Help on new baby calves

[ChickenMom]

I just bought a 2 month old and a 2 1/2 month old. The previous owner was weaning them but shouldn't they be on milk longer? Also, at what age do you worm calves? These were bought at auction as newborns.

[tyusclan]

As long as they're eating well they'll be fine. They shouldn't need to be bottle fed any longer. Only worm if they need worming.

[mamahen]

They'd be fine to wean. How big are they? If you want to give them a little more, try bucket feeding.

The calf we bought at 2.5 months old was on momma, but tiny. We bucket fed her (she took to it the first time!), a bag of premuim milk based starter. She loved it, we bonded. She would also try anything that was in "her" bucket. She wouldn't try chop until we put it in the bucket.

The farmer we bought her from, worms in NOv. I gotta give him a call!!

[dagwood]

They are old enough to both wean and worm.

[ChickenMom]

The heifer is Jersey/Holstien, the bull is Jersey/Angus (he's the youngest). They are a bit skinny but weren't given any hay or graze until the day I got them. They now have free choice hay and mineral salt and when we put them in the pasture they will have graze. I'm also giving them grain and they eat all I give them. I have milk replacer and some goats milk that I can give them if they need it. They are around 150 pounds. It may be the dairy (Jersey) that makes them look thin, it's in the hind end area.

[lyceum]

We have bottle fed quite a few calves over the years and have kept them on the bottle quite a bit longer than that. I would try to keep them on the bottle or at least a bucket. 150 pounds does not seem big enough to me. Don't wean until they are eating quite a bit of grain and hay or grass.

Lyceum

[tyusclan]

If they're eating grain, hay, and grass they do not need a bottle at this point. Milk replacer is expensive, and I want a calf off the bottle ASAP. If they're eating good, I wean at 4 weeks. Sometimes go out to 6 if I think they need to, but never longer than that.

[ozark_jewels]

We *never* wean before 3 months...so if you have it, I'd keep them on milk. But then, we have our own cows and a ready supply of the real stuff so no buying replacer is needed.

[john in la]

size and age should not be considered when trying to determine when a calf is to be weaned.
If they are eating 2 lbs of grain (less if you are experianced) a day you can wean them.

[Valmai]

I totally disagree with this.

size and age should not be considered when trying to determine when a calf is to be weaned.

If you want good adult cattle you have to feed them properly as calves!

80kg (176pds?) is the lightest weight I would consider for weaning a jersey, and then only if it was healthy, settled and eating hay/grass as well.

[JulieLou42]

I'd wean only if I want the milk or the calf was tearing up her teats. My cow will do it in a coupla months all by herself.

[Cat]

When I raise calves I never wean prior to 3 months, and if it's a heifer that I'm wanting to keep I'll often wean at 6 months but by that time you've got one obnoxious animal on your hands! Sure, studies may show that you can wean calves at birth (yeah, being facetious) but these are studies done by the people who just love to shoot 'em full of any number of drugs for any and every possible thing under the sun...consider the source, IMO.

[Jennifer L.]

If you have a calf that is eating the proper amount of feed and is in good condition, wean at 7 weeks.

I don't like to see thin hindquarters on a calf, and my first thought is worms. They don't have to be rolling in fat, but they should have meat there that covers the bones. I'd get them wormed asap with a suitable wormer, especially if they have a larger looking gut than they should have.

Other than that, good hay/grass and good feed should do the trick.

Jennifer