Bottel Fed Calves

Calves are the foundation of the farm. They are the next generation they will be raised to become milkers, mothers, or meat. These babies need direct attention in order to keep them alive, for without the calves there is no farm.

PC: Crazy Calf Lady

Raising bottle fed calves is interesting. It’s controversial for those who have never stepped on a farm. Having the calf feed by bottle is a very effective way of raising cattle. For dairy farmers bottle feeding calves frees up the mother to be milked. Calves who have lost their mothers, fallen ill, or have ended up in sale barns are just another reason why some calves have to be bottle fed. Bottle fed calves can be bought for $10 to around $150. It depends on how desperate the farmer is to sell them, the weight/condition of the calf, and which breed it is. Bottle feeding a calf can save time, open the mother up to be milked, and produce a heavier calf ready add into the herd once old enough. Bottle fed calves have a great life. They get direct handling, monitored nutrition, clean and warm huts to live in, and most of all they learn to trust humans.

PC: Crazy Calf Lady

Sometimes the calves nurse from their mother a couple of times before being put on a bottle. Bottle raised calves can also grow faster due to regulating feeding times and the amount of milk consumed by the calve.

If you get a calf right from the mother it is crucial to feed them colostrum, the first milk from the cow that holds antibodies. These calves are fed milk replacer 2-3 times a day depending on weather conditions and the health/weight of the animal. Calf starter, dehydrated milk, comes in a bag in the form of powder that can be mixed in with warm water after being shaken turns into milk The milk is then fed by a bottle with a nipple that looks much like the udder of a cow. Calves that are bottle fed are often able to be touched and directly handled daily by the caretakers. This provides direct bonds with the animals and allows the caretakers to see changes in conformation, personality, and body mass. By being able to see the animal grow in an direct way the farmer will be able to choose if he/she will keep the animal or chose to sell it.

The housing conditions differ from farm to farm. Large dairy and beef farms might have them in huts lined up next to the barn. The calves are either tied up with collars and ropes or have a small area to go outside in. Calf huts are dry during rain and snow, warm in winter, and cool in summer. They are lined with different beddings that are changed out regularly. Many huts are bedded with a mixture of shavings, straw, and other soft materials.

PC: Crazy Calf Lady

When these calves get bigger they get moved into groups and set into a bigger dry lots with room to run. By putting them into groups this allows them to socialise and learn how pecking orders work in a herd. This prepares them to be moved into the herd and large groups later in their lives.

Other calves are kept in dry lots, stalls, and some are tied up in slot stalls. All of these methods depend on the farm’s way of running things. Each of these methods allow for the calve to get the most attention and care possible. Some farmers choose to even raise these calves by pouring milk in small buckets weening them off the bottle. Bucket calves are older and are in transition to solid foods. This is a more convenient way of feeding the calves. Buckets are easy to carry and clean after the young ones had drank.

PC: Crazy Calf Lady

Once the calves age a couple of months they no longer need to be bottle or even bucket fed. They will be moved off milk and onto pellets and grass. This then completes the life of a bottle and bucket fed calves. From here many dairy heifers will be moved onto pasture or other feed and allowed to age until matured. From here they will be bred and continue the cycle. Steers and those who do not fit the correct conformation they will be raised to prime butchering weight then either sold or butchered. Some of the calves will be shown and sold or kept. It really comes down to what the farmer wants to use them for.

-Jaksen

Resources:

Publications, I. O. (2015, August 03). 6 Things About Bottle Feeding Calves. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.grit.com/animals/cattle/6-things-about-bottle-feeding-calves

Publications, I. O. (1978, March 01). Instructions for Raising Bottle Calves - Sustainable Farming. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-bottle-calves-zmaz78mazjma?pageid=2#PageContent2