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bottle feeding a calf

crofteress

Member
Livestock Farmer
I've a calf that is getting bottle fed, its 2 days now, it had colostrum and its sucking well, its getting a litre 4 times a day, its a big calve [ not one of mine] . I wanted to know some things
Should I get it vaccinated against pneumonia or anything else and when can I do that
What should the dung from a bottle fed calf look like, its yellow but not that solid, but not scour
Its not in contact with any other cattle its on its own in a clean dry pen
I dont like it being on its own but probably better till it builds up an immune system, should I find it a mate or let it go out with the herd so it can poach off the other cows when its older
it has knuckling over joints and can't stand for very long, gave it vitasel
Ive raised a bottle fed before and it became a pet but I don't want this to happen, thats why I'm wanting it in with others but want it to be healthy first. Or does anyone have a non dairy, bvd free suck calf I can buy for company
 

choochter

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
re pneumonia vaccination - don't know
poo sounds fine
I put them out when cord is dry unless it is raining
I'd put it out so it can get some wee pals as long as you can get it back in again for its milk
re knuckled over joints, what I give is alamycin LA unless it was born like that in which case a bit of exercise might sort it
as I understand it, they can have a pick at calf pencils from a week old
 

ladycrofter

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
I've had one with knucled joints and they straightened out fine.

Agree^ poo sounds good.

Poaching off other cows can be iffy and end up getting kicked.
 

Blod

Member
How long will you be milk feeding it for? When you introduce pellets/creep will the other calves be getting it too? think ahead to 6 weeks, 6 months. How will you be managing its diet?
As for vaccination, what would you do if it was homebred?
 

crofteress

Member
Livestock Farmer
they don't get vaccinated until pre sale for pneumonia and ibr. just thought as he wont have same immunity of the powdered colostrum,
he would get creep with the rest
I have some cows that let anything suck . He's a big strong calve the knuckling will go, he's hopping around this morn.Thats not the prob as I can't put him out with them anyway till later on as not near home for feeding him
think he needs a mate but from a healthy place
 

Blod

Member
Alternatively, once the knuckling has gone, sell him. Maybe more profit in him that way and less chance of him dying on you, bringing disease in via a mate or depriving another calf when he poaches.
 

crofteress

Member
Livestock Farmer
not the whole story, but it involves a wheelbarrow, a tote bag, a bog, a hard calving, twins, things like that. Midges. rain. barbed wire, high tide.etc
 

liammogs

Member
If you have a quiet cow, with a lot of milk you can keep in, and put the calf to sook few times a day untill its 8weeks old and then wean him then send him out but make sure he has creep infront of it!!
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

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