HELP! Bottle babies coming tomorrow

[dunroven]

It has been a few years since we raised our last calves, however, tomorrow morning we are picking up 4 bottle bulls to raise for meat. Of course they will be steers, just are not at this point. We will band.

Anyway, I can't remember how much milk they need to start out with. I have tons of goat milk frozen and will raise them on that, after about (correct me if I'm wrong please) 4 days of colostrum. These calves will be about 2 days old, and will have some colostrum, but not much.

Anyway, can someome tell me what I need to do. These are little jersey boys.

Thanks for your help!

[TSYORK]

Start out slow and work them up, so they develop the scours. Feed 1 1/2 quarts to each calf twice a day for a week. After the first week start inching the milk up till you get to two quarts twice a day.

[TSYORK]

They should have gotten the colostrum the first day. If they didn't get much of it, you've probably got a tough road ahead of you keeping them alive. Good Luck!

[7thswan]

I don't know anything about raising a calf on Goat milk, But. I raise them on medicated milk replacer. You could mix that with goat milk and the water called for. Calves are suspetable to Phenomia. The move could stress them enought to get sick. Keep penicellin handy and some farmers give them a shot for "just in case". It is best to underfeed them than to over feed at first. Most important keep them out of a drafty barn. The cold can be tolerated much better than a draft. If a calf does get scours they will need electrolites and there are things ava. to help bind them up.

[topside1]

Not trying to run you off the board, but shouldn't calf raising 101 homework all ready been turned into the teacher.....I know your mad, but tomorrow morning gives you little time to prepare. Calves die left and right on here, most never get reported. Cuss me out, and yes I'll help. TSYORK knows how to raise good calves, well here my 2 cents: Giving colostrum is a waste of time at this point, the calves are to old to absorb it's goodness. If it were me, I'd feed the boys only two pints twice a day and then slowly work them up to three pints twice daily. Major changes in any way will send a Jersey into a tail-spin. Around one month old slowly increase milk intake to 4 pints twice daily. So where are you getting your new calves from? If they traveled a long distance I'd only give them electrolytes for their first meal. Next meal I'd mix 50/50 electrolytes and goats milk. Once again bottle calves are fragile as thin shelled eggs....Keep in touch

[copperhead46]

Two days colustrum is good, three is better, after that they don't absorb the anti-biotys anyway. I wouldn't not recomend miking milk replacer with goat milk, goat milk is great all by itself. Start them off slow on the milk, one and a half quarts to start and then ease them up to two, twice a day. As soon as you can, get them to nibbling on some good hay and get them started on some calf pellets. Talk to your vet and tell him what you have and what he would suggest that you have on hand, in case of scours or sickness. Good luck and don't hesitate to come and ask any question you may have. Someone one here will know the answer.
P.J.

[dunroven]

Thanks everyone for the great answers! I was also doing a google search and came up with this thread, which has some great information on it as well!

Calf on Goats' Milk?

Copperhead and TSYORK, I'll be back with questions along the way, I'm sure. My forgeter works better than my rememberer anymore, which is why I asked the question Topside.

I raised 3 of these steers 4 years ago and they did just fine. I just couldn't get it straight in my mind how much milk to give them when they first get home. I know about the electrolytes, and I also know all about pneumonia with calves, have had that and lost a calf to it and finished with the 3 above, which is why we are again getting 4.

They come from a dairy, and we did just fine with them before, and I'm sure we will again.

We have the goats on hand for the milk, have a nice warm place in the barn for them, have bottles already here, complete with the nipples, the whole bit, just needed amounts.

Again, I appreciate the help and again, I'm sure I'll be back with other questions!

[Curtis B]

Originally Posted by topside1

So where are you getting your new calves from? If they traveled a long distance I'd only give them electrolytes for their first meal.

This brings up a question that I had. What would bew considered a long distance? I will be picking up some up in about 10 days, one was born Sat and I am waiting on another so he won't be lonely. My travel time will be about 3 hrs. Is that far enough to have concerns?

