# We are smitten with this miniature Jersey!



## Chebird (Jul 10, 2021)

Hello all!

A few weeks ago, I picked up a little mini Jersey calf, and I never imagined how fun having a calf could be! My husband and I are getting together a little petting zoo. We have eight goats, a mini donkey, 2 mini horses and now Cecil.

I'm posting to check with you experts if you all think I'm on the right track.

He was born June 4th. He drinks 1/2 gallon of whole vit D milk from the store twice a day (per breeder's instructions.) I give him about a quart of water mid day even though he does drink water from a bucket which is always there for him. He has access to our hay barn where he has fun nibbling on Bermuda grass and alfalfa.

I don't have him with the other barnyard animals yet; he is getting to know them through the fencing. He does hang with dogs and a sweet pot-belly pig.

He sleeps in a pen with a shelter and a pile of hay at night and roams on my 1/2 acre back yard during the day. He nibbles on grass and weeds during the day.

The vet is coming Tuesday to vaccinate him and check him out. 

The vet doesn't want to band him until the flies are gone. I have a little mini ex-stallion who had cryptorchid surgery last week, and he isn't being bothered by flies. For those of you who have banded little bulls in the summer, did you have many problems with flies and healing? This little guy is sooooo sweet, and I want to get him "broken" before his manliness kicks in. I've read that Jersey bulls can be jerks.

Thanks for any advice!

Holly


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## farmerjan (Jul 10, 2021)

Banding should have no problem with flies at this point.  There are no open wounds or anything.  Biggest thing is to make sure that both testicles are descended.  I would band asap and be done with it... but wait for the last quarter going into the new moon... less swelling and problems....and he does not have to have tetanus when banding this small but it won't hurt him if it is included in a vacc combination...

Jersey bulls can be very aggressive... not all, but many/most.  They may be fine for years, but when their hormones "flip",  they can be mean and dangerous.  Steers make great pets... had one that the son of the people who owned the pasture where they were, used to go out and they would lift him up to sit on this steer.... he would pull handfuls of grass in the yard to give him and pet him and all that....He was destined for the freezer;  I sorta hated to butcher him... and it seems like the heifers are never this laid back....must be the hormones (and lack of ) ....

Sounds like he is doing good.  I would just cut out the water in the bottle so that he is more likely to go to the bucket more.  You will want to be weaning him somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks, so he needs to be eating and drinking good...it sounds like he is getting along about where he should be.  If you haven't introduce a little grain... he needs to be eating a couple lbs a day when you wean him so he will grow.... just hay will give a dairy animal more of what we call a hay belly or a pot gut.... they need more/better feed than most beef calves... just the nature of how we have bred them over the years to need more "concentrates" .

Good that you kept him separate from the other animals for a bit.  Gives his immune system a chance to get acclimated to your "germs and bugs" ..... biggest thing to watch out for would be scours caused by coccidiosis.... and black leg... the basic vacc he should be getting is black leg right now.... some will push the mlv vaccines for things like IBR, PI3,  BVD, and tetanus.... something like Covexin 8 or something.... we use Triangle 10 all killed virus vaccines... and black leg (clostridiums usually like 7 way) is crucial....  You can look any of them up on the internet.... follow the vet's protocol since that who you will be working with... we do not go hog wild with vaccines..... but each vet has their own idea of what they should have / need.


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## Chebird (Jul 11, 2021)

farmerjan said:


> Banding should have no problem with flies at this point.  There are no open wounds or anything.  Biggest thing is to make sure that both testicles are descended.  I would band asap and be done with it... but wait for the last quarter going into the new moon... less swelling and problems....and he does not have to have tetanus when banding this small but it won't hurt him if it is included in a vacc combination...
> 
> Jersey bulls can be very aggressive... not all, but many/most.  They may be fine for years, but when their hormones "flip",  they can be mean and dangerous.  Steers make great pets... had one that the son of the people who owned the pasture where they were, used to go out and they would lift him up to sit on this steer.... he would pull handfuls of grass in the yard to give him and pet him and all that....He was destined for the freezer;  I sorta hated to butcher him... and it seems like the heifers are never this laid back....must be the hormones (and lack of ) ....
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your detailed information!


