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Bucket calves

strawking

Well-known member
Looking to feed some bucket calves and I'm looking for some tips. Has anyone tried using 55 gallon barrels?
And what percent fat milk replacer have you used?
 

Kato

Well-known member
Wow. I'd like to see pictures of that!

My husband did a batch of 25 Holsteins at once way back when he was in high school. He had some kind of a setup like a barrel, but he called it a Nursette. I never saw it, so don't know what it looked like but it sounds similar. He still laughs at how he always came out of the pen soaked in milk when he went to fill it. The little guys got pretty violent when they saw him with the pails of milk. He said he was afraid to slip, or he'd be a goner.

They bought him a truck. :D :D :D :D

I've never been in on a big batch like that, but from feeding individuals I do know that they need the best quality milk replacer you can get. It'll pay for itself. And don't switch suddenly from one type to another. They're just like big steers on feed that way, they don't handle fast changes in feed. I have a friend who used to start a lot of dairy calves, and she had good luck by mixing the milk replacer half and half with electrolytes for the first day or so. It seemed to get them over the shock of the move quicker, and got them up and going a lot better.

Other than giving them access to good water, hay, and creep feed, there's not much more to add. Except to be right on top of any health problems, and get sick calves out of the pen as soon as possible. They don't have many reserves.

Good luck, and post some pictures when you can! :D :D
 

strawking

Well-known member
Ya we have done dairy calves before just on bottles. But i hear they're knocking the bull calves in the head in colorado so thought i could make some money. No reason to do just a few my motto is GO BIG OR GO HOME!
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Lordy...I hate to wake up knowing I had to feed 80-100 bottle babies!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:


If you do it with a 55 gal drum.....how will you know if each baby is getting enough or too much?

If you notice what they take from a bucket sometimes you can head off scours and the like.

I don't know....sounds like too grand a scale. Great idea....but I don't see it working out.


But, yeah we want pics for sure! :wink:
 

Denny

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
Lordy...I hate to wake up knowing I had to feed 80-100 bottle babies!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:


If you do it with a 55 gal drum.....how will you know if each baby is getting enough or too much?

If you notice what they take from a bucket sometimes you can head off scours and the like.

I don't know....sounds like too grand a scale. Great idea....but I don't see it working out.


But, yeah we want pics for sure! :wink:

A friend of mine used to do this and he fed the milk cold and kept them on full milk the idea was to cold milk was a limiter it seemed to work for him.He had them in pens of 10 head.
 

burnt

Well-known member
I would be concerned about mixing new calves in groups immediately on arrival. We have raised Holstein calves in the past and found that individual housing for the 1st 2 -3 weeks just gives them a way better start.

Then, you can put them into your larger pens with group feeders.

I know this sounds like a lot more work, but your lower mortality and morbidity rate will more than pay for the extra initial effort.

There are few things more discouraging than have a scouring calf infect the rest of a healthy group. And then watching them poop their innards out and die. And guaranteed, you will get one or two . . . .

What I have learned is that you need to give a scouring calf about two or three times as much electrolytes as seems right, but it works!!!

I know. Bin there, done that. But, as Kato said, they can buy you a few things if you get it right. Best of luck in your enterprise.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
As to the milk...Vigortone has a great milk replacer called 20WB that
contains Bio-moss. It's great for dairy calves to keep them from scouring. I sell a lot of it. Once a customer uses it, they don't want anything else.
It mixes really easy too. It is MILK milk replacer. Some products aren't.

Hope this helps!!
 

strawking

Well-known member
Im hoping to get trailer loads of 30 since its 250 miles away and just leave that gruop together. We have a saddle tank on the tractor with a pto pump to mix and drive right in the pen to fill the barrels. Last time we did this we found out dairy calves are not near as hardy as beef calves, and they dont respond well to the antibiotics. Hoping to wean at 50 or 60 days. How much is your milk replacer Faster Horses and what is the protein.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
It is competitively priced. I can't tell you what it costs there because you would have a freight advantage; here it costs around $44 for 50# bag.
It is available from any Vigortone dealer; if you don't know one you can visit the website to find a dealer near you. It is 20% protein. There is some 20 and 22% but not with the bio-moss.

