New Calves, Feeding?

[larryj57]

Good Morning all,
I bought 6 Jersey/Holstien cross calves last week, this is my first time in the cattle business so I'm looking for advice. The man i got them from said they were a week old but I'm thinking they were more like 3 days at the most. All are lively and engeritic so far. the question is there has been two mornings when 2 of the calves wouldn't take their bottle, not even touch them. the other 4 , suck the bottom out in a short time. it was 2 different calves each time. they both drank good at the evening feeding, should i worry about this?

The calves are being fed by hanging bottles on bottle racks, no problem with that so far, I am also trying to train them to tie while they are being fed, again having good luck with that.I have 5 Bull calves and 1 hefier, at what age should I band the bulls?

And last of all what would be a good price for these type calves at 3 days old? I think I got a good deal being as they are going to be 2 weeks old tomorrow and they are all still alive.

 

[jhm47]

First of all, Jersey cross calves are not in high demand. Many bring less than $50/head around here, while beef cross calves will bring upwards of $250/head.

Sounds like you got some good ones if you haven't had any health/scours problems yet. One of the biggest things that I have experienced is that very young calves are best kept on the hungry order for the first week or so. Overfeeding is one of the biggest causes of scours. It can even cause pneumonia if the calf overeats and aspirates some of the milk. When I used to raise calves on bottles, I quickly learned that cutting their rations by 20 - 25% for the first week and gradually increasing to the recommended rate was far better than getting a scours outbreak and treating that for several days/weeks, and possibly losing a calf or two.

Be sure to use a high quality milk replacer, and get them started on hay and starter as soon as possible.

As to banding, it can be done as soon as the testes have descended into the scrotum. Personally, I don't like to band. I prefer to pinch them or cut them, but whatever works for you.

Good luck!

 

[larryj57]

Thanks for the advice, as I said this is my first rodeo with cattle, I've had good luck with goats and poultry but you how it is with a new thing. I'm hoping to put 2 in the freezer and sell the rest to recoup my expenses. I have plenty of pasture and a good supply of Hay. I've seen 10 month old calves sell for upwards of $800 around here and $1000 for the beef breeds.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Around here, the dairy's sell their bull calves for $25.00. They don't sell their heifers. Congratulations on your new herd. They are a lot of fun!

 

[redtailgal]

Holstein bull calves from the decent diary farmers sell for around 75. There are many however that just throw them in a pen and if they live long enough, the go to the sale the next day. :/

 

[Royd Wood]

Holstein bull calves from the decent diary farmers sell for around 75. There are many however that just throw them in a pen and if they live long enough, the go to the sale the next day. :/

Its brutal eh
Like jhm we always pinch - works great - see if someone local will do it for you

 

[larryj57]

All the Calves had a full bottle this morning, sometimes there is 1 or 2 who don't seem interested at all. Should I force feed or wait until the next feeding? I'm feeeding 2 quarts twice a day.

 

[she-earl]

We feed our holstein calves 2 quarts twice a day. If your are crossbred with Jersey's, they may be smaller. How much do you think they weigh? If they are 80-85 pound, they would OK with 3 pints twice a day. I agree with jhm that it is better to not over feed them milk replacer and risk scours. Put calf starter feed in front of them so if they want more to eat they can start to eat that. You might want to wait a little bit before introducing new things, - tieing, banding, etc. until they are started good at your place. Any adjustment on a young calf can cause stress and affecting their immune system. If possible, I like to spread vaccines, moving, etc. two weeks apart.

 

[Cricket]

I wouldn't force feed if they've just missed one or two feedings. Seems like where I work, the calves that skip a bottle once in a while are the ones that don't tend to get scours. (It might be a Jersey thing!).

 

[larryj57]

all 6 calves took a full 2 quart bottle this morning and are starting to mouth the hay. I saw 2 of them licking at the calf starter I put out for them. I have seen the same type calves on craiglsit here starting at $70 dollars for 3 day olds and up to $200 for 3 week olds. I think I got a good Deal.