# bottle calf?



## motherof5boys1girl (Aug 31, 2009)

can someone tell me everything there is to know before getting one?
since we have moved to the country, we have tossed around the idea of getting one in the spring but i want to know everything i need to know..what to feed it, what to have ready, what not to do etc.
right now, i just have 3 pygmy goats so cows would be totally new to me.


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## beefy (Sep 1, 2009)

get a healthy one that has received colostrum, not just one that is cheap.


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## she-earl (Sep 1, 2009)

I second what beefy said about colostrum.  If you know a farmer near you, I would check with them first about buying a calf direct from them.  This prevents a calf from picking up anything and everything by being sold through a sales barn.
If you wanted to get real picky, it should be a calf sucked its colostrum from a bottle versus one that received its colostrum by being tubed fed.  A calf is born with an "esophagal groove" which closes off during the first day.  This "groove" directs sucked milk into the correct stomach to receive the best results from the colostrum.  However, a calf that would not drink shortly after being born is better off being tubed than waiting hours before getting the colostrum.  The sooner the colostrum is fed after birth the better.
You will not need more than one 50-pound bag of milk replacer for one calf.  You can also train the calf to drink out of a bucket instead of needing to stand there holding a bottle for it to drink.  The calf should have milk for a minimum of six-weeks.  At that point, you can wean it.  We wean our calves by giving half the milk they were getting for a couple to four days.  
The calf should also have access to calf feed and fresh water within a day or two of birth.  Two and one half pounds of feed per feeding twice a day is all that is needed.  When the calf is weaned at six-weeks, it will need access to free choice hay unless there is plenty of grass for it to eat.
If you get a bull calf, the meat will be better if he is made into a steer.
I hope this info is helpful to you.


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## no nonsense (Oct 21, 2009)

There are a lot of good books on the subject. It will pay to pick up a few before you get your calf, but reading them, along with the advice you'll get here, will still not tell you "everything there is to know." Start with the books, for a good reference point, and they will give you ideas about what other questions you may need to ask before you get your calf.


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