Feeding calves

[Livinzoo]

I'm getting a Jersey calf that is at least 4 weeks old. The seller told me to get Dumor Calf Starter and 25lbs of milk replacer.

I was wondering which would be best for the calf the milk replacer or whole milk from the store?

The reason I ask is that I work at a dairy and we give away packaged milk to employees when it gets near the sell by date. So I have an endless supply of pasteurized whole milk. I can usually get cream to increase the butterfat if needed. The whole milk is processed to be about 3.25% fat. I can even add yogurt to the mix or raw farm eggs. Both things I have read of people adding to the milk. I just want to know what would be easiest for her to digest.

Also I have heard that many people use alfalfa hay. I can get pellets but the hay is harder to find. What would be the next best hay? Bermuda, fescue, or orchard grass mix are pretty common here.

Thanks so much.

 

[jhm47]

Natural nutrition is usually best, so if you can get "free" milk from your employer, go with that. You might wish to add a bit of cream to up the butterfat content to match that of a Jersey cow, otherwise, the whole milk will be best, in my opinion. The starter is a good idea, and as to the hay---most any hay is fine, although alfalfa is probably best. Be sure that the quality is good, especially for a small calf. Green, dust free, hay that smells good to you will be fine. Many times alfalfa that is not the best quality is used in the pelleting plants, so I'd go with the hay if I were you. Good luck with your new calf.

 

[Imissmygirls]

I have to disagree with ya, jhm. I would never feed a calf pasteurized milk. Pasteurization kills the good belly bugs along with the bad disease bugs and the calf's gut needs those good belly bugs. Now, if you can get RAW milk, GO FOR IT! Even if it is medicated ( tossed) milk or old colostrum, I'd use that, altho I would dilute the colostrum a bit for the older calves. So long as it is raw, not pasteurized. You can add some pasteurized cream to it to up the caloric intake, and I would do that, but never totally pasteurized.
I would use good alfalfa or the alfalfa pellets until the calf is about 6 months old unless I could get REALLY good grass hay. I have raised beautiful Jersey heifers on fresh spring grass from birth, but it was freshgrowing orchardgrass mix spring grass-- full of protein. So the answer to the hay/grass depends on what you have available.

 

[jhm47]

This calf is already 4 weeks old. It should have a good colonization of natural bacteria already growing in it's gut. The milk replacers that I have used don't have any added bacteria, so what's the difference with the pasteurized milk? Besids that, calves don't metabolize milk in the same way as other feedstuffs. The milk is mostly digested by enzymes and digestive juices secreted in the digestive system of the calf. Grain and hay need the bacteria when their rumens become active, and these are a totally different type of bacteria than any that would live in milk.

Pasteurization kills only the bacteria that is in the milk. Any bacteria already living in the calf's digestive system will not be affected. Milk that is contaminated with antibiotics will kill the living bacteria in the gut, pasteurized milk will not. As to feeding "raw" milk, you will be running the risk of feeding the calf milk that is contaminated with Johnes bacteria or Brucellosis. Johnes disease has a very long incubation period (sometimes up to 5 years). This disease has no cure, and milk with the Johnes bacteria has been implicated as causing Crohns disease in humans. Brucellosis is a disease that causes abortions in cattle. It can also infect humans. Brucellosis is nearly eradicated in the US. but why take the chance of infecting a calf with these diseases? Johnes disease is widespread in dairies in the US, with an estimated 70% of them harboring the disease.

 

[Livinzoo]

Well researching today I found a article about pasteurized waste milk being fed to calves. This was unsalable milk at the dairy farm. They said that pasteurizing the milk was better for the calves than feeding the raw waste milk.

I think I'm going to go ahead and feed her the milk with added cream We have a milk with some of the bacterias for digestion added to it. I'll use that and add cream. I figure I will start with enough extra cream to bump the butterfat up to 4.6. I could always add more but figure that is a good starting point.

 

[jhm47]

I think you have made a good choice. It appears that the average percent of butterfat in milk from Jersey cows is around 5.35%, so raising the milk for your calf would be good. Of course, the calf can only utilize a certain amount of energy, so don't overdo it. If you lower the amount of milkfat that the calf gets, you likely will be encouraging it to eat more grain. It will naturally crave more nutrition from whatever source is available, and begin to eat more solid feedstuffs. The sooner you can get the rumen to function the better in my opinion. Of course, you shouldn't quit the milk too soon either. I would be cautious of getting the calf too fat if you plan to use it for dairying. A lot of fat deposition in the udder will limit the ability for it to produce milk in maturity. If you plan to butcher the calf (you didn't indicate whether it's a heifer or bull in your original post), the extra fat will be fine in the end. Whatever you do, good luck, and enjoy your calf.

 

[JerseyXGirl]

I would also be prepared for scours. If your changing the calfs diet and transporting her to a new home.

 

[Livinzoo]

Just an update. The calf is doing great on the pasturized milk! I can already tell that she has grown and filled out more. She has even been in a covered outside enclosure and had they night time wind chills in the single digits. She has a coat, a dog house and a pile of hay outside the dog house since she doesn't seem to like it. It is big enough just a bit hard to turn around in. She was in there the first night before she got the coat.

 

[jhm47]

Really happy that things are working out so well for you and your new calf. Enjoy him while he's still small. They grow into big cows/bulls/steers very quickly. Those little calves that I worked so hard to save last spring are now 800 lbs, and growing like weeds.

 

[jojobean]

so does this mean whole pasteurized milk from the store is okay? it is actually more economical for us to do the store route although i did purchase a bag of cmr. tia!