getting small underweight calf back where she needs to be

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Well, the op just wanted advice on how to get some weight on her, and we've hijacked the thread into a breed/conformation debate.

sorry OP, hope your not upset!

X2

 

[Akpahsj]

I know nothing about cattle, but I just thought I'd tell you she's a very good looking calf LOL
Best of luck.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Sorry guys. We got some chickens recently and its been pretty hectic around here. We only meant to get 12 and we ended up with 17 lol. Anyway, we finally got the calf moved over to the pen behind our house the other day so I can take some much better pics of her if yall are still interested in helpin me out. I dont mind the thread hijacking lol. If she does have some dairy cow in her thatd be all the better. Her personality is very sweet although shes not the walk up to ya for a scratch kind of gal. She will let me pet on her tho, and the has the softest curliest fur ever. Ill see if I can get outside and get some better pics of her once my little one wakes up from his nap. It should be easier to get some now that shes over here and our pen is much smaller than the catch pen she was in so I can get alot closer. Weve got her eatin the bull feed that our bottle calf is on and we got them some good hay from the feed store that they seem to like. Plus my kids like feedin her handfuls of tall grass they pick lol.

 

[dragonmorgan]

ok I managed to get some better pics of her. It was tough to get her to hold still because the flies around here are horrible since we didnt have a winter this year. I think I got a couple that might help. Even after only a couple days out here shes lookin better I think. If anyone has any thoughts on her or suggestions about what else we might can do Im happy to hear. DH says shes a year old but Im skeptical about that. I think shes more like 10-11 months or something. I wish there was a better way to know other than her teeth. She wont exactly let me go pokin around in her mouth just yet lol. Hopefully this weekend we can start halter training her.

 

[redtailgal]

She really doesnt look terribly thin.

I'd make sure that she is not wormy, give her a solid calf starter grain, plenty of hay and pasture. I think that alot of what you are seeing is just conformation. (that head looks very dairy).

What are your plans for her?

Also, remember if she is being kept in a smaller area, she will not have the larger muscle development that one might expect from a heifer.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Shes goin to be part of the herd we are building. We have about 10 acres and want 4 or 5 cows. We sell calves and I may end up milkin her some. We dont need alot of milk so its no biggie that shes not a dairy cow, altho it would be nice if she was part dairy. Right now they are in a smallish pen until we get their bigger area fenced in. We may end up puttin them in one of my in laws smaller fields that isnt bein used but its got a bunch of sticker weeds in it so we have to get out there and plant it and fence it in. Shes mainly over here so my bottle calf will have some company and she can get fed better. She doesnt look very skinny she just feels boney. I dont know if her winter coat is makin her look fluffy. She def seems healthier since we moved her to our house. How big should their pen be since its just them 2 right now? Once shes halter trained we are gonna make it so she can graze some in the yard. I can get a pic of their pen tomorrow if thatll help. Shes gettin the bull feed and plenty of hay. We have some wormer for her but I forgot to ask the feed store how to give it to her. Its something they are sposed to eat and we got enough to worm her and our bottle calf but I forgot to ask if we give it to them by itself or if we mix it in their feed and Im not sure how to make sure that one doesnt get more than they need. I think DH is afraid to go back to the feed store to ask since every time we go we leave with more chickens lol.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Now that I see a better picture of her she definitely has some dairy in her. Most obvious indication is her funnel butt (or, not as much muscling in the rear like with beef calves). I'm thinking she could have some Jersey in her, and white face being Hereford. Because she's got what I suspect is some Jersey in her, she probably looks a little younger than what she is. I think she's around a year old too, between 10 and 12 months of age.

 

[Cricket]

She is cute! My first thought was some Jersey, too. (But I thought 'look at those elegant legs', NOT 'funnel butt', WRB!). She has a longer face, too. Most of the Jersey heifers I see, inc. my own, tend to look potbellied and ribby at that age, so she actually looks pretty good! We have a cow by the same name where I work, but it is spelled differently! (I'm trying to give it a French accent--doo maas, but it isn't catching on.)

 

[dragonmorgan]

awsome. Im so used to seein our beef cows that anything else just looks odd. It makes me feel better knowin she may have some milk cow in her and that she looks like shes sposed to. Thanks everyone.

lol on the french accent.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I can only speak for myself after going through our first year of cattle ownership; when I pat my two dairy(Jersey) steers and feel their ribs, sometimes I still think "oh, my goodness!" "they are so thin!" And then I remind myself that they are getting the same food as the two beef cattle, they've been wormed, they are healthy, etc. It is just that their build is different. I think that once you rule out worms or sickness, and know that you are providing her with proper food and shelter, it will be easier for you to know that it is just her build. It sounds like you are doing a great job! Keep up the good work.