We never thought we would own a cow. Our sweet neighbor bought more than a dozen calves from the auction and we stopped by to take a look at them. They were so darn cute so we decided we needed one. We have never had a cow before. Never taken care of one or bottle fed one until we got Strawberry. We buy most of our feed at Tractor Supply and they didn’t have any bottles for calves so we bought a blue bucket with a nipple. It worked but we didn’t care for it because Strawberry would spill it all over her face and then she became all sticky and attracted flies. Now the blue bucket with a nipple is very convenient because you can clip it to your fence and continue with your other homestead chores.
What you need if you are considering bottle feeding a calf:
- Bess Nursing Bottle 2qt. with clear nipple = $7.49
- Dumor Special Calf Milk Replacer = $69.99
- Manna Pro Calf-Manna Supplement = $35.99
- Producer’s calf starter = $18.49
- Fortiflex Calf Mate Calf Feeder 8 qt. blue (bucket with nipple) = $17.99
- Whisk
- Mixing container
- Hay
- A large bucket with water
Now bottle feeding a calf adds up quickly. It is not cheap so if you plan on getting a calf that you want to bottle feed then make sure you can afford to care for your calf. We actually really like to bottle feed our animals because they are extremely sweet and friendly.
We feed Strawberry twice a day. In the morning and in the evening. We had a schedule. Now, calves will not stop mooing until you actually feed them. You want to have hay and water available for your calf at all times. We gave Strawberry calf manna every day as well.
It is so easy to make the replacer. We always mixed it well before we put it in the bottle. You want to buy the non medicated replacer if your calf is healthy.
Strawberry was introduced and got used to the bottle when we got her. If your calf isn’t then you’ll want to put some of the replacer on their lips at first and you might want to force feed at first until your calf takes the bottle on his or her own. A calf is strong. They look small and sweet but when they are hungry they are strong. We learned quickly that you want to feed through the fence. You can feed next to them but before the bottle becomes empty, slowly back up to your exit gate. Why? Because when there is no longer milk in the bottle your calf will bang their head against your body. It isn’t fun. They aren’t trying to be mean or hurt you but simply doing what they would do to their mamas udder. This actually helps mama to release more milk, known as let down.
Bottle feed your calf for three months and then introduce them to a calf starter.
Enjoy bottle feeding your calf. They are so sweet.
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