3 mth old calf won't drink milk from bottle

Siryet · #1 08/04/08, 09:21 AM

Neighbor gave us a 3 mth old angus mix calf who they said isn't growing enough.

It's mother had mastitus so she has been bottle fed.

The neighbor said they didn't have a regular feeding schedule and were only
giving the one bottle once a day (2qts) IF they got to it.

The calf drinks water, eats hay, pees good, poops good, grazes, lays down and chews cud, stands and chews cud and runs also and appears to be healthy in all ways but isn't gaining weight.

She has drank milk from a bucket but not last night.

She has been wormed, all necessary shots and has a fly tag in ear.

Anything we can do to help her along?

Can cows eat apples without a problem?

agmantoo · #2 08/04/08, 09:52 AM

Cows can eat apples. I would halve or quarter them to avoid one hung in the mouth. forget about feeding the calf a bottle. Get a grower ration and put the calf on good solid feed and the best hay you can locate. Your pasture appears to have been drought hit like ours did last year this time. If you have already purchased the powered milk and have no other use for it just sprinkle it on the grower ration.

Madsaw · #3 08/04/08, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

Cows can eat apples. I would halve or quarter them to avoid one hung in the mouth. forget about feeding the calf a bottle. Get a grower ration and put the calf on good solid feed and the best hay you can locate. Your pasture appears to have been drought hit like ours did last year this time. If you have already purchased the powered milk and have no other use for it just sprinkle it on the grower ration.

+1
Just feed tha apples in moderation. They will get a gut ache just like us if they eat to many at once.
A good sweet feed with oats in it will do wonders. We usally mix sweet feed in with oats for younger calves then switch to straight oats when they hit about 6 months or so. But, from what I hear the price of oats is.I will only feed what I grow and not be buying any.
Bob

sammyd · #4 08/04/08, 06:39 PM

Get a decent grower ration around 16% or so and feed it a scoop twice a day.
Good quality hay and some greener pasture.

Siryet · #5 08/04/08, 10:07 PM

Thank you all for your expertise.
Put some calf grower pellets out and she went right to them, ate, went to the milk, smelled it and passed, went to the water, drank and went to the hay and ate.
Guess she doesn't like milk. LOL

She definitely likes the pellets and the hay and she grazes the green grass we do have, although not much due to the drought and 105 temps and lack of clouds.

Thanks again
Dennis

JKB07 · #6 08/04/08, 10:15 PM

Make sure she is getting enough grain in her diet, or you will have a underfed calf with a haybelly!

JKB

topside1 · #7 08/05/08, 07:03 AM

If the calf is a Angus/Jersey mix, well that may have a lot to do with slow weight gain. Jersey calves seem to gain very little muscle mass leading up to the three month mark. After that they take off. How do you know it's not gaining weight? Are you weight taping the animal? Weighing it on a scale? Anyway what's it mixed with?.....TJ

sycamore · #8 08/05/08, 07:43 AM

So it doesn't like the milk replacer! Not surprising after it had been on the real stuff. But at 3 months it might be fine w/o milk.

Try some probiotics and get a weight tape so you know for sure. But, this just might be a slow grower.

francismilker · #9 08/05/08, 04:55 PM

If you've still got the MR, you might dump a little per day over the calf's feed. This should let you get the benefit out of it without it clumping up and getting old. Use it in moderation though.

Gregg Alexander · #10 08/08/08, 05:03 AM

I have raised 1000's of bottle calves, should have been weaned off bottle at 3 weeks and eating grain.
But to answer your question, next time start a calf off on a bottle for 10 days and pour the milk into a bucket and stick your hand in the milk and get him drinking from the bucket as he sucks on your finger a couple of times, he will get the message. When I was in the dairy business, we would have around 20 -30 calves in stalls to feed 2 times a day, could feed them all in 15 minutes after all were drinking the milk. Put grain in frount of them at 2 days old and when they are eating around 5 # a day cut back to 1 time milk feeding per day for 3 days and up the feed a little each day with hay. By the start of the 4 week they will be entirly off milk and eating hay and grain and ready to go on pasture lot

Ronney · #11 08/08/08, 05:38 AM

Siryet,
G'day - sorry, couldn't resist that

How is your little calf going? Mine are all weaned at around 3 months, give or take a week or two, but they are on good pasture and high quality hay and supplementary feed. As Agman says, your grass looks to have been drought hit which doesn't make it easier but under those circumstances I would go along with his, and others, recommendations. It may take a while to come away but it will get there - the calf I mean, not the pasture although I guess the same applies.

In the meantime can I offer you some rain? I'm in mud up to my eyeballs and I'm sure there are other places in greater need of it than me.

Cheers,
Ronnie

topside1 · #12 08/08/08, 07:13 AM

Ronnie, whenever you have spare time how about a few New Zealand landscape photos from your area....thanks, I'm sure we're all interested...thanks again...TJ

Sabrina67 · #13 08/08/08, 08:01 AM

Ronney, Throw some rain over here to Tennessee...We are parched ! lol

Siryet · #14 08/09/08, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronney

Siryet,
G'day - sorry, couldn't resist that

How is your little calf going? Mine are all weaned at around 3 months, give or take a week or two, but they are on good pasture and high quality hay and supplementary feed. As Agman says, your grass looks to have been drought hit which doesn't make it easier but under those circumstances I would go along with his, and others, recommendations. It may take a while to come away but it will get there - the calf I mean, not the pasture although I guess the same applies.

In the meantime can I offer you some rain? I'm in mud up to my eyeballs and I'm sure there are other places in greater need of it than me.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Hi Ronnie
Calf is just doing great although she still doesn't fancy milk replacer. She is now grazing with the sheep so she is happy not to be alone anymore, but we put her in her own pen at night to feed her calf mana/feed (15%) so the sheep can't get to her feed. (Copper content)
She eats the feed 100% gone each day 2 to3 lbs a day, she grazes all day and she also eats hay at night. She is getting use to us and i am sure it won't be long before she will come to us and not run away when we try to touch her. Today cause it was cool out, she was doing the "Dance of Joy" with the sheep.

Thank all of you for your suggestions as we are following ya'll's advice.

Dennis