What do you use to feed your pail bunters?

[proudtobeafarmgirl]

With one calf drinking out of a "hang on fence" square bucket, one drinking out of a small pail that I hold for him and one still on the bottle I am wondering how everyone else secures their pails and bottles so that their calves do not send them flying and milk spilling all over the place. Baloney does pretty good with the hang on the fence pail but if he bunts it hard enough it will free itself and fall over. I tried tying the buckets but then I have to cut them free to wash them once the babies are done their milk. What works for you?

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I have only ever used the bucket amd nipple and held it, so, I am sorry but won't be much help to you!
Do you usually have alot of calves to bottle feed at once?

 

[proudtobeafarmgirl]

This is our first time raising calves - we bought two from a dairy then a baby was born at the feedlot I work at so we brought her home as well. I am new at this but it seems if you are going to feed one two more are not that much more work, takes more time to mix their milk then it does to feed them and they are growing well and we are enjoying having them around. I have a new job and regret that we will probably have to end up giving our babies to a friend to raise as we can not find an acreage or anything really to live in as the feedlot owns this place and we have to move off.

 

[animalfarm]

Tie a rope around the bucket just above the nipple. If hanging from a fence, screw in some eyelets so that you can use a tight bungie strap if you don't like knots. If feeding multiple calves it would be easier to get a multi nipple bucket. You can cap any unused nipples.

 

[redtailgal]

We train to a bucket as early as we can, usually by a week old. We dont use nipple buckets, just a regular bucket.

If they are in the field when I feed them, I can just stick their bucket in a tire laying on the ground. Have chained a few buckets to the fence.........for the really buggery lil boogers, I hold the bucket and then when they butt it........I take their food away for a couple mins. They quickly learn that butting IS NOT the way to go, despite what their instincts tell them. USUALLY by the time they are 3 weeks old, we can just sit the bucket on the ground.