auction bottle calves???

okiemom · #1 04/28/06, 03:59 PM

What is up w/ people selling skinny half dead looking bottle calves at auction? Not critizing just these babies looked half dead. Do they have a chance of living? Wouldn't the cost of getting them back to health would be high? They were selling around $25-300. Is there a bargin I am not seeing?

Sprout · #2 04/28/06, 11:02 PM

Around here we call those drop calves. Not because they've just dropt from their dam but because they drop like flies. They are a cheap way to get cattle. Our hiefer was a drop calf and she turned out great show quality even. But you need access to a cheap supply of milk, antibiotics, and time. Out freind raises her's on goats milk from her dairy. Calf milk replacer is expensive so I would recomend findind a goat or cream cow dairy. Your average holstein dosen't make the best calf milk.

One thing I would point out though that ours were picked up directly from the farm and not sent to the auction. I think that method is detestible and you are likley to have all your calves die due to overstress and a major case of shipping fever. If you can trace the calves back if it is the farm that brings them to the auction I wouldn't buy from them but if it is a middle man ask him where he gets the calves from and go see the farm they might be worthwhile.

Also in addition to time and some knowledge you will need a heart of steel. It is guaranteed that you will loose one or more babies, in fact if you want one steer or heifer buy three. Overall I think we paid $500 for her as a weanling, all care and milk included.

cowgirlracer · #3 04/29/06, 05:34 AM

We picked up our first auction calves this year. DH bought 2, and angus x and a beefalo. The beefalo died hours later, and the angus x (Dotty) is doing very weel (fingers crossed). Dotty is just a week old now, so I know it is early. We were able to get some colostrum into her (thanks to Nogreaterjoy8) and she has successfully made the switch from colostrum to goats milk. I have been freezing milk since December, and will eventually run out and she will then have to make the switch to replacer - I think this will be our biggest challenge. She is eating hay along with the goats at feeding time, which I think is encouraging. We plan on going again next week and picking up another bottle calf, wish us luck.

Anne
Cowgirlracer

Tango · #4 04/29/06, 05:56 AM

Having learned a little I would buy a calf that seemed otherwise healthy, though it would be an individual decision based on each calf. I'd bring her home right away and offer a bottle with my Jersey's milk and be prepared to stay up with her and call the vet if needed. If one is looking solely at numbers, it might be considered unwise, but I have a soft heart

I bought my two heifers at an auction and both lived with some intense help and a vet giving advice. One was just a few hours old, the other was probably 2-3 days old. My Jersey raised them and I think that saved the youngest one. She latched on to Karma when we got home in a way that really moved me. Auction started at 1 so she had been there probably a couple of hours and by the time we got her home, it was close to 8 pm and she was hanging her head. It is criminal to separate such a young calf from her mother -for God's sake let them take colostrum for at least a whole day and make it worthwhile for someone to invest their money and time in them. But to wait when the calf is born on auction day, means an additional week and some people don't or can't wait since the calf would die in their hands.

Local auctions vary. The members of the community and the auction owner make or break the integrity of the auction. Our auction is pretty decent and I've never seen what you have described there but I did bring a weak kid along with her dam and sister- I bought them because their chances were slim

Jan in CO · #5 04/29/06, 03:14 PM

Way back on the old Countryside forum, Ken S. had a forumla he took to feed immediately to any calves bought at auction. It had milk, an egg and I can't remember what else in it, but he felt it saved them to give them to that as soon as you can get them into the trailer, and not wait until you got them home. It's been a few years, but maybe I can find it, or he will post it again. Jan in Co

jnap31 · #6 04/30/06, 11:59 AM

I bought a 3 day old bull guensey at auction and bottle fed him replacer he turned out great had to put him in the freezer before I went overseas he was 9 months old.

allenslabs · #7 04/30/06, 07:11 PM

Don't ya just love caring animal owners??

Dutchie · #8 04/30/06, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okiemom

What is up w/ people selling skinny half dead looking bottle calves at auction? Not critizing just these babies looked half dead. Do they have a chance of living? Wouldn't the cost of getting them back to health would be high? They were selling around $25-300. Is there a bargin I am not seeing?

Which auction was this at?

okiemom · #9 04/30/06, 08:26 PM

Collinsville but I have seen this at other places too.

Valmai · #10 05/01/06, 05:17 AM

Okiemom Imagine taking a human baby away from its mother and putting it on a truck and dumping it in a draughty noisy place for however many hours with out any food. Its no wonder they look near dead, its no wonder so many die. I think it is disgusting. In NZ it is a criminal offence to transport a calf less than 4 days old anywhere. I would advise you to try and buy direct from a farm, make it part of the deal that you get at least 6 ltrs of day one colostrum to take with you.

Jan I had a recipe something like that. Milk egg honey and, I think, glucose?

Tango · #11 05/01/06, 06:19 AM

My vet gave me this recipe. He calls it "Jet Fuel." One can evaporated milk, one can water, one whole raw egg, one tablespoon honey. He recommends probiotics with every meal.

Sapphire · #12 05/04/06, 09:37 AM

I'm in OK, too. My dh bought one of these auction calves in Tulsa last spring. It was a day or two old and was out in a thunderstorm all night. It would'n't suck for us when we brought it home. We tube fed it for weeks. At one time it couldn't even stand. We made a harness for her to get her on her feet. She got stronger, but still wouldn't suck or drink out of a bucket. Eventually we just stopped tube feeding her and provided her with hay, calf feed and a bucket. After 12 hours she fed herself! She turned out to be a sweetie, but was small for her age. It turned out all right in the end, but we would not do that again. (buy an auction calf)