Bottle Baby Advice Needed!

Hey y'all. She is Almost 7 1/2 weeks old. I feed her 2 2 qt. bottles a day still and she gets about a quart of grain twice a day plus alfalfa always available. She takes about three days to drink down a 2 1/2 gallon bucket of water. is she getting enough food? She is always super ready for her bottles, she barely lets me get in the gate and she is butting her head into my side trying to get between me and the gate to get the bottle. Very impatient, then she suck it down in like a minute... literally! I don't want to give her more bottles but she doesn't really eat a lot of hay. she eats her grain most times but sometimes there is some left at the next feeding. Should I feed her in a feeder for her hay? she also has small little cheat grasses growing in her pen since the snow melt and I think she nibbles that. Any advice? I have a sheet I keep to track my expenses and her rations/weight and the like. I can attach I think
 
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I haven' measured her yet again, but by the weight of her standing on my feet lately, she's getting heavier! o_O the days that have no listing for starter means she had some left and I didn't give her more, and yes she goes that long between needing more hay. I finally changed out her hay on 04/24 because it had been in there and got snowed and rained on, so I just took it out and gave her fresh.
 
At 7.5 weeks, it sounds like she's doing well. I would increase her grain ration to a gallon a day. Don't increase the milk---she'll be weaned in another 8 weeks or so. Let her eat all the alfalfa hay she wants, and you did the right thing by removing the wet hay that was showed on. She will gradually increase her water consumption as she gets larger and eats more grain/hay.

Calves always seem to be extra hungry when the bottle goes dry. This is more due to their sucking reflex not being satisfied than to their not getting enough milk. It's calving season here now, and I often stand and watch my calves suck on their respective mothers (and a few try to steal from other cows too). It often takes a calf a half hour to quit sucking. Their mom has been drained for at least half that time, but they still like to suck, nibble and bunt the cow till they get bored and move away. Sometimes the cow will get impatient and kick the calf, but usually it's the calf that gets done and goes on with his/her life.
 
I know what you mean by the sucking reflex, she absolutely HAS to suck on our fingers until she gets bored, otherwise she gets upset. Ok fine and I feel bad too :( ... at any rate we do not allow her to bump our hands while sucking on them, I take my hand away when I know she's about to do it and tell her "no bumping!" Not sure if she understands, but maybe. She also absolutely loves being scrubbed/scratched on her neck both sides at once and her chest, I think it's like the tickle spot on a dog's ribs, she would probably lift her foot to scratch if she could :love. I will take your advice and increase to 1 gallon a day on the starter, I just bought another sack of milk-replacer. The first one lasted me this long, and I still have about 3 bottles worth in it. I was hoping to only need the second sack but if need be I will get a third, I want to make sure she is fed right.

Not looking forward to butchering her, which is her intended purpose. Us girls are already attached. Oh well, it is what it is.

Any suggestions about halter training??? I haven't put one one her since the day we got her. She knows her name though and comes to us when we call her over so I guess that is good.
 
Just was reading another post and i completely forgot! What about vaccinations and worming???? I have not done those yet and she was not given any at the ranch before i got her! What do i use??? I know the worming i should consult the vet, our local IFA Manager is very knowledgeable too and she has been a great help so far, maybe i will ask her, but what vaccinations should i give if any at all???
 
I would give a 7 way shot. This protects against overeating disease. If she will be on pasture, I'd also give an anthrax shot. Neither are very expensive. If she's exposed to other cattle nearby, she may need a bovishield gold shot to protect against respiratory problems. As to worming---if she's not been on pasture, I'd not worry about it. I have no idea where you live, so these recommendations are for my area. You probably should visit with a vet or knowledgeable rancher in your area to find out what worms/diseases are endemic to your location.
 
jhm47 said:
I would give a 7 way shot. This protects against overeating disease. If she will be on pasture, I'd also give an anthrax shot. Neither are very expensive. If she's exposed to other cattle nearby, she may need a bovishield gold shot to protect against respiratory problems. As to worming---if she's not been on pasture, I'd not worry about it. I have no idea where you live, so these recommendations are for my area. You probably should visit with a vet or knowledgeable rancher in your area to find out what worms/diseases are endemic to your location.
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Northeastern Nevada about 200 miles from the borders of Utah and Idaho. I will ask the Manager at IFA since she probably sees alot of ranchers in there getting vaccines or at least ordering for them.
 
Question to all... I am feeding about a gallon of calf starter (grain) a day and she doesn't eat it all, she picks at her hay too, is there something wrong with her??? she seems fine in all other aspects, there is a fair amount of cheat grass naturally growing in her paddock that she nibbles on. Monday evening right after feeding her bottle and giving grain, by the time i got in the house and looked out the window she was lying down. maybe i am just being over cautious, i fear that something i do or don't do for her will make her sick. all in all she seems happy, appears normal, is ready for her bottle each time. I don't know...
 
Are there any abnormal symptoms that she's exhibiting, like snotty nose, coughing, sneezing, kicking at belly, etc.? If she looks bright-eyed, alert and otherwise happy, then I don't think there's anything to worry about.
 
WildRoseBeef said:
Are there any abnormal symptoms that she's exhibiting, like snotty nose, coughing, sneezing, kicking at belly, etc.? If she looks bright-eyed, alert and otherwise happy, then I don't think there's anything to worry about.
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No, none of that, other than an occasional cough but I think it's usually right after eating grain and she might eat too fast and coughs. She is bright eyed and bushy tailed for the majority.
 
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