I can't stess enough
how important the BioMoss is. Vigortone did some work in an area in Montana that had a terrific scour problem--I mean, all the ranches in
a big area were dealing with scours in their calves and were for years. Vigortone makes a mineral that contains BioMoss and it cleared up
all the scour problems in that area. It really was amazing. And the
BioMoss was first designed for use on dairy calves because of their
major health problems.

Good luck!
 

MsSage

Well-known member
Last time we did this we found out dairy calves are not near as hardy as beef calves, and they dont respond well to the antibiotics.
Our calves -Jerseys- have been responding very well to Naxcel and Baytril. Biomycin has not been working for about 6 months for scours or BRD.
You have to change the antibiotics you cant use the same thing over and over. Its best to have on hand for scours Naxcel, Baytril, and spectham. 1-3 cc depending on weight, of Banamine helps the stomach cramps and they will eat. Make sure you either SQ or IV them at least twice so they dont dehydrate which will kill them faster than anything. 3cc of B12 will help the picky eaters eat more.
Your going to have a couple who will not be getting enough to eat due to fast pushy eating calves. You need to keep an eye on them and might have to feed them away from the group.
I am SOOOOOO Glad we have calf huts till they are 3 months then they go to super huts (5 calves) for 2 months then they are put with 19 others for 4 months then they go into the open lots which hold 100.
GOOD LUCK keep us posted
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I want to caution you, if you use antibiotics it is important to use probiotics too. Antibiotics destroy the good flora as well as the bad and
the good flora needs replenished or it will lead to another problem.
 

burnt

Well-known member
A few years ago I switched from Banamine to a similar product called Cronyxin (along side an antibiotic). It is cheaper and also works wonders for relieving fever and discomfort.
 

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
In the late 50's ALL the Dairies around Palmer Alaska would Knock ALL their calves in the Head. My friend and I got them for Free and his wife and 2 kids would feed them Powered Milk I got from the Air Force Base.

We'd use what lived (what we could Save) to pay Fuel to Seattle where we bought Good Springer Heifers for $200 - $250 each and Hauled Them back to Palmer where we would sell them for $700 to $750 each 11 days later.

3 to 3.5 days down the Al-Can - 11 days loaded back with 2 day lay-overs

When we started Palmer Dairies were milking Old 3 Tited Cows some guy with a Flat Bed and Stake sides was hauling them (he didn't know cows)

The Largest Dairy in Alaska was Kellogg-Vorhies (sp) 100 total cows
 

Triangle Bar

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
I can't stess enough how important the BioMoss is. Vigortone did some work in an area in Montana that had a terrific scour problem--I mean, all the ranches in a big area were dealing with scours in their calves and were for years. Vigortone makes a mineral that contains BioMoss and it cleared up all the scour problems in that area. It really was amazing. And the BioMoss was first designed for use on dairy calves because of their
major health problems.
Good luck!

Faster, I've been feeding the 3V2 S for quite some time now. After seeing your post I think I'll try some of this BioMoss product, since I always seem to have scour problems regardless of how I vaccinate.

What is it called? or is it just an option that is added to 3v2s? I can't seem to find anything about it on the Vigortone website.
Thanks.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
It is available under this number 3V5SMOSCTC. That is a lower level phos mineral, but just fine for use in spring and mid summer. They'll overeat it when the grass dries up. It is available in the 3V2S product as a custom mix, as well. You have to get 100 bags to get a custom mix, however.

The MOS is the BioMoss; the CTC is a low level antibiotic. I can guarantee this will help (and most likely eliminate) your scour problems. If you want, I can give you the Area Sales Manager/Nutritionist name in Belgrade, Mt. that designed this mineral for the problems around Augusta, Mt. When this mineral was new, the vet in that area paid the ranchers a visit when he heard they were not having scours problems. He could hardly believe it...but now it is widely used there with great success!!!

Check your pm, ok?
 
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