Went to a local dairy farm today and brought home a bull calf to beef in the fall (he's a week old). Basically all I know is to feed him milk replacer twice a day and in a few days he's to be introduced to calf starter. Any good tips to make his life happy and healthy? I brushed him a bit when we got him into the barn and he seemed to like it and we had a bit of a cuddle this afternoon. When can he go outside ?

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Answers

Alison, in my experience the best quality milk replacer gives me the lest amount of problems. Watch for the scours (runs)Ours are outside right away with shelter to get in.

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Do you really think he'll be big enough to butcher in the fall, Alison?? I mean, I know you CAN butcher them that young, but if you can possibly keep him through next winter (or part of it) or maybe pasture grow him next summer, you'll get so much more and better beef!! At least that's what we've done in the past :-)!! Mmmmm...homegrown beef!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Baby critters! How I love baby critters! Did you read Ken's thread over on CS a while back Ali, about how he revamped a calf bottle nipple somehow to go on a 5 gal. bucket instead and hung it over a fence post to feed - to get the baby's gut and gullet in the right configuration to best use the formula? It was a neat idea!

The neighbor has a flock of sheep, so I have been seeing little lambikins bouncing around his pasture on my drives home in the mornings - it's so funny how they seem to just bounce off all four feet insead of running - boiiing, boiiiing!! Another neighbor raises cattle - I had to wait on him this morning as he was transporting hay, so I got to lean on the fence and admire fat little black calves. Then I came home and laid on my belly in the straw to peer under the rabbit hutch and pet Mom Cat and her 4 baby kitties - babies, babies and more babies!! Need to get Pop to knocking together some robin and barn swallow shelves - it'll soon be time for them to nest too - don'tcha just love springtime!?

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

I miss baby kitties so much!! I've had all my barn cats spayed...doing the right thing, ya know!! But I sure miss cuddling them on my lap while I'm milking or watching them romp in and around the bales of hay!!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

I had the suprise of new baby goat kids this morning when I went out to the barn. I mean a big surprise since this little gal was not even suppose to be bred!!! When I had the great buck escape last fall I didn't know she was even in heat. Two darling babies, buck and doe, in the kitchen in a box. I swore that no goats would be in my kitchen this year since I was kidding so darn late, but they were born when I got there and cold and hungry cause their mama was just a "teenager" and was just standing there looking at them. Sooooo, here they are, in the kitchen.

We have new kitties also, 5 of them. It has been about 25 years since I have actually had kittens born on my place and I was so excited. They are so soft and cute and I just can't wait until they get their eyes open and start playing. The blue birds are all poking in and out of the new bluebird houses that Gary made and put up and the sparrows are already nesting in anything that they can squeeze into. We had a thunderstorm this morning and it smelled so good.

I didn't notice that part about beefing him in the fall Alison. It can be done, but he will be small. We have done it before when we ran out of beef and I must say "baby beef" is really good. I can't remember........do you have goats?? Goat's milk, fed right on until fall, would really put some meat on him and it would be quite wonderful eating.

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

No goats yet, the kids come late this month or so when they are weaned. Yup, baby beef is the plan so he is being beefed this fall. It was the least expensive alternative (hmmm...150 bucks for a baby calf or 600 for a steer?) I am using the feed stores "High Performance" milk replacer (its the only one they have so how does one compare it to a "Fair To Middling"milk replacer?)in a bottle at a ratio of 1 part MR to 7 parts water a per label directions as read to me over the phone by the feed store guy since my bag came without a tag (grrr). He is in a pen in the barn by himself and has yellow runny poop. Is that normal for a week old calf? Scours are white right? I know I sound like an absolute idiot but my cow book is dairy related not much concerned with calves. I have been butted to make the milk let down (I did near drop the bottle so it kinda worked) in various places so that was pretty good for a chuckle from my husband. So far (24 hours) its been a grand adventure.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002