When can you wean a calf?
We had a cow to have twins. She lost the heifer but we managed to save the bull. The mother wouldn’t take him so wev’e been bottle feeding, which is a pain. The milk replacer is approx 23-25 dollars a bag. We’ve bought 4 bags. The calf is about 2 months old & now weighs approx. 110 lbs. We keep hay and grain in front of him of which he eats a little hay but never any grain. Is there any end in sight?
If you’re milking the mother cow, then feed it to the calf. I’m guessing the birthweight was 45-60 lbs each, so you should be able to wean anyday you choose, especially if he’s over 100 lbs. However, if the birthweight was low (under 45lbs) or if the calf has been sick, you should bottle feed him another month or so. If you want him to start on grain, you’ll have to put milk in it & let the grain soak up the milk in order for him to digest it easily. It’s tricky to deal with this type of situation, especially with the price of feed. I’m guessing no grain because his teeth haven’t come in all the way yet & he’ll need the back teeth to chew correctly. Do you have any neighbors who have cows? Ask them if they’d like to donate some milk. I’m bettin’ they’ll say yes. You have to keep an eye on his poop & make sure it’s not too watery or too hard. The worst thing is to have a constipated calf, so don’t worry too much if he isn’t eating yet. Give it another month.
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