Mebby got a chance to buy a few jersey bottle calves
 

At auction. Wont know if they have had their Colostrum or not.
IS there anything I could give to them that would somewhat compensate if they've NOT had the C?

You can buy a colostrum replacement powder and give that to them.

It is the age of the calf that makes the difference. There is only a short period of time that the colostrum antibodies can be absorbed by the calf!

You will be feeding milk replacer, right. Get the medicated for at least the first bag. Jersey heifers are the most fragile of calves. They need a good start if used for milk cows. Also start with calf manna as soon as a week old. A little between your fingers, a calf will want to suck on your hand and a little calf manna is good. They get the taste and then will start eating a little on their own. Fresh clean water every day. Really keep a watch on the scours....James

I agree with jwal, plus if you purchase more than one keep them in separate pens.

Milk replacer is expensive; Land o' Lakes Cows Match is a good brand. Get the best you can.

Why is it that dairy calves don't get colostrum, yet they can be sold? Their chances for making it are so compromised without it. This really angers me!!!

James ive raised bottle calves before. 45yrs before. I cant remember if I knew those had been fed C or not. They was under a month old. I know what your saying on the scours.

G I don't/wont know IF they have been fed C or not. I was just getting ready, if I could for the not.

CR I hope to get, when I get moved and set up to do it, 10 or so bottle calves. I had 10 the first time. I don't think I would have 10 pens for them each.

Thanks CJB, but as Wanda says, They likely would be old enough to stand, or barely so, and I imagine that would be too late to give them any C replacement.

GOOD ADVICE ALL. THANKS.

FarmboyBill, if you're getting these calves from a dairy, maybe you could ask them to give them colostrum right after birth. At least then they've got a fighting chance, right?

I know you can't control whether they actually get colostrum or not. I was expressing my anger that some of those calves are just tossed out or knocked over the head, and I don't understand how people can do it.

Farmboy, we give the calves here colstrum as long as their navels are wet.Its a better feed even if its a tad late on the time schedule.Good luck with them,rasing calves is a lot of fun.

These will be at a community sale.

I agree with you, darn shame the way some of those little critters are treated.

I go to the sale barn at Booneville, Mo sometimes when things are slow around here and I've seen them run calves in that are still damp and with wet navels, sad.

Like you, I wonder why they don't give the calves colostrum. When I was a youngster we waited several days before we saved the milk from a fresh cow. The daries surely don't run that milk into the bulk tank, do they?

I guess it would be a little extra labor cost to bottle the calves for a few days. But calves that buyers knew for certain had had colostrum would bring more I believe. I would be interested in buying calves like that.

BUT theres no way of knowing. IF the sellers speak for the calves, whop knows if there telling the truth or not.

I once saw a great looking doe Nubian goat come into the ring. Good enough bag and teats. I was yet hesitant to go too high on her until the auctioneer asked if anybody was gonna speak for her. A Woman far up on the other side started telling what a great a goat she was, what a great milker she was, how much she gave, her off spring ect. Well, I bought her on that. Turned out she was 13yrs old. Vet said IF I bred her id likely kill her.

65284, thanks for your thoughts!

Dumping newborn calves that haven't had colostrum or had their navels dipped are put in a filthy, germ-ridden environment; they don't stand much of a chance. It's just no way to treat an animal.

I know dairies are a lot of work, but if they were smart, they'd make sure those calves got a day's worth of colostrum and had their navels dipped at the very least. The calves would be worth more and would stand a chance of growing up. Yes, it requires labor and time but word would spread that a healthier calf is available at such-and-such a dairy and I bet people would respond. Reputation, reputation, reputation!

I've got no personal experience with dairies, so if I'm missing something, please educate me.

That's likely true. BUT at community sales, A buyer don't know who the seller is. A buyer don't know the varacity of a seller IF he/she does speak for an animal and whats been done to it. A buyer don't know whats been done to the animal for its benifit. What shots have been givin, navel dipped, C givin and for how long, ect. The buyer couldn't be much worse off if he was blind lol.

FarmboyBill, I wouldn't want to support a sale of that type myself.

Many dairies sell to someone who starts them and resells right away, as the dairy person does not have the time to mess with the calves. You never know, it could have been started right, just wasn't a keeper heifer and sold off. Many dairies sell the calves right away to someone that raises all their calves. Bull calves go to veal, good heifer calves go back to the dairy, poor heifer calves and twins that do not make veal calves are sold as started calves. Which ever way makes the most money....James

IF....I had a dairy near I would check with them, big dairies don't want to be bothered. I started my beef herd from dairy crossbreds. Holstein cows bred to Hereford bulls. I even milked a few as house cows. I got the colostrum from the dairy and then used milk replacer after 3 days. IF I took them all I got a good deal, I just sold the ones I did not want to keep. It was a 100 cow dairy....James

The sale is at my boys town of Collinsville, 60 miles away. There used to be one here, but they switched to beef.

Make sure and haul them out of the wind, don't need sick calves on top of everything else....James

That's true, but like I said, 30yrs ago I bought 10 week old therebouts calves and hauled them home in the rain. Every one made it.
I wouldn't do it again if I could avoid it.

Hey, Bill!
I forgot about the sale at Collinsville. Since I moved, it is a bit of a drive for me. Please give us an update on what you got or saw.
I am drowning in milk around here. I already have several calves on the bottle but I my second Jersey will be freshening in a few weeks....

I have colostrum stockpiled in the freezer....