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## Chebird (Jul 14, 2021)

I have what is probably a stupid question. Cecil has the run of our backyard during the day, and he's put away in a pen at night. (He'll join the 1 acre barnyard when he's weaned.) His pen is not waterproof. There is some wood that Hubby put across the top in one corner. Cecil sleeps on a pile of hay under that. We had a storm last night, and the little guy is soaked. Temp right now is 67 F. He's a 6 week-old mini Jersey. He is bottled fed. He drinks a gallon a day and nibbles on wild grasses, Timothy hay and alfalfa during the day. So my question is, is it fine for this little guy to get soaking wet? I could put him in the hay shed at night. I could also put him with the goats, but I'm worried that they might hurt him.

I just let him out of his pen, and he seems fine. Went right to eating weeds, and he'll get his warm bottle soon. I just want to make sure we're doing right by him.

Sorry, I have had other barnyard critters for years, but this is my first cow.

Blessings,

Holly


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 14, 2021)

It's never ideal for young animals to get soaking wet, so I would say hay barn is a better option.

He looks good though in your pics. Biggest concern I would have besides what Jan said is your pasture size.  1 acre for eight goats, a mini donkey, 2 mini horses and a mini cow is a very small area, you will eventually have very severe issues with parasites. Grazing is not a thing there I am assuming since Arizona stocking rate is 5 goats per 4-13 acres. This is also a very very small area for all those different animals to live together without issues or fights.

Pasture needs for the mini donkey, 2 mini horses, mini cow and 8 goats is 1.11 acres for them to just exist basically.


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## Chebird (Jul 14, 2021)

misfitmorgan said:


> It's never ideal for young animals to get soaking wet, so I would say hay barn is a better option.
> 
> He looks good though in your pics. Biggest concern I would have besides what Jan said is your pasture size.  1 acre for eight goats, a mini donkey, 2 mini horses and a mini cow is a very small area, you will eventually have very severe issues with parasites. Grazing is not a thing there I am assuming since Arizona stocking rate is 5 goats per 4-13 acres. This is also a very very small area for all those different animals to live together without issues or fights.
> 
> Pasture needs for the mini donkey, 2 mini horses, mini cow and 8 goats is 1.11 acres for them to just exist basically.


Thanks for your reply!

 It's really not much of a problem here with raising on a dry lot (there is no pasture).  The minie's paddock is about 1 acre. The big horses have their own acre. We feed quality hay 3X/day. Goats get complete goat feed with minerals and baking soda. Mini horses get some alfalfa in addition to the Bermuda. Every species gets separated at noon feeding for their individual needs. Everyone is on a deworming schedule. We haven't had any fights at all, except that boss goat is big and can be rather pushy.

I'm going to put more wood and a tarp up to give the calf a dryer night. If the weather gets real bad, he'll go in the hay shed.

Thanks!!!


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 14, 2021)

Chebird said:


> Thanks for your reply!
> 
> It's really not much of a problem here with raising on a dry lot (there is no pasture).  The minie's paddock is about 1 acre. The big horses have their own acre. We feed quality hay 3X/day. Goats get complete goat feed with minerals and baking soda. Mini horses get some alfalfa in addition to the Bermuda. Every species gets separated at noon feeding for their individual needs. Everyone is on a deworming schedule. We haven't had any fights at all, except that boss goat is big and can be rather pushy.
> 
> ...


Deworming schedule is a bad bad thing. All those animals in that small of a space food needs aside is going to cause parasite problems and the dewormer is going to stop working eventually.  I have done/been thru it myself already and it took me 4 yrs of my animals being sick/dying to figure out what the problem/cause was. We used a dewormer schedule and we feed hay/grain/loose minerals/supplements.

They are your animals of course, do as you like I'm just trying to tell you, you are setting yourself for a big issue with very sick/dead animals at some point down the road. Just trying to make sure you are aware of the potential issue before it happens.

You said you are getting together a petting zoo so more animals coming.


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## Chebird (Jul 14, 2021)

misfitmorgan said:


> Deworming schedule is a bad bad thing. All those animals in that small of a space food needs aside is going to cause parasite problems and the dewormer is going to stop working eventually.  I have done/been thru it myself already and it took me 4 yrs of my animals being sick/dying to figure out what the problem/cause was. We used a dewormer schedule and we feed hay/grain/loose minerals/supplements.
> 
> They are your animals of course, do as you like I'm just trying to tell you, you are setting yourself for a big issue with very sick/dead animals at some point down the road. Just trying to make sure you are aware of the potential issue before it happens.
> 
> You said you are getting together a petting zoo so more animals coming.


