New Calves, Feeding?

[Cricket]

Are they drinking water out of a bucket? I don't wean mine 'til they're 2 months and am sure they're drinking water.

 

[larryj57]

Yes, they are all drinking water from a bucket, eating hay from the hay rack, eating grain from the feed pans, grazing grass from the pasture and chewing cud while at rest. they seem to be doing fine. how much do you think they should weigh at this point and what is a good way to estimate their weight?

 

[Cricket]

Not a clue on what they 'should' weigh--if they look happy and healthy, that's good enough for me. When I do have to guesstimate, I use a dairy weight tape. They have a place for Jersey, Holstein, and Guernsey. If I had crosses like yours, I'd probably use the Guernsey section. My steer that is J/H cross, I go by the Holstein, as that's whom he mostly looks like. My boss suggested adding some weight for steers, as they tend to weigh more than heifers (thicker neck). I've only had a weight concern once, last year when I was medicating for coccidiosis.

My steer is going to be 18 months tomorrow--I'm going to try taping him, then post the butchered weight when I get that info back. The guy is coming Sunday.

Sounds like you're having really good luck with your calves--good to hear!

 

[mdavenport121]

From the pictures you posted, they look jersey to me. Not much Holstein. When I do bottle calves I try to get them off the bottle as soon as possible. I give them milk replacer until they are 6-8 weeks old in a bucket. The sooner you can get them to eating feed and not taking milk replacer, the more profitable they will be.

 

[kenfromMaine]

Hi
I have raised prob 20 to 25 day old Jerseys over the past 3 or 4 years, this is just my opinion nothing more but it has worked fairly well for me.

First thing I do is separate them so they can not touch each other. one gets sick they all get sick.

Second, I usually give any I get from an auction a shot of penicillin

Third and I think is one of the most important is Never over feed them, a hungry calf is a healthy calf. Keep some grain in front of them with hay and water. They are usually very curious and the quicker you can get their bellies working the better off you are. I have and do take small hands of grain and "put" it in their mouths so they start chewing.

Fourth, lots of nice clean bedding and no drafts, but plenty of air flow. Check them often my experience with them is they can go downhill very fast. If its raining make sure they are inside. Cold nights or days I have put coats on them.

Fifth and this is usually hard with kids, but alot of people will let them suck their fingers (think its cute) and then go to the next calf and let him , this is where number one comes in.

Prices on them I have paid up to $20 each most are under $10 and often when I go to a farm to get what starts out as a couple the farmer will make me take whatever he has sometimes up to 6 or 8, Jersey in my opinion are some of the best meat I have ever had, but they are slow growing, tend to have the "little man" syndrome and a lot of folks wont pay what you have in them for slaughter.
I have three in my field now Holstein/Jersey crosses that I am raising for my kids and my family.
They are definitely some of the cutest babies. Oh and banding them I usually wait till 4 to 6 months that way they are well started and I dont put any undue stress on them.

Resale is always better around here in the spring when the grass starts turning, everyone wants a "cow" to raise. so yours will be 6 months old or so and I would try get at least $250 to $275 each in the spring maybe more if prices keep going up. I figure the calf cost plus a 100ish for milk replacer and 25 or so for grain to get them going. I now that prices for calfs here in Maine has gone way up. I have kept my death loss to around 5 percent which is very good for bottle calfs the average I think is they figure 20 per cent

Oh and one other thing I have noticed more with Jersey calfs is that when they are 14 to 21 days old that is a critical time on management with them, thats when they just up and die for no good reason. Again this is just my experiences and opinions.

 

[jhm47]

I heartily agree with Ken that a hungry calf is better off than one that has been overfed. Calves are ALWAYS ready for more milk replacer, and many newcomers to calf raising feel that they are underfed when the calf aggressively tries to suck another calf or the person who feeds them. In reality, they are not actually hungry. They just have not had their sucking reflex satisfied, and that is why they appear famished. When a calf is sucking a cow, they take much longer to get their required amount of milk, and they often get tired out and quit sucking. When being bottle fed, they get their 2 quarts quickly, and they are still ready to suck some more. This leads their caretakers to think that they are still very hungry, and they often give them more. When you give a calf more than their stomachs can handle, they often aspirate (inhale into their lungs) some milk, and this can cause pneumonia. If the pneumonia doesn't get them, their digestive systems are overloaded, and they get scours. Neither option is good, and can quickly cause deaths.

For you newcomers to calves, my advice is to keep them a bit hungry. You and your calves will be far better off. Good luck!

 

[larryj57]

Thanks JHM and Ken for the good advice, I seemed to have followed your plan pretty well. I took the Bottles away at 6 weeks which I first thought was a little early but, all 6 calves are eating hay, grain and grazing very well. I haven't noticed a lot of weight gain but they are all building frame right now, I've noticed they are taller and longer. I se them everday so when someone else points out their growth then I notice.

I agree as to the Jersey Breed, i don't see Holstein at all and the one heifer calf is defintely Jersey, allready getting the dark coloring around the eyes and muzzle.

Thanks again for the advice. if i get time i'll post newer pictures later today and you can tell me if you see any growth

 

[larryj57]

]


Trying with pictures

 

[herdsman]

if there wanting it in the evening then they are fine, its just like people some of us eat breakfast some dont.

 

[Hummingbird Acres]

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!

We also got some Jersey calves and we are fighting scours. The vet told us to only feed 1.5 quarts twice a day and put an egg in it. Also gave each one a shot of antibiotic. Three days later we are still having problems and one was down this am. Vet gave us more antibiotic and said to tube the down calf. We did but I am thinking like you are that we should maybe hold a feeding and give electrolytes.
I have another question. We have goats also. The calves are housed separate, but could the goats get the scours from us going back and forth?