Dexter Short leg mamma needing help...

[kycklingmamma]

Hi,

I have a 5 week old Dexter Shortleg bull calf, Viggo, that is potentially visting freezer camp eventually (if hubby wins) or hopefully, becoming a longterm inhabitant at our little farm...that being said...I know that bottle raised Dexter bulls can have iffy temperments, but for now we are entertaining both ideas...I know we have time to decide still .

He is currently on 2qts of milk replacement (Dumor all whey), three times a day, nibbles on hay, grass and various leaves occacionally,
he has been with us since he was three weeks old and that is how he has eaten since he went off momma at 13 days of age....


Do I need to up his feed at this point, with more milk replacement, more forage/hay or even calf starter? We are keen on keeping him healthy, not in a hurry at all for him to potentially visit freezer camp if that is what we decide on. We know he is a miniature thus taking longer to good weight for camp .

frankly, I love this li'l bugger and he is the coolest thing since sliced bread in my opinion....but I am slightly partial

I appreciate any help or input, thanks in advance.

Petra and Viggo in Hockley, TX

 

[jhm47]

It would be cheaper (and better for the calf) if you'd feed 2 quarts of milk replacer 2X a day. He will start on hay and starter feed much quicker. 6 quarts a day for a little animal like that is too much. Of course, you should have water for him to drink as needed.

 

[kycklingmamma]

Ok, so I should skip his middle of the day feeding?
Isn't the starter grain based, or should I go for sweet feed, with 10-12% protein?

If he was with momma in pasture he would then just start eating forage instead, she wouldn't let him nurse as often as he would like?
Just confused that's all, sorry for all my ?'s.


Thanks for your quick response

petra

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Ok, so I should skip his middle of the day feeding? That's what JHM was saying about, yes.
Isn't the starter grain based, or should I go for sweet feed, with 10-12% protein?

Starter is grain-based, and it's good to give the calf's rumen a kick-start to be developing. Forage would do the same thing.

If he was with momma in pasture he would then just start eating forage instead, she wouldn't let him nurse as often as he would like?

He'd still be suckling from her as often as he would like, but milk straight from the cow is albeit different than the kind of powdered milk replacer you're feeding him. At three weeks he'd already (or should be) starting to sample a little grass and grain and such in addition to the milk he'd get from his dam, and his intake of roughage would increase over time to the point where, even though he'd still like to suckle milk from his mom whenever he wants, he's relying more on the forage for nutrition than the milk from his mother. This is more because the cow's milk decreases in quality over time, which progressively "forces" the growing calf to eat more hay, grass or grain than milk. By the time the calf is weaned, he's mostly on forage and less on milk, and that's around 6 months (natural weaning occurs at around 10 months) post-calving.

Does that make sense?

ETA: Bottle calves are usually weaned much earlier, i.e., 3 to 4 months old.

 

[kycklingmamma]

Yes, that makes total sense!

Thanks for your response!