- Location
- Northumberland
I take it from your thread title you've been having issues with calves not getting enough colostrum?
Bloody calves
- Thread starter cull cows
- Start date
Sort of yes..what I find if you buy calves from market is they don’t all do the same..some do well some not aswell..was lucky today Iv had these calves before off 2 farms and always do ok for me
- Location
- Shropshire
It still suprises me the amount of dairy farmers who don’t just bag everything to be sure it takes seconds and saves much mither rearing them never mind for the men who buys them
I only bag as a last resort. Bagged calves tend to have to go anywhere up to and beyond 36hrs before they voluntarily feed again, we find.
Ducati899
Member
- Location
- north dorset
Same here,probably bagged one in the last 50
buffalo_soldier
Member
- Location
- cumbria
Same, tube feeding can cause tertiary issues.
All bottle fed here.
All bottle fed here.
- Location
- Shropshire
How big a calf and how much you putting in I’ve not found that at all
- Location
- Shropshire
Ours Normaly take a litre or so the next feed then full amount the one after
lazy farmer
Member
- Location
- som/dor border
Would totally agree with that.admittedly Here we would only bag a calf that is refusing to feed anyway but then they will go a real long time before they are prepared to suck.
But if like some of the farmers mentioned on here who have no idea whether calves have had colostrum or not then bagging would be an improvement for all concerned.
We tube every calve even if we've seen it suck. Garantee 3l of mothers colostrum when its been tubed.
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Tubing every calf is lazy and unnatural
There are other ways to guarantee adequate colostrum intake
There are other ways to guarantee adequate colostrum intake
- Location
- Shropshire
feeding a calf from a bottle isn’t natural either
- Location
- Shropshire
But if you have the time to bottle each one that’s fine but it’s those that don’t know what it’s had just assume it’s had enough of its been seen on the tit that are the lazy ones in my view
- Location
- Shropshire
And nature is nothing to aspire to it’s cruel and as farmers nothing we do is natural we can work with it but left to nature you would have a buffalo in a wood not a milker in a field
lazy farmer
Member
- Location
- som/dor border
Deep man, real deep.
TheRanger
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
Sold a batch of weaned/nearly weaned AAxHF bulls and heifers for £50-£100 each a few years ago when the prices were terrible.
They were sold for £1200-£1300 each as 24 month old stores, they probably had a little hard feed for the first few months, but were then onto just grazed grass in the summer and hay/silage in the winter.
The price of calves generally follows the fat/store trade, so as long as you’re buying regular batches and selling regular batches, you should manage to ride out the highs and lows.
They were sold for £1200-£1300 each as 24 month old stores, they probably had a little hard feed for the first few months, but were then onto just grazed grass in the summer and hay/silage in the winter.
The price of calves generally follows the fat/store trade, so as long as you’re buying regular batches and selling regular batches, you should manage to ride out the highs and lows.
- Location
- Northumberland
Have you got any more to sell?
Plain steer
Member
Bentham
Plain steer
Member
Meadow?
I'm happy to be called lazy.
I'm also happy to sell calves to anyone with a garantee they have had colostrum.
I also enjoy buyers of calves report back with how they have faired with our calves.