the calf has a shelter to go under for the first few weeks. they are pretty resilient. keep his area clean, use straw for bedding if there is no grass.

as far as a halter, you can get calf nylon halters that adjust as they grow. we make our halters for the smaller ones, and buy the halters for the larger ones.

good luck and have fun with your calf.

You know pictures are always fun for us to look.

 

[Katy]

Since he's a Jersey mix he may be a bit smaller....on smaller calves I usually feed 3 times a day rather than twice until they get a bit older. If he's been on mama already I'd go ahead and switch him to milk replacer now.

 

[herfrds]

One thing not talked about was de-horning.
We feel for the horn buds, cut the hair away from them and use a de-horning paste. We apply it with a popscile stick. Do not want it on your skin.
I dislike using the horn cutters and burning.
Gotta smell enough nasty stuff and the less I have to the better.

Definately find out if the cow had any scours vaccine.
Ask you local vet if they have any left over calf vaccine. Better then buying a whole bottle for one calf.
We use One Shot Ultra on our calves.
Ask the neighbors who raise cattle if they might have a dose left over too.

 

[arabianequine]

You will need a bottle or bucket with nipple on it. I know some people will get them to use a bucket just to drink out like they do the water but I don't because it gets spilled they don't know how to suck like that at first and I usually have more than one calf and they fight over it or one is quicker and drinks it all and theirs. I use 20/20 all milk replacer. On jerseys to help with scours 6 oz. of powder milk to 2 qts water 3 times a day....it is less diluted this way after a couple weeks start adding or taking away. Calves usually need milk replacer for 60-75 days. I also give sweet cob grain starting at 3 days old as much as they want. There is milk scours and grain scours so you know.

I tried the dehorning paste and it is a pain in the ace and a waste of my money. It did not work for me and I think it is inhumane to watch them sit and squirm around while it burns off whatever it is on. It is lye that is why you don't want it on your skin. I would dehorn but I wont do it any other way then have my vet do it for 20 bucks to soder them off it is worth it. I think less painful for them and way less bleeding. You want to get this done fairly soon. The banding I have heard different views some like to wait till there testicles drop all the way some like to do it right away just make sure both are in there. It will take about ten days or longer for them to just fall off less infection this way too. You can do this your self you can buy the tool and rubber bands at you local farm feed store.....like 20 bucks for the tool....it just stretches the rubber band.

You can get a calf halter at you feed store it will probably be too big jerseys are small.....but will fit in a while. 1-3 months. They can get gassy from to much alfalfa and/or changing feeds to fast and then eating to much to fast so watch for that.....they will swell in the flank area on left side. I have a jersey about 9 months old I am trying to give him some alfalfa again now but he has had an issue with it all his life. He is totally fine on straight grass hay though.

I give all my calfs a shot of selenium which is salt they need it once in there life and that is the best time to give it for a boost. After that just offer a salt block right away. I also give bottle babies pro bias it is a paste that helps them be immune to germs/bugs since a bottle baby won't have the mommas agent in her milk to give to the calf to fight that stuff off. I give it every so often it won't hurt them once a month or every other month......at first I would give it now and then again after 2 -3 weeks old when the large stomach opens up so it gets in there too.

Hope this helps if you have any questions please ask.

 

[lasergrl]

I have a two week old jersey bull calf. I got a llama halter and it works great. The small size would have fit for now but I got the large and burned holes in it to make it smaller. That way it would last longer. To halter train just show him the bottle and with a little puling he will learn fast. They want to follow you at this age so take advantage of that now.
I have had luck with a raw egg in each bottle helping with growth. Also I raise auction calves that dont get colostrum so they are alot harder. These calves get a dose of nuflor before they even get out of the truck. Feeding smaller amounts 3 times a day really helps. Also if he gets scours you will likely need to tube feed him for a day or so. It is real easy. They sell the device at the feed store and it comes with instructions. Keeping them with an older calf, goat, or sheep really helps them get the idea of what grain, hay and water are.