[dunroven]

Thanks! I'm sure it will all be fine with the help I can receive here.

Curtis, our calves last time were 1 day old, and we brought them from the same place, which is about 1-1/2 hours away from us, so they traveled 3 hours, BUT, ours are traveling in relative comfort! LOLOL We only have a Ford Conversion van and they get to ride between the seats on a nice blue tarp. LOL

Sure get funny looks coming down the road with calves licking the windows of the van, but it keeps them out of the wind and we are still pretty cool up here. That is our main concern, is making sure they aren't having to deal with wind and cold while traveling.

[topside1]

Curtis, anything over any hour would be considered stressful. It would also depend on the type trailer they would be riding in. Another point to consider is where you bought them....Directly from a farm is a lot less stress than a sale barn, so factor that in too...Most dairys feed milk replacer, what are you going to feed? Another big change for baby calves....Topside

[TSYORK]

I see you're in Iowa. I'm not sure what the temperatures are like there now, but here in NC it's hotter than six yard of a pepper patch, which tends to be stressful on the calves alone. For some reason and I don't know why, hot temperatures seem to aide a calf in developing the scours. I would have some scour boluses on hand, or some type of scour prevention. Make sure they have fresh water because they will begin to start sampling in a few days. Also at a week old I put a handful of dairy chop in their mouths after feeding them their milk. By doing this, it begins to give the calves a taste for something else nutritious. Start inching up the chop little by little and before long they'll be eating a scoop.

Whatever you do, DON'T OVERFEED. A wise man (TOPSIDE) told me when I first started raising calves that, a hungry calf is a healthy calf. I have found his knowledge to be true. You can always feed them more, but once you overfeed, sometimes it's a long road getting them back on track. And believe me, I can testify, it's no fun to bury one because of your own stupidity.

[topside1]

Thanks TSYORK, just wanted to say I'm raising over 20 calves a year (pure hobby, with little profit). I've lost two in four years, but let me tell you I've had plenty of sick calves. This is one tough hobby, most of them got sick from my cockiness coupled with a shot glass full of stupidity. Regardless the two that died could have lived if only I had thought out all scenarios and reacted quicker. Nothing worse than failure, tossing them off a cliff is a close second....Just making conversation,,,,,Topside

[TSYORK]

Topside,

I don't know how it is with you, but if I have a calf to die it's usually at night and it's pouring down rain, and I mean raining bullfrogs and pitchforks! Usually prolonged rain like that breeds pneumonia, which seems to be my biggest mortality hurdle. I've learned to be proactive. The first sign I see that a calf may have even and inkling of symptoms of pneumonia, I hit em hard with Nuflor, etc. Delay usually means dead in a few days, or at least that's what I've found.

[topside1]

TS, drop in anytime...Exit 300 I-40. Share some stories over lunch...My treat...Topside

[TSYORK]

I might just do that. I try to trek off to TN at least a few times a year. I love lunch, especially if it's someone else's treat! LOL, just kidding. We usually go to Pigeon Forge, where are you in relation to that? I can't remember the exit number we get off, but I know it's Sevierville. Would love to swap stories and believe me I've got a few. There's never a dull moment on the farm around here! Heck I might even throw in a couple packs of whole hog sausage for ya. Of course, it's still on the cloven hoof right now in the pasture, but before long I'll be enjoying the fruits of my labors of getting up at the butt-crack of dawn every morning to go feed those bottomless pit fools!

[topside1]

Two hours to Sevierville from my exit....Just PM me if your heading my way...Topside

[Curtis B]

They will be coming from my uncle's dairy farm, riding in the back of my truck. I planned on putting together a "box" out of cattle panels and covering three sides with a tarp leaving the back open. I will be feeding milk replacer. What would ya'll suggest for the first few days to help with the stress? I was hoping that them having a traveling companion would help some with the stress some. Oh, the temps around here are starting to push middle 90's.

[TSYORK]

Sometimes I give mine a shot of B-12 for good measure. It will help them have a good appetite and give him a little more energy.