Hi there! I'm brand new here and have some questions! :)

[centavo71]

I will give a brief intro before I dive into my questions! My husband and I and our four children have a small acreage in northern Alberta, Canada. We have lived here for about 7 years and have always talked about getting a cow calf pair but never quite got around to it! Then the other day I got a call from a friend who said he had a bottle fed calf that they needed to get rid of - would we like it? Absolutely we would! The one calf ended up being two after my husband asked if they might have another. They were bulls but we had them ringed just before we got them. So, they are just off the bottle but we are still giving him milk two times per day...he still has some filling in to do.

I have to be honest, we have no idea what we are doing! lol! This is a brand new experience. So, they have grass and some grain but I haven't a CLUE how much grain they should be getting every day. They are around 3 months old. I also think we are giving too much milk - a big metal bucket full two times per day.

Anyway, all and any advice you could give would me much appreciated!
Thank you,
Penny

[ShannonR]

Well, i dont think the extra milk will hurt at this age, as most beef cattle are weaned at between 3-5 months. If you feel they need milk, give them milk! I would try offering a sweet type grain, corn and molasses or sweet cob or such. What is the quality of your pasture and how much of it iis available for your cattle? Are you planning on supplementing with minerals and hay or is this a pasture based operation? And finally, are these a beef or dairy breed you are raising out? The dairy breeds tend to need much heavier graining to gain than beef cattle.

[Le Petit Norman]

worth the time that you will spend reading the thread

Sale barn/Bottle calves