Calf rearing

24_7

So, Ive a couple of young beef heifers that got bulled by accident and coming close to calving and showing no signs of milk, so due to reduced suckler cow numbers I was thinking of bucket rearing them and maybe another few other dairy types with them. See what sort of money they run into.
Have reared  a few calves before so know the time and effort to do this, but it would of been earlier in the year and fed inside twice a day until weaning/weather improved and they got outside. 
So my question is, