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ih1086

Posted 12/9/2009 23:51 (#958496)
Subject: Deacon calf?

Grawn Michigan

Does anyone on here raise bottlefed calfs. What experances have you had with then. I would like to add some more livestock to our operation but dont have a lot of money to put in it so would this be a way to add someting. I have barns to put then in. Now we have 10 550 lb angus calves on feed. I think I will have a lot of hay left over to feed and we have plenty of corn also. One of my biggest concerns is death loss on young animals. Any opinions and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Henry

Posted 12/10/2009 08:34 (#958750 - in reply to #958496)
Subject: RE: Deacon calf?

Try www.calfdoctor.com He has a lot of good info. S Frisch advice is rght on.

johnwayne360

Posted 12/10/2009 09:25 (#958836 - in reply to #958496)
Subject: Re: Deacon calf?

near dyersville iowa

If you decide to do this, do a couple things to help protect yourself. First, buy all your calves from one place, maybe two. If you are getting newborns, make sure they have gotten colostrum milk. If the calves are newborns, i would make every attempt to keep them in single pens, however, if an entire group comes in at once from a single source, you could leave them in groups. Calves need air, lots of ventilation. Keep the barns as fresh as possible in the winter, will help tremendously. I know some guys that keep their dairy cattle just warm enough so it doesnt freeze the waterers in the barn. Its also a lot of work, but can pay out if youre careful. good luck

Geargrinder

Posted 12/10/2009 13:39 (#959170 - in reply to #958836)
Subject: Re: Deacon calf?

We've been raising some holstein bull calves. Make sure the price is right so you can lose a few - just had a group of 30 and lost 4 so far. I think the underlying problem is they were less than 24 hours old when we got some of them and I suspect there was no colostrum or limited colostrum for three of them and the fourth had a navel infection. We have been keeping in groups in a hoop barn and feeding with a barrel with nipples, but has gotten so cold that its not a lot of fun right now (just about ready to wean). If you have the farrowing barns, someone around here has converted a farrowing barn and has single pens (which translates to more expense) but seems to work well. Look up Milk Bar nursers if you are interested in groups - we just got one for this group and seems to be a pretty decent idea. You have to really watch the calves to see who isn't making the connection and the first day you will think you have lost your mind trying to get them to nurse (we have found out to just push to the barrel, put nipple in mouth and disappear for a little while - they seem to want to follow anyone in the pen). Good luck

ih1086

Posted 12/10/2009 13:29 (#959159 - in reply to #958496)
Subject: Re: Deacon calf?

Grawn Michigan

I was thinking drop calves. The 2 barns I have are a 36x100 farrowing house we used to have hogs in. It has fans and worked for hogs as far as ventilation. The other barn is a 40x100 finishing house . It does have a 9x9x100 pit in the rear of the pens and the rest is cement floor. This one is very open and has 2foot by 4 foot doors on the north and 4x8 doors on the south. I could with little work keep cattle on the cement and block off the pit area.

John e.c.MI

Posted 12/10/2009 14:54 (#959235 - in reply to #959159)
Subject: Re: Deacon calf?

Croswell, Michigan

I would really caution against using your hog barns for calves. It might work on the first group but it will be down hill from there. Calf hutches are the best way to go. They are cheap and can be resold if you get out of calves. As another poster said, www.calfdoctor.com is a good place to start. Dr. Schnepper has a proven vaccination program that works on calves if you follow it. Schnepper says we build calf barns for the people doing the chores, not for the calves. Believe me I know how frustrating it is to have empty hog barns and trying to think of a way to make money with them. There is no such thing as too much fresh air for young cattle.

Edited by John e.c.MI 12/10/2009 14:54

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