How To Care for Orphan Calf? (Maybe)

[farmerjan]

Okay, you already have a plan. First off, a roll of hay will last a long time, the goats will also eat it and it would be great. If he can bring you one, try to put it on a pallet; most places here give them away to get rid of them. It will keep it up off the ground so there will be less waste. And free pallets make great "fences" when tied or wired together... Not knowing how big the rolls are, (4x4 will have 600-800 lbs) it should last the calf for months...even with the goats eating some of it. When the calf gets bigger, like a year old, it will last a month or more probably....and that will depend on whether you can get it out to graze some also. They definitely will eat more in the colder weather. It should save you money compared to the cost of the small square bales. You will have some waste but you can use that as bedding if it isn't wet . If you can cover it with a small tarp on top then you will waste less. But the calf and the goats will have fun pulling it off so maybe you might not try to cover it.

I'm not a big goat person, but do some farm sitting for some friends when they go away so have a little experience with them. What kind of goat is your billy or how big is he? Is he a pygmy? I would say that the calf will be big enough to intimidate the goat, and I see no reason why they can't share the pen if it is big enough that they can get away from each other. You will just have to watch and see. But if you are planning on the calf having his own place, then some temp "bunking in together" should work. Depends on your billy. You will just have to try it.

Nothing you listed that the goats like to nibble on should cause any problem for the calf but cattle are grazers, not really browsers, so he probably will not bother much of that stuff unless he is starving. Most cows are mindful of snakes,and we seldom have problems here with snakebite; we have some rattlesnakes, but most are non-poisonous like black snakes and such. There are some copperheads too. But not anything like you would have in the warmer climate south of here.

On a trip by, you might want to stop at the farmers market and walk around. You might meet some people who have animals that are more considerate than the teachers at school seem to be. Or find someone who has raised some bottle babies or just to see what is available. Never know where you might just run into the right situation....Maybe find a part-time job on a small farm that would help you with feed or hay purchases. Keep your options open...the barter system works good and sometimes you meet someone that will be a friend for life...

The calf bottle from tractor supply is right. One suggestion, I would get the "lamb or goat" nipple not the calf nipple. You would be able to use it for lambs or goats if you needed it too but the reason that I say this is that I use that size for my calves. Yes it is smaller, but most cows teats are not as big as the "calf nipple" and a little smaller nipple will not "drown" the calf if he gets to trying to drink too fast. It is not a life or death difference, but that's just what I do. Also, I sometimes have jersey calves to bottle feed and that nipple works better for a smaller calf. I have used it when we have lambs to feed, after they get a couple of weeks old they get pretty aggressive when drinking and I can put a quart of milk in the bottle and feed a couple of lambs with it and not have to make up several bottles. Sure, many will say it is not sanitary, but it has worked for me over the years.

Have you any thoughts what you will do with it if it is a bull calf? Can you allow yourself to raise it and take care of it then put it in the freezer to eat it, or sell it? You cannot afford to keep it for a pet if it is a bull calf. Oh, one thing, if it is a bull calf, you need to get it "banded" as a baby or castrated when it is a little older. Bulls are not for backyard pets and they will get acting "bullish" when they start to get mature. A steer will be much more handleable and better dispositioned. Banding it as a baby is fairly easy and quick and will be better all the way around. If it is a heifer, then you will have a very small beginning of a possible herd of cows down the road...

 

[Lanthanum]

Okay, you already have a plan. First off, a roll of hay will last a long time, the goats will also eat it and it would be great. If he can bring you one, try to put it on a pallet; most places here give them away to get rid of them. It will keep it up off the ground so there will be less waste. And free pallets make great "fences" when tied or wired together... Not knowing how big the rolls are, (4x4 will have 600-800 lbs) it should last the calf for months...even with the goats eating some of it. When the calf gets bigger, like a year old, it will last a month or more probably....and that will depend on whether you can get it out to graze some also. They definitely will eat more in the colder weather. It should save you money compared to the cost of the small square bales. You will have some waste but you can use that as bedding if it isn't wet . If you can cover it with a small tarp on top then you will waste less. But the calf and the goats will have fun pulling it off so maybe you might not try to cover it.

I'm not a big goat person, but do some farm sitting for some friends when they go away so have a little experience with them. What kind of goat is your billy or how big is he? Is he a pygmy? I would say that the calf will be big enough to intimidate the goat, and I see no reason why they can't share the pen if it is big enough that they can get away from each other. You will just have to watch and see. But if you are planning on the calf having his own place, then some temp "bunking in together" should work. Depends on your billy. You will just have to try it.

Nothing you listed that the goats like to nibble on should cause any problem for the calf but cattle are grazers, not really browsers, so he probably will not bother much of that stuff unless he is starving. Most cows are mindful of snakes,and we seldom have problems here with snakebite; we have some rattlesnakes, but most are non-poisonous like black snakes and such. There are some copperheads too. But not anything like you would have in the warmer climate south of here.

On a trip by, you might want to stop at the farmers market and walk around. You might meet some people who have animals that are more considerate than the teachers at school seem to be. Or find someone who has raised some bottle babies or just to see what is available. Never know where you might just run into the right situation....Maybe find a part-time job on a small farm that would help you with feed or hay purchases. Keep your options open...the barter system works good and sometimes you meet someone that will be a friend for life...

