Our first brown Swiss bull calf

What tricks do you use to get them to start eating grain from a bucket

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farmerjan

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Okay, I was tagged(?) to try to help....Calves need a minimum of 1/2 gal = 2 quarts milk replacer TWICE a day. Brown swiss are a bigger framed breed and should get 3 qts per feeding for the first 4-6 weeks. Grain should be fed free choice in a bucket up high enough that they can't get their feet or anything else in it, not on the ground level. They will start when they are ready. Try a little on the ends of your fingers, put it in their mouth and let them chew play with it.They are known for problems to get them to suck a bottle if they first get a chance to suck a cow, it's an actual syndrome. I have 2 different farms that raise registered swiss and they have talked to me about it often. They check the cows hourly when due and NEVER let the new calves suck from their momma's when born..... Give him free choice hay, use a 2nd or 3rd cutting fine hay like orchard grass so it is not stemmy (coarse).
Reread your post and saw that he is on 2 gallons a day which if on a cow is fine. But now, you are supplying so much milk that he has no need to start eating much else, he's full!!!! Cut his milk back so that he wants to try eating other stuff, like cut back to 3 qts a feeding - 3/4 gal- then again to 1/2 gal at 8-10 weeks, and watch his grain intake. He should be eating some hay also. Although the commercial farms get them off milk usually by 8 weeks, I prefer to keep them on until 10-12 weeks.
Now, I am a believer in milk replacer if you do not have a source of real milk. NOT store bought milk that has been pasturized. But I DO NOT feed medicated milk replacer, and it has to be ALL MILK, not soy milk replacer. Read the labels. It is balanced for the needs of the species that you have. Organic is good but way expensive, just don't feed medicated as matter of course....treat a problem if it occurs but let their own immune system build up. If it comes from an individual, it likely has had the colostrum so will have some antibodies. If you don't know, get one of the paste/gels that are available. Obviously, at this point you don't need to worry about it.
Again swiss can be stubborn, sweet dispositioned, but thick headed. You say "he" so I assume this is for a beef? Or are you wanting an ox? Word to the wise, if you are raising him for beef, swiss also get tougher than some other breeds and although grassfed is preferable, give him some grain and butcher by 2 yrs old. The steaks will be tough if he gets too old, whereas a jersey beef is pretty tender until 3. I only eat grassfed jersey beef now because our angus beef steers are worth too much as feeders and jerseys are cheap and I prefer the flavor and tenderness. The steaks are a little smaller too due to their build. The only other drawback with swiss is that due to their size/frame, they don't finish as soon as smaller framed animals, so grain is a necessity if you want any type of finished animal to put in the freezer. They grow frame first =bone= before they put on meat/fat. And then their muscle (meat) gets tough as they get older. That is one of the reasons they bring less at the stockyards, they don't yield well..ie.. they don't grade as choice etc due to the age/tenderness thing. and all the bone....Hope this helps.
 

NH homesteader

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That was very informative. My friend has a brown Swiss and I will be passing this information along to him for future reference!
 
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Fruin farm

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Okay, I was tagged(?) to try to help....Calves need a minimum of 1/2 gal = 2 quarts milk replacer TWICE a day. Brown swiss are a bigger framed breed and should get 3 qts per feeding for the first 4-6 weeks. Grain should be fed free choice in a bucket up high enough that they can't get their feet or anything else in it, not on the ground level. They will start when they are ready. Try a little on the ends of your fingers, put it in their mouth and let them chew play with it.They are known for problems to get them to suck a bottle if they first get a chance to suck a cow, it's an actual syndrome. I have 2 different farms that raise registered swiss and they have talked to me about it often. They check the cows hourly when due and NEVER let the new calves suck from their momma's when born..... Give him free choice hay, use a 2nd or 3rd cutting fine hay like orchard grass so it is not stemmy (coarse).
Reread your post and saw that he is on 2 gallons a day which if on a cow is fine. But now, you are supplying so much milk that he has no need to start eating much else, he's full!!!! Cut his milk back so that he wants to try eating other stuff, like cut back to 3 qts a feeding - 3/4 gal- then again to 1/2 gal at 8-10 weeks, and watch his grain intake. He should be eating some hay also. Although the commercial farms get them off milk usually by 8 weeks, I prefer to keep them on until 10-12 weeks.
Now, I am a believer in milk replacer if you do not have a source of real milk. NOT store bought milk that has been pasturized. But I DO NOT feed medicated milk replacer, and it has to be ALL MILK, not soy milk replacer. Read the labels. It is balanced for the needs of the species that you have. Organic is good but way expensive, just don't feed medicated as matter of course....treat a problem if it occurs but let their own immune system build up. If it comes from an individual, it likely has had the colostrum so will have some antibodies. If you don't know, get one of the paste/gels that are available. Obviously, at this point you don't need to worry about it.
Again swiss can be stubborn, sweet dispositioned, but thick headed. You say "he" so I assume this is for a beef? Or are you wanting an ox? Word to the wise, if you are raising him for beef, swiss also get tougher than some other breeds and although grassfed is preferable, give him some grain and butcher by 2 yrs old. The steaks will be tough if he gets too old, whereas a jersey beef is pretty tender until 3. I only eat grassfed jersey beef now because our angus beef steers are worth too much as feeders and jerseys are cheap and I prefer the flavor and tenderness. The steaks are a little smaller too due to their build. The only other drawback with swiss is that due to their size/frame, they don't finish as soon as smaller framed animals, so grain is a necessity if you want any type of finished animal to put in the freezer. They grow frame first =bone= before they put on meat/fat. And then their muscle (meat) gets tough as they get older. That is one of the reasons they bring less at the stockyards, they don't yield well..ie.. they don't grade as choice etc due to the age/tenderness thing. and all the bone....Hope this helps.
Sounds like everything I'm doing is right . I appreciate the extra information about Brown Swiss my wife works in the dairy barn so she's got a clue however I'm a city boy and learning thanks again
 
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