Buying milk calves...
- Thread starter buttercup
- Start date
Just because
Member
Would you have many that don’t drink the full amount? I buy in at about 21d and find it difficult to get many to take the full allocation.
I usually allow 8 x .125g
have had several that will take 10 x .125 no problem
But in general find it difficult to get a lot of them onto the 8. And often they’ll take half or 3/4 of a meal and leave so it’s not necessarily that they miss a feedtime.
Currently I’m trying them on lower amounts for the first few days to see if it forms a habit that they keep up but I’ve only just started.
anyone else find similar and find something that got better intakes?
- Location
- somerset
we feed stored colostrum + waste milk, its pretty rich stuff, and start calves off on 1.5 litres x 2 day, for smaller calves, 2 for bigger ones, and 2 is about the max per feed till 28 days +.
fresh water, and calf pellets available from day 1, . Did some work with denkavit years ago, increasing powder, decreasing water, worked well for us, got calves drinking water, and eating cake earlier. You have to get the max amount, of quality food, sensibly, that you can, as quick as you can, to maximise the best conversion rate you will ever have.
proofs in the figures, >2% mortality, of calves born alive, and mkt topping stirks at 6 months old. Our system won't work for some, but the 'secret' of rearing calves is, environment, if that's wrong, you will have trouble, and consistency, same temp, same time etc.
fresh water, and calf pellets available from day 1, . Did some work with denkavit years ago, increasing powder, decreasing water, worked well for us, got calves drinking water, and eating cake earlier. You have to get the max amount, of quality food, sensibly, that you can, as quick as you can, to maximise the best conversion rate you will ever have.
proofs in the figures, >2% mortality, of calves born alive, and mkt topping stirks at 6 months old. Our system won't work for some, but the 'secret' of rearing calves is, environment, if that's wrong, you will have trouble, and consistency, same temp, same time etc.
Jonny_2
Member
130g to make a litre, 50% skim powder. Feeding 6l a day. Biggest difference we’ve made recently is knocking calves down from 6 to 4l of milk a day in once go at around 6wks old. Cake consumption flys after that and soon get them weaned.
Ad-lib cake from weaning with dry silage/ hay. Give them 3/4kg of nuts and barley after 16wks
Ad-lib cake from weaning with dry silage/ hay. Give them 3/4kg of nuts and barley after 16wks
How do people price up milk powders that they have no experience with to work out what is good value?
My idea was quoted price divided by available protein divided by oil content and take the assumption that 100% was digested. I know we should be taking into account ingredients as well
We are currently on high energy supanova which seems to work ok, after recommendation from vet following a nasty salmonella outbreak. Now getting mither from above about costs and been given a list of prices and powders and asked what I think.
By doing above method it suggests the higher energy powder works out better value
We are on a mixture of brought in Angus and wagyu. Logic in my head suggests wagyu would benefit from more energy
My idea was quoted price divided by available protein divided by oil content and take the assumption that 100% was digested. I know we should be taking into account ingredients as well
We are currently on high energy supanova which seems to work ok, after recommendation from vet following a nasty salmonella outbreak. Now getting mither from above about costs and been given a list of prices and powders and asked what I think.
By doing above method it suggests the higher energy powder works out better value
We are on a mixture of brought in Angus and wagyu. Logic in my head suggests wagyu would benefit from more energy
- Location
- somerset
pretty well pay for quality, dearer should = better
That's my theory
- Location
- Boston, Lincolnshire
Started buying again this week. The 3rd quality calves looked the dearest. £200 doesn’t buy much of a beef cross this year 
I bought 6 yesterday but it was hard goingStarted buying again this week. The 3rd quality calves looked the dearest. £200 doesn’t buy much of a beef cross this year
- Location
- somerset
to be honest, l don't think you can lose, as long as you do a good job, but the cheapie calves do look the dearest.Started buying again this week. The 3rd quality calves looked the dearest. £200 doesn’t buy much of a beef cross this year
the suckler herd is shrinking, and has been for several years, the dairy herd is shrinking as well. The increase in the xbred grazing cows, all add up to less calves, and less better calves, those cheap ones, are never going to make a decent beast.
then there was the euthanasia stage, where thousands of calves went.
all in all, looks a lively future.
- Location
- somerset
try and get an agreement with a big dairy herd, and take all they want to sell, cheapest and best way, as long as you trust the farmer !
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Local calf rearer/ dealer has 4/5 month old weaned calves at £395 head on FB, hard to tell from the photos but they look half decent, cant see how he can rear them and cover costs let alone make anything at that price!
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Trouble with that is if you buy all 100 calves from one farm you will end up with 10 you wish you had never seen!
ringi
Member
But still likely cheaper then just buying the 90 you like along giving you influence over what vaccines they get etc.
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
You wont buy them much if any cheaper ex farm and those 10 will take the profit from 20/30 of the rest!
Just stick them in the market before they cost you much, the poorer 10%
Just because
Member
Personal I think calves could be for nothing this autumn with price of straw and I believe corn prices is going to climb as well people will wait until after Christmas to start rearing to make it a shorter winter I could be completely wrong wouldn't be the first time 
- Location
- somerset
he can't, or l can't see how, unless he has a wand, or a brilliant photographer !
but, if you have to buy a calf, they were cheaper before xmas, at least a bag of powder, concentrate, straw and sundries, vet med. Then your labour............. And no losses .............there can't be much in it.