# how much care is it to raise one 4-month jersey heifer calf?



## jerseygirlinpa (May 20, 2009)

I have a 100 x 50 foot pasture full of grass, with a tiny shed and a water tub. The jersey calf would be by itself, but it shares a fence with a huge pasture with a herd of 20 holstein heifers that roam past 2 or 3 times a day, so it would see them walking by.

My question is would the calf get too lonely by itself?   Would it be fairly self-sufficient as long as it had grass? I would maintain its fresh water of course. 

I'd like to raise one, with low maintenance, until its 2 years old and then either sell it or get it bred. I realize that getting it bred would be a whole other level of commitment, but for now i'm trying to judge what any extra expenses and time might be.

Does anyone have experience with this?


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## Farmer Kitty (May 21, 2009)

Cattle are herd animals but, with the ones next door she maybe okay. I know our calves are hook/penned until weaned at about 2 months and do okay. I have seen some calves that are raised all by themselves and they do okay (not always the best but, the do okay). So I think that way she will have the company of the others and be okay.

As long as the grass can keep ahead of her it will be water for work. I'm taking it that you are going grass fed so no grain. Otherwise, you'll have graining too. Just watch her and make sure she isn't getting thin or just not growing. Then she may need grain. I'm not sure how long the grass will keep ahead of her. Usually with good growth and good grass covering it's 1 to 1 1/2 acre per cow. Being a calf she will need less for now but, later I'm sure you will have to supplement hay.


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## wynedot55 (May 21, 2009)

im gonna stick my neck out here.grass fed is real good.but the calf needs some grain daily.or it wont grow like she should.she should have all the grass she can eat in a pen that size.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 21, 2009)

wynedot55 said:
			
		

> im gonna stick my neck out here.grass fed is real good.but the calf needs some grain daily.or it wont grow like she should.she should have all the grass she can eat in a pen that size.


For now but, as she gets bigger?


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## wynedot55 (May 21, 2009)

then she will need some more pasture once she gets bigger.if they have  pasure.an if not hay year round.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 21, 2009)

wynedot55 said:
			
		

> then she will need some more pasture once she gets bigger.if they have  pasure.an if not hay year round.


That was my opinion too, I just wanted to clairfy things.


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## Imissmygirls (May 21, 2009)

In PA, at this point in the year, grass will work for a 4 month old.  By July, either make sure the grass is fresh and growing by rotational grazing or start some grain. 
It is EXTREMELY hard to gauge a calf's proper growth if it is a single.  I'd suggest getting info on growth charts from the county extension office and measure her regularly. 
Re: the single calf.  In my experience, there is a difference here between beef animals that will always be grazed and dairy that may be in a milking herd. Your hardest problem will be that she will never learn to eat in competition with the dairy herd. If she will always be a single, that is no problem. If she is destined to be in a herd as an adult, you really should find her a buddy to butt heads with.  Otherwise it is the equivalent of suddenly putting an only child in a big family and expecting him to cope. Some will adjust, others never will.  Has she come from a herd situation?  That alone may help her.
You will need to buy hay for the winter and if a dry summer stunts the grass.   We usually figured $1000 in raising a calf from birth to freshening-- although the first 6 months of that is the most $$.
Plan on breeding a Jersey by 12 months. Don't wait longer or you may have problems breeding her. They mature early.  A 10 month breeding is not unheard of in a* well-raised* heifer, but we always tried for a year which gave us some slack if she didn't catch the first time.  I've never had luck breeding a Jersey older than 15 months. They seem to go cystic or something.
  With a single, you will have a problem recognizing her in standing heat unless she is a bawler.  Sometimes you get lucky and a heifer bawls through her heats and you can tell when she is bred by the fact that she stops bawling!
So, she is a February calf. SHe will be fine this summer grazing if the grass holds up. By October/November she will need winter shelter. She will survive well  in a 3-sided pen but will require much more food to grow and keep warm. You don't want her fat over winter either because that can cause problems when you want to breed her next (late) winter. 
Next summer she will need the full 1.5 acres of good grass for grazing.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 22, 2009)

> I'd suggest getting info on growth charts from the county extension office and measure her regularly.


We have one here


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## MReit (Jun 2, 2009)

Just make sure to keep an extra close eye on her. She is 4 months so she is past the worse stage, but if you are used to holsteins, they are much hardier then jerseys.


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