Nurse Cow Question

[hiddensprings]

I've been raising bottle calves for a few years now on goat's milk. I now have the opportunity to purchase a nice Jersey Cow to use as a nurse cow. My question is how does that work? I mean, with bottles, I give the calves a bottle in the morning and a bottle in the evening. With a nurse cow, do I just put the calves in with her in the morning, take them out and then put them back in with her in the evening? Or do you let the calves run with her all day? Just trying to understand which way is better and why. Thanks in advance for your insight!

[Farmer Jayne]

I would imagine that people do it all sorts of ways. Our nurse cow, Hobbes, just loves all the babies. We just give them to her and she raises them on her own. Not all nurse cows are this cooperative. I'd like to know how other people do it as well. I have another Jersey that is an up-and-comer. If she doesn't take to strange babies as easily, we might have to do something different with her.

[Cheribelle]

Only have one cow, Irene, but she will do it either way.

[opportunity]

I usually make sure they are each getting a turn and keep them close to the house and barn but once they have been going a week or two I can turn them out into the bigger pasture. I have some that will take any baby and other that I have to convince.

[tab]

How do you convince a cow to take a baby? Hobbles and a stanchion? Also, do calves that are a few days old and never nursed a cow figure out what to do? Hope this goes along ok with the op, not trying to hijack.

[OffGridCooker]

Our cow did not like the new calf so dad put a burlap sack on the cows original calf until the sent was transferred, then he put the sented sack on the new calf.
The cow sniffed the new calf and adopted it.

[Jersey/guernsey]

I have better luck with guilting them into it. You know like, Gardenia if you don't feed this little one I guess he'll just have to starve, or Red you wouldn't want her to grow up with no mama to teach her right from wrong she's just a baby with no mother of her own

Sounds silly but this has actually worked well for me.

[CIW]

If I have a calf who needs a momma, I have a Swiss cow that we graft those calves onto. She'll let anything that has a mind to, latch on and drink. My wife calls her marigin. Profit Margin that is. I usually wean those calves off early and go find some dairy calves for her. She can raise up to 9 calves a year but she has to constantly be eating high powered feed. If you tax her too heavy she may not breed back the next year.
Up until a few years ago my neighbor had a little cow that he would breed each year. After she calved he would go up to the dairy and buy 3 more calves. After locking her in a stantion, he would turn those calves in on her twice a day after taking off some milk for the house. In 8 or 9 weeks he had those calves started well on hay and grain. He would go buy 3 more calves and put them onto her. In another 8 or 9 weeks he would go and buy 1 or 2 more, depending on the condition of the cow. He said that the old cow grossed more money than any other animal on the place. He did have alot more feed and labor to manage those calves.
He made comment that when folks would see those fat little holstein calves come through the sale they would bid up well. People started calling up to see if he had any for sale. And if the neighbors had a bum calf they would get it over to Shelby to graft onto his cow rather than raise it on on a bottle.
After the last calf had grafted to the cow real well he would turn her out on pasture and still give her a pan of grain each day.
As I remember, he didn't keep the calves very long after he weaned them. Sometimes He would get hiefer calves from the dairy and sell back to them for a good premium after weaning.
I often remember stepping into Shelby's shed. He would be setting there on a bucket with a stick, keeping the dominant calf from taking all the best pickings. Sometimes he would even hold the dominant calf in the pen for a few minutes to let the others drink.

[tab]

Do calves a couple of weeks old figure out where the milk bar is?

[hiddensprings]

Originally Posted by tab

Do calves a couple of weeks old figure out where the milk bar is?

I have a couple bottle calves that are about a month old that figured out that a goat gives milk. Now, when they see my girls coming in for milking, they are running right behind them trying to get a drink. I'm sure it would be the same with a nurse cow.

[tab]

That must be quite a sight!

[Tango]

not all cows will adopt a calf. some can hurt a calf, kicking it away. please don't just turn out a newborn sale barn calf on a family milk cow. i had one that would adopt everyone without question and others that wouldn't. the ones that wouldn't i tried all sorts of scenting tricks including a product that was "guaranteed" to always work without success.

[NeHomesteader]

Last year we put 2 calves on our milk cow. We would get her in and then put them on her morning and night. As soon as they got to bunting on her,they were off. I'd never leave them on full time Just too hard on the cow. This year we are milking her morning and night and feeding 4 calves each with a bucket. It's working much better and way easier on the cow.

[NeHomesteader]

Forgot to add that we are feeding these calves 3 times a day instead of 2 and they look really good.

[arcticow]

Originally Posted by CIW

If I have a calf who needs a momma, I have a Swiss cow that we graft those calves onto. She'll let anything that has a mind to, latch on and drink. My wife calls her marigin. Profit Margin that is. I usually wean those calves off early and go find some dairy calves for her. She can raise up to 9 calves a year but she has to constantly be eating high powered feed. If you tax her too heavy she may not breed back the next year.
Up until a few years ago my neighbor had a little cow that he would breed each year. After she calved he would go up to the dairy and buy 3 more calves. After locking her in a stantion, he would turn those calves in on her twice a day after taking off some milk for the house. In 8 or 9 weeks he had those calves started well on hay and grain. He would go buy 3 more calves and put them onto her. In another 8 or 9 weeks he would go and buy 1 or 2 more, depending on the condition of the cow. He said that the old cow grossed more money than any other animal on the place. He did have alot more feed and labor to manage those calves.
He made comment that when folks would see those fat little holstein calves come through the sale they would bid up well. People started calling up to see if he had any for sale. And if the neighbors had a bum calf they would get it over to Shelby to graft onto his cow rather than raise it on on a bottle.
After the last calf had grafted to the cow real well he would turn her out on pasture and still give her a pan of grain each day.
As I remember, he didn't keep the calves very long after he weaned them. Sometimes He would get hiefer calves from the dairy and sell back to them for a good premium after weaning.
I often remember stepping into Shelby's shed. He would be setting there on a bucket with a stick, keeping the dominant calf from taking all the best pickings. Sometimes he would even hold the dominant calf in the pen for a few minutes to let the others drink.

This is the best idea, will make more dollars in the long run. It's work, but makes the best use of the cow, without bigger calves being hard on her udder.

[Madsaw]

We had a old swiss cross cow we used as a calf feeder. She had a great bug udder but to low for our surge milkers. So we raised calves on her. Her best lactation she raised around 40 calves. For the first half we would turn 6 calves with her. She would give more then 4 calves could handle and started getting mastitis. We weaned them at 5-6 weeks. The rich milk made them square by that age. They compared in size to 3 month olds.

[arcticow]

A couple of good cows like that, with a good supply of calves, will turn a decent steady supply of dollars without milking. Sort of multiplies all the efforts. Specially with cow numbers down, and if feed prices settle...

[65284]

Calves sure aren't cheap anymore. I priced some yesterday, $250.00 ea.
But that's not really high as it sounds, they are well started 2-3 week Holsteins, have had colostrom, already steered, and produced by a farmer that takes good care of his stock.