The calf bottle from tractor supply is right. One suggestion, I would get the "lamb or goat" nipple not the calf nipple. You would be able to use it for lambs or goats if you needed it too but the reason that I say this is that I use that size for my calves. Yes it is smaller, but most cows teats are not as big as the "calf nipple" and a little smaller nipple will not "drown" the calf if he gets to trying to drink too fast. It is not a life or death difference, but that's just what I do. Also, I sometimes have jersey calves to bottle feed and that nipple works better for a smaller calf. I have used it when we have lambs to feed, after they get a couple of weeks old they get pretty aggressive when drinking and I can put a quart of milk in the bottle and feed a couple of lambs with it and not have to make up several bottles. Sure, many will say it is not sanitary, but it has worked for me over the years.

Have you any thoughts what you will do with it if it is a bull calf? Can you allow yourself to raise it and take care of it then put it in the freezer to eat it, or sell it? You cannot afford to keep it for a pet if it is a bull calf. Oh, one thing, if it is a bull calf, you need to get it "banded" as a baby or castrated when it is a little older. Bulls are not for backyard pets and they will get acting "bullish" when they start to get mature. A steer will be much more handleable and better dispositioned. Banding it as a baby is fairly easy and quick and will be better all the way around. If it is a heifer, then you will have a very small beginning of a possible herd of cows down the road...

I am working on finding a big roll of hay, but I don't know anyone close that actually owns a farm. Most people choose a single animal and raise it, like they will have 30 or so goats in their yard or three- horses. They don't really need help around the farm. I'll keep checking though.

My billy is the biggest of the four goats, but he is still small. He stands 21 inches at the shoulder. He's the biggest out of them all and his horns pack a good punch too, he's the one on the farthest right in my profile picture. Obviously yes he is a pygmy.

When I was feeding the piglets and had to feed my girl Scout when her mamma didn't let her eat right away, I used a regular baby bottle so I'll have to buy a whole new bottle and nipple. The possum I fed had to be fed from a pipette, so nothing bigger than a baby bottle have I ever used.

Of course, if it is a bull, I'll get him castrated. I cannot have a bull running around my yard. My mom tells me that if I get a bull then she wants me to use it for meat, but she can't even eat the eggs my chickens produce because she doesn't appreciate eating the babies of the things in her backyard. I did however butcher five of my seven chickens once, I asked for seven rhode island pullets, and they gave me a straight run with four Rhode Island roosters, a yellow buff rooster, a yellow buff hen, and a game hen. I couldn't have all those roosters running around so I had to butcher four of the five. And one of my hens died so I was left with one rooster and one hen. I raised them from tiny chicks and was able to butcher em, wasn't too happy about it but I was able to. So if I raise a bull I will probably end up having to butcher him, but if there's something else productive I can get out of him then I will. What can I get out of a bull?

 

[cjc]

Looks like you have already got a lot of advice but I had a cow that was the same way. She calved her first year and the calf died of now what I think was a mixture of starvation and navel ill. I thought it was a one time thing so she calved again for us last season and we realized quickly her calf was starving. We pulled the calf and I raised it. I pulled it at 4 days old and by that point joint ill was already starting. So, definitely pull this calf right away. If she is really friendly I would put her in a head gate/squeeze a few times a day for the first 4 days and get the calf to suckle that way. I would also start a bottle at that point. If that's not an option a lot of dairies will sell you or even give you some frozen colostrum if you tell them the situation. I got bucket loads when our neighboring dairies found out about my sick baby.

Raising an orphan bottle calf is a great hobby. You will bond with this baby huge. It is just a lot of work for the first few months and they really don't like being raised on their own. They like other calves in their company. The calf I told you about is very dear to my heart and is our pet now on the farm. Although he was sick he turned out to be a great steer for us to have around.

But like @farmerjan mentioned. They need to stop breeding this cow. I don't care how friendly it is it has no business having more calves if they are dying off like this.

Good luck!

 

[Lanthanum]

Looks like you have already got a lot of advice but I had a cow that was the same way. She calved her first year and the calf died of now what I think was a mixture of starvation and navel ill. I thought it was a one time thing so she calved again for us last season and we realized quickly her calf was starving. We pulled the calf and I raised it. I pulled it at 4 days old and by that point joint ill was already starting. So, definitely pull this calf right away. If she is really friendly I would put her in a head gate/squeeze a few times a day for the first 4 days and get the calf to suckle that way. I would also start a bottle at that point. If that's not an option a lot of dairies will sell you or even give you some frozen colostrum if you tell them the situation. I got bucket loads when our neighboring dairies found out about my sick baby.

Raising an orphan bottle calf is a great hobby. You will bond with this baby huge. It is just a lot of work for the first few months and they really don't like being raised on their own. They like other calves in their company. The calf I told you about is very dear to my heart and is our pet now on the farm. Although he was sick he turned out to be a great steer for us to have around.

But like @farmerjan mentioned. They need to stop breeding this cow. I don't care how friendly it is it has no business having more calves if they are dying off like this.

Good luck!

They don't seperate any of their cows or purposely breed them. They spend more time with their crops and family than the cows, the cows are practically nonexistent to them. They grow their own hay so they barely spend a penny on those cows, so they have no reason to care for them for their worth because they don't spend money on them.

There are no dairy farms around me, the place I live is getting more industrialized (by that I mean most people drive to jobs in nearby cities instead of farming their land for money) I have never bottle raised a baby but I have been around people who bottle raised a deer from a fawn and it was the sweetest deer I've ever met, eveb though white tails are generally very cautious. I am quite excited to be able to raise a bottle baby on my own. I hope for the best, however I am prepared for the worst.

 

[cjc]

Well there are a few things you need to raise a bottle calf. Bottles, milk replacer, powdered colostrum if that's your only option, electrolytes just in case, pneumonia nasal spray, vitamin A&D and selenium injection. That is what I have on hand for when I first get a baby. But bottle calves are much better when they are raised in 2's or with other cows. If I were you I would try and get my hands on 2.