Weaning bottle calf

farmnewbie · #1 08/05/14, 08:48 AM

Hi there. Last week I started weaning my 8-9 week old bottle calf. I was told by a friend to gradually cut back the amount of bottle that I give her like 3/4 of a bottle 2x a day for a few days then a half a bottle 2x a day for a few days then 1/2 bottle once a day till the MR is gone. Well I am on the 1/2 a bottle 2x a day right now and I just read that the way you wean a calf is to give them 1 full bottle once a day for a week then stop. Am I doing it wrong? Should I continue the way I am doing it? I think I will only have a couple bottles left from what is left of my MR. Just don't want to mess anything up as this is our first bottle calf. She is eating a ton of grass on pasture and hay and eating a decent amount of grain. Not sure of it's the recommended 2lbs but like I said she nibbles on grass all day long. Also not so sure she is drinking a whole lot of water but I was told that once the bottles are gone she will drink water more. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

sv.maple · #2 08/05/14, 12:27 PM

I would make sure its eating 2-3 lbs of calf grain for 3-4 days in a row before weaning. When eating that amount it rumen is developed enough to continue growing with out the milk. I wean by only feeding milk once a day for a week then no milk. Be sure its eating the grain first though if you want it to grow. Lot of people wean by age but its the rumen being developed thats important. Ive weaned calves at 6 weeks and some are 10 before eating enough grain to wean. Hope that helps

sv.maple · #3 08/05/14, 12:32 PM

The way your doing it isnt wrong same results lower the milk intake before it gits none. When you stop feeding milk be ready to listen to it blattin for couple days and be sure theres clean water itll drink when wants to

farmnewbie · #4 08/05/14, 02:11 PM

Ok thanks. I figured it was the same thing, my friend is knowledgable in animals and I've had 4 kids and that's how you wean a baby too lol. Well hopefully she will be eating enough grain in a few days cause we don't want to have to buy another whole bag of MR but we will if we have to plus I think we will be getting another calf soon so we will have to buy more anyway. Thanks!

farmnewbie · #5 08/05/14, 02:13 PM

Oh another thing I wanted to ask. Is the amount of grain that they eat an indicator of a developed rumen? Doesn't grass/hay help the rumen develop as well?

sv.maple · #6 08/05/14, 07:28 PM

The grain helps the rumen develop. If you see the inside of a cows stomach its all like little fingers and when born its smooth the fingery things need to develop. I dont feed any hay or grass to my calves till they eat about 6 lbs grain a day then they git second or third cut hay. If you give hay to soon theyll get a hay belly (pot bellied). If eating atleast 3 lbs grain every day and you keep it on grain and good hay youll be good.

farmnewbie · #7 08/05/14, 07:44 PM

Oh ok. Well we got this calf when she was 3-4 weeks old and she was born on pasture and had already started eating grass before we got her, so we continued letting her. Probably why she prefers the grass over the grain.