First time new bottle calf...what do I need to do

Judy77 · #1 05/15/14, 02:29 PM

Hi everyone,

We are getting a new bottle calf. I have the bottle and calf food. What all do I need to know? This is our first. We want to raise it ourselves and grass feed it out to butcher. It is a little boy calf so we will need to have it fixed. Possibly dehorned.

Great forum for all us newbies.

Thanks, Judy in Indiana

nosqrls · #2 05/15/14, 02:41 PM

Sale barn/Bottle calves Is a good place to start. And use milk based replacer not soy based.keep bottles clean. keep pen clean. Clean water and food buckets/bowls regularly. Offer good quality hay and calf starter. ( ours pick at dumor but will eat kent) Never had problems with kent replacer and starter. Ask how much they are feeding and how often. and what replacer swapping replacers can give them trots so blend for a couple days if possible if not be prepared. we use supra sulfa 3 we keep it on hand had to dose a calf that found the alfalfa and ate himself sick way to much protein,Looked like a little green fountain. poor fellow.

Seth · #3 05/15/14, 02:49 PM

Don't get attached. Seth

G. Seddon · #4 05/15/14, 03:42 PM

Above all, make sure it has received colostrum before bringing it home. And if you don't have a relationship with a large animal vet, get in touch with one before you need him/her.

IMFoghorn · #5 05/15/14, 06:34 PM

Everyone is giving very good advice. Good luck with your new calf. Are you getting it from a farm or from the sale barn? Coming from a farm is much better than the sales barn. They really do need that first milk (colostrum) to have much of a chance at making it. I also second having a vet's phone number close. If things start to go bad it is imperative to get on top of the problem as soon as possible.

Lots of great folks on here. If you have any specific questions there will be someone here with an answer. Best of luck to you. We like pictures !

Judy77 · #6 05/16/14, 03:35 PM

Thank you everyone who offered help. I learned a lot from you all. We go to the farm tomorrow to get our little guy. I have the pen ready and bottle and a large bag of milk replacer. Can't wait for the grandkids to come Sunday and see him.

I will probably be back to ask more questions. And with some pictures if I can figure out how to post them.

Oh, and I have my vet's number on my cell phone.

Judy in rainy Indiana

jcjersey · #7 05/17/14, 12:18 PM

congrats! we to just picked up our first calf 2 weeks ago. He was around 5 weeks old though so had a good start. Ours is a little jersey. After a week we took him to the vet and had him dehorn and castrate him for us, and he got his first vaccine then as well. We just have bottles, halter/lead, milk replacer, his stall, a pen off of it, and then we let him out to graze during the day now. He has calf manna and a salt block and hay in his pen. But honostly, I have only seen him lick the block once and attemtp to try the calf manaa for a second lol.. mostly in his pen he sleeps, drinks a little bit of water, or tries to lick and suck on everything BUT his food/minerals lol.

He is kinda like a dog right now, comes when called, tries to play with every critter we have, and follows us anywhere. Hubby is tickeled pink in love. Probably dosnt help that hubby is home all day right now healing up from hip replacement so has all the time int he world to spend with him lol.. but we have found he is so cute and sweet and fun.. but do relize he is also going to provide us with beef next fall. I guess we will just have to keep getting cute little jersey babies to replace them

We truely want a jersey heifer, but that will take some time, as were having a hard time finding one!! Everyone is keeping theres :/ dont blame them.

Enjoy! Read read read! I just purchased the book.. Keeping the family cow to help out.. and asking all the questions I have, and knocking on wood nothing bad happens!!

Judy77 · #8 05/20/14, 07:54 PM

Hi everyone,

Things are going great with our little dairy week old bottle calf. Here is a picture of my 16 year old grand daughter feeding him. It took us a while to learn to pull "back" on the bottle so he could suck on it...we kept pushing it into his mouth and he would back up...very frustrating for him.

Thanks everyone for all your advice. This is a great forum with great people on it.

Having our mini farm has been a wonderful experience for all our grandchildren.

Judy in warm and windy Indiana

topside1 · #9 05/20/14, 09:26 PM

Judy first off congrats on the bottle calf. By looking at the photo the calf is in perfect health. Eyes and ears are a quick indicator. Please do all of us a favor and only feed the amount of milk that was recommended by the seller, no more no matter how tempting....Sharp looking little fellow you have there, enjoy...Topside

G. Seddon · #10 05/21/14, 06:14 AM

A beautiful little calf!

hiddensprings · #11 05/23/14, 11:38 AM

Oh what a cutie! Everyone has given such wonderful advise. I've been raising bottle calves for several years now and I would repeat what some of the others have said:
* don't overfeed. A hungry baby isn't bad. Go by what the farm you got him from said and read the directions on the milk replacer
* keep a vet's number handy and call him/her if the calf seems "off" and especially if he doesn't want his bottle
* Above all, have fun. they really are the sweetest little things.

And, since he is future beef, he needs a tough name like T-Bone or Chuck Roast.

Judy77 · #12 05/25/14, 07:02 AM

Well, we named him "Bo" because it went well with "Mow" our other older calf (he Mows our field)

Anyway, we seriously thought about naming him "Meatloaf".