I have a Jersey bull calf "on order" ? as to feeding/vaccination

[PattySh]

I have always used milk replacer however I have goats milking right now. The farmer thought raw goat's milk was great to give to the calf instead of formula but looking for opinions. I probably won't have enough goat's milk for the calf longterm because we use it but am wondering about the feasibility of mixing 1/2 goat milk and 1/2 with store bought whole cow's milk after the first few bottles of goats milk. Thinking the raw goats milk would be more beneficial than formula. I remember scours with formula. Opinions. Refresh me on the age to give CDT shot to the little one. Getting the Jersey bull calf so I won't have to mess around with getting Tinkerbelle bred next time. His Jersey bulls are pretty mellow til age 2 so we will freezer this one and get another and so on. I have round pen panels if I need to safely contain him and know what I am getting into. Farmer will keep him for 3 or so days to give him colostum and get him drinking good. Cow's are due soon to calf.

 

[kfacres]

We have fed many a calves on goats before... Actually had an old goat raise 16 calves one summer.

We always had best luck with 2 pints goats milk- and 1 pint water-- 2x a day for the jersey calves.

 

[PattySh]

Did you find the calves scoured on whole goat milk?

 

[kfacres]

Did you find the calves scoured on whole goat milk?

yes.

 

[Cricket]

I think I would mix the goat/cow together right from the start instead of switching around, and I do think it's better than replacer ($75.00 a bag now!). I agree with KF on the qt a day, esp. to start. I'd do the qt of milk with a qt of warm water chaser, then if he's drinking fine you can just do it all in one bottle. I'm ignorant about vac.s--just do rabies.

Not that you asked, but if he's going to be in a barn where they already have e-coli, I would bring him home as soon as possible. The calves that I get that are born at pasture and we don't run thru the barn seldom get sick. The minute they start licking the wall where calves have been pooping for 150 years, you KNOW they're going to get something. I usually just run back up to the farm and get cholostrum if it hasn't been with his mom long.

Good luck!

 

[kfacres]

if you are using milk replacer, or cow's milk-- jersey calves only need 2.5 pints 2x a day-- otherwise they'll scour, their little bodies can't handle anymore than that until they are a month or so old... The need fed 2 pints- 3x a day in the winter as they don't have enough natural body heat to stay warm. You have to remember, those jersey's will weigh 30-40 lbs-- instead of 100 like aHolstein.

 

[redtailgal]

My calves all get 2 quarts of milk......twice a day and when that no longer is sufficient for them, they start eating grain.

A properly fed bottle calf should not be very much smaller than a dam raised calf.

 

[animalfarm]

My Jersey calves get all they want from mom from day one. No scours. I am bottle feeding an Angus bull calf (one month old now) and he drinks 6 qts. 2x a day of straight Jersey milk. No scours. He started off with 4 qts but 6 is all he is gonna get as he is learning what big cows eat now.

I think it may be down to getting enough colostrum at the start; seems like most calves that are sold as bottle babies don't get much. I got up and fed my lad 2 qts of colostrum every 4 hrs through his first night/day. I knew his momma didn't produce milk and was prepared.

 

[kfacres]

of course-- those who raise 2 or 3 calves a year- or a lifetime-- know everything...

those of use who raise dairy calves for a living on our dairy farm-- we don't know anything.

calves eating from their mothers- is a completely different ballgame.

 

[PattySh]

I'm grateful for all of the information. I do know that Jersey's are more delicate than larger calves. This will be our first pure Jersey, and hopefully bigger than our smallest calf and this one has a planned arrival. We raised a 25# premie hereford heifer. She was SO CUTE. I remember being hopped up on dimatapp for a horrid cold when my neighbor called and asked me to come and get a "Cat" that showed up and she had to work in the morning!!! Well little misunderstanding and kids so excited when I walked in with an itsy bitsy baby calf in arms I think it was January and colder than cold here. She did great but was a congenital dwarf so I hate to say went in to the freezer at a couple years old. I'll see how tiny the calf is and what he looks like when he gets here. I am going to ask the farmer to let him go after he gets colostrum. The guy is older than dirt and sure he wouldn't mind. He is right around the corner from me so calf won't travel far.