Nope, no more animals are coming, and we are following our vet's advice on deworming. Because a majority of the time our weather is dry, we don't have as many parasite issues as other areas. I have kept animals here since 1995 without having a parasite problem.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 14, 2021)

Chebird said:


> Nope, no more animals are coming, and we are following our vet's advice on deworming. Because a majority of the time our weather is dry, we don't have as many parasite issues as other areas. I have kept animals here since 1995 without having a parasite problem.


That would make sense that the dryness helps.


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## Chebird (Jul 21, 2021)

Our vet was out yesterday to trim our pig's feet and to band our little Cecil. Cecil did great: no crying or drama. On the other hand, Patty, our pig, sounded like she was being butchered! I asked about worming Cecil, and he said not until he's six month's old.


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## farmerjan (Jul 21, 2021)

That is great about the calf.  We seldom worm any calves until weaning time.... and then we do not do alot of worming.  If there is any questions, having a fecal done will answer any questions.... calves more often get something like coccidiosis rather than worms at young ages.... The one thing you want to do is to make sure that he gets enough grain/protein .... not too much, but you want him to grow and too much hay if it is not good quality will give him a "pot gut or pot belly" as they eat more to try to get more nutrition.  Dairy animals get pot guts much easier than beef breeds because they have been bred for too long to need "better feed"..... they don't do as well when young to subsist on roughage like beef cattle do. 
Don't worry either if he tends to look thin..... jerseys are known for looking "dairy"  until they get much more mature.  As long as he is eating good and has decent consistency to his manure, then he is doing okay.  

Yeah, some pigs squeal like they are being murdered over little stuff......


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## Chebird (Aug 6, 2021)

Well, this happened today. I'm hoping he just ate something weird; this is green. Poop this morning was solid and dark. He is acting normal and taking his bottle just fine.

His birthday is June 4th, and the breeder told me to feed him the whole milk.

He gets a half gallon of whole milk from the store twice a day, and he has the run of our back yard which has quite the variety of grasses and weeds. He also has access to our hay barn where he nibbles Bermuda and alfalfa.

After getting the tar scared out of me researching scours, I gave him some Vitamix and Build Back. The second pic is of the ingredients in the Vitamix.

I also sent a pic of the poop to our vet. Haven't heard back yet.

The only thing that has changed is that Hubby mowed down everything.


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## farmerjan (Aug 7, 2021)

His gut tract is starting to evolve... from just the "true stomach" that processes the milk, and the rumen is starting to get some use.  He is eating some green stuff... the manure is going to get runnier and green.  If he is drinking fine, and acting fine, don't sweat it.  Newly mown grass and weeds are always more fun and easier to eat.  He will get over it in a day or 2.  If it continues, take away the alfalfa and only let him have the grass type hay.  Honestly, alfalfa is too rich for little calves... they need more bulk and less rich hay.  It can founder him if you are not careful .  I never feed alfalfa to calves except as a little tiny bit as a treat... or they are stealing a few bites from the manger when the cow is in the barn to be milked.
He is 2 months old, his gut tract should be developing.... How much grain is he getting?  He really needs more of the grass hay (Bermuda) and some grain concentrate, not as much alfalfa... and for a mini he does not need alot of grain.


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## Chebird (Aug 7, 2021)

farmerjan said:


> His gut tract is starting to evolve... from just the "true stomach" that processes the milk, and the rumen is starting to get some use.  He is eating some green stuff... the manure is going to get runnier and green.  If he is drinking fine, and acting fine, don't sweat it.  Newly mown grass and weeds are always more fun and easier to eat.  He will get over it in a day or 2.  If it continues, take away the alfalfa and only let him have the grass type hay.  Honestly, alfalfa is too rich for little calves... they need more bulk and less rich hay.  It can founder him if you are not careful .  I never feed alfalfa to calves except as a little tiny bit as a treat... or they are stealing a few bites from the manger when the cow is in the barn to be milked.
> He is 2 months old, his gut tract should be developing.... How much grain is he getting?  He really needs more of the grass hay (Bermuda) and some grain concentrate, not as much alfalfa... and for a mini he does not need alot of grain.


