[caroline rayburn]

Hi I'm kinda worried about my bottle calves they seem pretty skinny and i was wondering if it's normal for them to look like this, they get 4qts of milk a day and they've started eating calf food

 

[G. Seddon]

You could weigh them....use a bathroom scale, pick one up and weigh both you and the calf, then weigh just you. Keep track of the weight, the amount of milk and grain, write it down and do this on a weekly basis? I've never had a bottle calf, so I'm just guessing, but I think that's what I'd do if I were concerned.

 

[topside1]

This is normal, they both have Jersey blood in them. Don't rush growth or you may be digging a hole soon. Four quarts a day is to much in my opinion. Wondering and worrying will not help them grow, time will.

 

[caroline rayburn]

thank you! also i tried the bathroom scale thing and lets just say it didn't go so well haha

 

[caroline rayburn]

how much do you think i should be feeding them?

 

[topside1]

I feed 3 pints per feeding. Once they are around 30 days old I boost the amount to 4 pints per feeding. Everyone has their own feeding routine, that's just mine. If your calves are dropping solid manure than your routine works for you....Hug your calves and try not to worry so much....Topside

 

[Hiro]

I feed 3 pints per feeding. Once they are around 30 days old I boost the amount to 4 pints per feeding. Everyone has their own feeding routine, that's just mine. If your calves are dropping solid manure than your routine works for you....Hug your calves and try not to worry so much....Topside

A lot of folks follow the instructions on the milk replacer bag. All calves aren't the same. I, like you, have never started out a brand new calf with the full recommended ration. And you cannot go with any feedback from how much they want, as you know.

To @caroline rayburn , those calves look just fine. And if you already have them consistently eating starter feed, they may never need the whole 4 qt. ration. More experienced folks around me will have a one 50 lb. milk replacer ration per calf until weaning. I have never managed that. But, if they are eating high-protein/high-energy starter already, you are ahead of my typical progress.

 

[A friendly Sheppard]

They look like nice calves to me. We always start our bummers with 4 quarts per day split between morning and night with calf mana as soon as their able and have never had a problem

 

[caroline rayburn]

thank you everyone, their supposedly about a month old now so should i up their feeding? sorry im not very educated on this