New to Bottle calves? Simple tip (pictures)

[topside1]

Just wanted to pass some information that others may find useful. I have been giving my two bottle calves two eggs during each feeding for the past two weeks. All I am doing is cracking the eggs and pouring the yolk and white into their milk bottles, no mixing required. Bottom line it's a good cheap food source especially if you raise chickens. So anyone considering raising your first bottle calf, this tip maybe something you might want to try. These boys and my flock of chickens have become the best of friends...

[wildhorse]

Very nice looking calves so shiny and quiet healthy looking.....
I want one
It sure looks like you know what your doing.

[Cat]

My parents used to do that when they were feeding milk saver which wasn't very often. It's a good tip!

The calves, on the other hand, are just absolutely ADORABLE and I've been wanting one BADLY so that's just torture!

[rockinl]

Those are the cutest calves I have ever seen. So beautiful.

[doing it in NM]

great looking calves, I had 3 die on me last month I was feeding eggs with their milk replacer after they started scouring, It help at first but they were just too far gone. I have 2 more who are doing great. We get them for about 50 bucks here in NM from the dairies all bull, but good in the freezer. Nice grass in the pen, the only thing we miss about moving here from the south is grass and trees.

[topside1]

Wow $50.00 great price tag...Sorry to hear about your other calves, scours and dehydration can be quite deadly. Enjoy the weekend.

[RedHogs]

Topside, what is a fair price for bottle calfs here in TN ??

[topside1]

I buy 3 day old Holsteins for $125.00. It's all supply and demand here, lots of folks raise them and re-sell @ approx. 300 pounds. Jersey's $50-$60 dollars, slow growers but better tablefare. No commercial market to speak of...TJ

[Jcran]

I paid $20 each for my Jersey bull calves; one was definitely a day-old and a bit tetchey until we got some electrolytes in him; both are now frisky. Haven't tried the egg thing yet as our 3 mature chickens are free-ranging right now and hiding eggs! BTW, what would one expect a Jersey calf to weigh at about 6 months of age? They're just starting to try grass and are mouthing barley and calf manna.

[topside1]

Joan, good to hear the calves are a ok...I consider them to be over the hump just past the 3 week mark, this is providing you don't make any drastic feeding changes. Sounds like you have the boys under control. What will they weigh @ 6 months? Well not much I'm sorry to say (maybe 300 pounds), but at the same time they eat less and taste great. What do you intend to do with the steers? These two boys are exactly one year old and I would guess one weighs 700 pounds and the other 600 pounds.

[Jcran]

topside,
you said 300 lbs at 6 months? Would that be 300 lbs EACH? I would be thrilled to have each one that big, since there's only 3 folks here, that's plenty o' beef for us. I am guessing we'd get about 100 lb of meat from each (not including bone?) We've also got 30 pullets, 5 turkeys, and one weaner pig going so I am hoping to slaughter all of them around the same age (pullets and turkeys if they live and don't get "et" by the multitudinous population of fox, skunk, and racoons that live hereabouts).

[topside1]

Joan, remember I said maybe 300 pounds each. Depends on what your feeding plans are? Grass only or Grass plus grain etc. Roughly 40% of an animals live weight will end up in the freezer.

[Cat]

You know, Jersey would probably be the perfect size for 'healthy' portion sized steaks!

I haven't gotten any dairy calves in years but back in the day when I bought them they were uber healthy and nice calves. A few years ago a woman set up an account with the animal health supply dist. I worked for. She was raising all the calves born at a dairy and had to medicate those calves to DEATH. I'm talking Micotil, Baytril, etc. I couldn't imagine how in the world she'd have to medicate calves so much but I'm hoping that if I do decide to buy one (more importantly if my niece agrees to feed one!) that it won't be on death's door. Feedlot calves = on death's door. Dairy calves should be healthy. If they're not it makes you wonder about the management of dairy cattle these days and reaffirms the reason all of us want to be able to provide our own foodstuffs!

[Jan in CO]

The dairy we bought our two Holstein bull calves from last year is always careful to be sure they are vaccinated and have gotten colostrum. We still dealt with scours, but felt that was due to stress and moving them. They ended up 650 pounds at a year old, giving us almost 300 pounds of meat from one, sold the other for 91 cents a pound. Jan in Co

[topside1]

Awesome Jan, how do you like the taste of your own raised beef....TJ

[farmmaid]

Jersey bull calves are $5-$10 here. The farmer right next to us has 3 Jerseys freshening the end of the month. He said if they were bull calves he would keep them for 4 days for me and sell them for $10 each. Whoo, whoo...Joan

[Tango]

At 9.5 months my Jersey steer weighed 305 pounds. He was taping 422 on the dairy tape and 405 on the beef tape but when he got on the scale... it was quite a surprise.

The raw egg is a good idea. My vet uses it in his jet fuel recipe. I don't ordinarily feed egg unless it is a case where the calf needs a boost.

[Tango]

Originally Posted by farmmaid

Jersey bull calves are $5-$10 here. The farmer right next to us has 3 Jerseys freshening the end of the month. He said if they were bull calves he would keep them for 4 days for me and sell them for $10 each. Whoo, whoo...Joan

Wow! That is excellent for you here they are $100 on the farm and $120 at the sale. I no-saled my Jersey a couple of months ago. Purchased him for $120, had $120 in milk replacer in him and of course hay/feed/ shots.... and was offered $192.00 then when I bought the Jersey heifer, the owners son told me Jersey steers make excellent beef. I told him to put his money where his mouth was

[sammyd]

Good grief...you need to look at your inputs...120 worth of milk replacer????
Sorry but that's way too much. One bag costs 45-50 and that's all you should need for any calf.

[Jan in CO]

We're really enjoying the beef! Not as large as store beef, and I probably cut off to much fat when we cut and wrapped it, but otherwise, it's good. At least we know what was fed to them! I used goat's milk, as that was what I had. Didn't buy a single bag of replacer. Jan in Co