Thanks so much for your wisdom and for taking the time to reply! <3

What kind of grain should he be on? I don't feed grain to anyone else. They get species specific complete food. Only the horses get alfalfa at lunch.  I don't think he eats a lot of the alfalfa. He goes into the hay barn to nap. Whenever I go looking for him, he's always just resting in there. It would really be no problem just to shut the door so he can't get in there. Besides the bottle, he mostly grazes on the grass and weeds.

Again, THANK YOU!


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## farmerjan (Aug 7, 2021)

If he is not eating much alfalfa then I wouldn't worry about it.  I thought maybe it was something he was eating more of.  It is the grasses and weeds that he is eating... as long as it does not become something that is squirting out of him like a shot trying to go through a keyhole at 20 paces... and he is taking his bottles, I would not worry.  
Some sort of a calf starter complete grain.... usually in the 14 to 16 % protein range... I normally feed a 14% calf "sweet feed" to the ones I am trying to get to eat grain....they like the molasses sweetness... Try putting a little in his mouth after he drinks his bottle... let him gum it and roll it around in his mouth.... he will eat a little and in a few days might even put his head in a bucket looking for it.  If he is drinking water from a bucket, then I would put some in a bucket next to the water... they get curious and will start snuffling around.... you want him to be eating as you are going to want to cut him back to one bottle a day in the next few weeks... and his grain consumption should increase.  

Now I don't have mini's... so my expertise is limited on amounts... but a newly weaned "full sized calf" at say 3 months... weighing in the neighborhood of 150 +/- lbs... will be eating 3-4 lbs grain daily.  So I am thinking cut that by thirds... and he should be starting to eat and be up to at least 1-1 1/2 lbs a day by 12 weeks????  You need to maybe get in contact with the previous owners to get their thoughts... and contact one of the mini cattle organizations to see what is recommended.


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## Chebird (Aug 9, 2021)

farmerjan said:


> If he is not eating much alfalfa then I wouldn't worry about it.  I thought maybe it was something he was eating more of.  It is the grasses and weeds that he is eating... as long as it does not become something that is squirting out of him like a shot trying to go through a keyhole at 20 paces... and he is taking his bottles, I would not worry.
> Some sort of a calf starter complete grain.... usually in the 14 to 16 % protein range... I normally feed a 14% calf "sweet feed" to the ones I am trying to get to eat grain....they like the molasses sweetness... Try putting a little in his mouth after he drinks his bottle... let him gum it and roll it around in his mouth.... he will eat a little and in a few days might even put his head in a bucket looking for it.  If he is drinking water from a bucket, then I would put some in a bucket next to the water... they get curious and will start snuffling around.... you want him to be eating as you are going to want to cut him back to one bottle a day in the next few weeks... and his grain consumption should increase.
> 
> Now I don't have mini's... so my expertise is limited on amounts... but a newly weaned "full sized calf" at say 3 months... weighing in the neighborhood of 150 +/- lbs... will be eating 3-4 lbs grain daily.  So I am thinking cut that by thirds... and he should be starting to eat and be up to at least 1-1 1/2 lbs a day by 12 weeks????  You need to maybe get in contact with the previous owners to get their thoughts... and contact one of the mini cattle organizations to see what is recommended.


We don't let him in the hay barn, and his poop is more solid. He still takes his bottle like he is starving (he isn't). Do you have a brand name for grain we should start him on? Thanks again for your above answer; you gave me a good night's sleep!


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## misfitmorgan (Aug 9, 2021)

We just use out local feed mills calf starter. It basically a sweet feed.


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## farmerjan (Aug 9, 2021)

Same as @misfitmorgan ... I use our local feed mill's calf feed.  It is a sweet feed also.  Ask where you are getting the feed for your other animals... They might have something that you can feed to more than one breed since the calf will not be eating all that much.   A good all around 14% sweet feed would be fine.


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## misfitmorgan (Aug 10, 2021)

Our mill has 14% and 18% calf starter we use 18% usually, then when they get older they move to a 16% chop feed and shell corn. They also have 24/7 access to 1st cut grass hay when they are younger. The two oldest ones and our sheep are atm on 2nd cut grass hay round bales with a sprinkling of alfalfa in it. DH did some work and traded for the round bales, normally they just stay on 1st cut grass hay.


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