I have a new calf !!!

[suzyhomemaker09]

:banana02:

Been wanting to try raising a bottle calf for the freezer for some time now, I saw this post

Heifer available, also bull calf-MO

shared info with DH, and he said go ahead.
Thanks so very much Emily, Beefsteak ( as the girls dubbed him ) is doing quite well so far, they were wowed with the size of his bottle as opposed to the ones they feed to the goats.
You mentioned offering grain to him...when and what type should I give? Same stuff I feed the girls on the stand? Whole oat with BOSS. And how much?

[topside1]

Suzy, smart choice buying from Emily...Topside

[copperhead46]

I like to get a bottle calf to nibble on some calf creep pellets at first, then start adding in some sweet feed. Just take it slow and easy, and don't let him beg you out of more milk, no matter how hungry he acts. Thats a good time to put some pellets in his mouth and get him started on the good stuff.
P.J.

[Callieslamb]

suzy - our calves are sisters!!!! Good luck with yours. Ours has been a fabulous calf!

I tried to start mine on baby calf grain - they hated it. I just use a 18% calf grower - the love it.

[deafgoatlady]

I did used the calf starter pellets and my calves hate it. So I switch over to dairy calf starter feed and they love it. It dont make sense. They are weird..

[ozark_jewels]

Hey Suzy, glad to hear all is well. We have never used calf grain or calf starter for our calves. We just feed the same dairy feed that our dairy cows get. It is a ground feed(I am *not* a fan of sweet feeds), just ground corn, soybean meal, a few pellets, etc. It goes in with them at about one week of age and by two weeks of age they are nibbling, by three weeks they are really eating. It is cheaper than any calf starter or calf grain, and works very well.
Really, you can start out feeding him whatever you want, I would not suggest the oats and BOSS though, as our cows don't like just whole grains. Its one area where I really differ on what I feed my goats/cows.