Process of adopting calves onto a dairy cow?

Connemara Farmer

Conversation had this week, 6 calves put onto one dairy cow to rear. Dad used to have cattle, but a long time ago, so I know only little about them.

How difficult or easy is it to adopt a calf onto a dairy cow? Is there a better breed of cow for THIS job? (not the dairy row please). Whats the process?

Would a bucket barrel work? (kidding)

Bodacious

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Conversation had this week, 6 calves put onto one dairy cow to rear. Dad used to have cattle, but a long time ago, so I know only little about them.

How difficult or easy is it to adopt a calf onto a dairy cow? Is there a better breed of cow for THIS job? (not the dairy row please). Whats the process?

Would a bucket barrel work? (kidding)

Some take them no problem and others will kick til the calf is weaned .

I've a Freisan here and 3 calves at her and she loves them all . I bought a calf for a HR x FR cow couple of yeArs back that lost a calf .. She never took the calf

Bullocks

Like Bod says some will take to them and some won't but generally the dairy cow is quiet and you will be able to tie her in the shed to train up the calves .
Best bet would be to ask a dairy man for a suitable cow that he thinks will do the trick .
Id say six calves would be hard to have on the go at once , I would be inclined to rear 3 untill they were fit to wean ( eating plenty of nuts ) and then start another 3 on her . Maybe even another 3 after that if it was going well for you .
I find HE calves the best and hardiest to suck and wouldn't buy a CH to get sucking on a cow

yellow50HX

6 calves on 1 cow will be too much. We often double suckle some of our suckler cows as they have too much milk for 1 calf. We have a lockable feed barrier so will lock the cow in and let the calf and her own drink her until she gets used to them. It can take days or weeks. Find they take to calves the same as their own better.

Uncle bought an old dairy cow a few years back for fattening only to find she was in calf. So bought 2 extra for her and she reared them. At 4 months he weaned them and bought 3 new one and she took to them too. Following year he bought 2 more cows and they have been doing the same.

It need patience too, ideally you actually want the calves to bond as both calves will then drink together and the cow is less likely to kick them.

keep going

I do alittle of it and you only have to watch them for a few days and no problems after that, I think it works best if they dont have their own calf in the bunch

Buford T. Justice XIX

We used do it years back.

Ideally if you can pen the calves for each cow together and only let them out to the cow to suckle for a week or so. The calves will all smell the same to her by then and she will bond easier.

A crush and a small handfull of nuts works wonders too as the cow will probably start letting down milk once she smells the nuts.

After she gets used to this routine, try her in a small yard/pen and keep an eye on the group for a few days to see if she is taking to them all.

She will be much easier to manage the next year too.

Base price

We rear/partially rear a good few calves every year on ex parlour cows. We get the cows from the same farmer. He knows the type of cow that we want which is basically a quiet maternal type. We don't care if they are Friesian, Holstein, Jersey or a cross. Their maintenance is cheaper than milk replacer and they do a better job on the calves. They also have a residual cull value.
When the cows arrive to us (or are freshly calved here) they would have way too much milk for 4 calves so we bring the cows into the calves twice a day which is a bit of hardship for a month or so but worth it in the long run. Initially a good cow would feed 6 calves twice a day depending on the age of the calf.
A good set up is the key. Keep the calves in a separate area while the cows are brought in and then regulate the number of calves out whilst ensuring they go to the correct cow. After a few days of this routine most of the calves will automatically go to the cow that they are used to sucking from.
Patience and a bucket of meal is a prerequisite along with an obliging cow

ganmo

Base price wrote: »

We rear/partially rear a good few calves every year on ex parlour cows. We get the cows from the same farmer. He knows the type of cow that we want which is basically a quiet maternal type. We don't care if they are Friesian, Holstein, Jersey or a cross. Their maintenance is cheaper than milk replacer and they do a better job on the calves. They also have a residual cull value.
When the cows arrive to us (or are freshly calved here) they would have way too much milk for 4 calves so we bring the cows into the calves twice a day which is a bit of hardship for a month or so but worth it in the long run. Initially a good cow would feed 6 calves twice a day depending on the age of the calf.
A good set up is the key. Keep the calves in a separate area while the cows are brought in and then regulate the number of calves out whilst ensuring they go to the correct cow. After a few days of this routine most of the calves will automatically go to the cow that they are used to sucking from.
Patience and a bucket of meal is a prerequisite along with an obliging cow

How long do you keep each cow?

Base price

ganmo wrote: »

How long do you keep each cow?

As long as they live, go back in calf, stay healthy with 4 or even 3 quarters.
The cows that we buy from our friend are his culls, be them parlour fussy first cavers or older ladies that are too slow making the journey from his furthest paddocks. He sells them to us at a reasonable price as I think he prefers to see them live out a worthwhile existence at our place.
His cows are always quiet/laid back and that is a reflection on him as a stockman.
He is the same man that I gave the little heifer calf that was born here last month too. The calf was out of a cow that we bought from him in 2013.

keep going

Base price wrote: »

As long as they live, go back in calf, stay healthy with 4 or even 3 quarters.
The cows that we buy from our friend are his culls, be them parlour fussy first cavers or older ladies that are too slow making the journey from his furthest paddocks. He sells them to us at a reasonable price as I think he prefers to see them live out a worthwhile existence at our place.
His cows are always quiet/laid back and that is a reflection on him as a stockman.
He is the same man that I gave the little heifer calf that was born here last month too. The calf was out of a cow that we bought from him in 2013.

Is that what they call a symbiotic relationship

Base price

keep going wrote: »

Is that what they call a symbiotic relationship

YES thankfully so because I think it works out well for both sides but notwithstanding as a large dairy farmer he probably has other culls that go elsewhere.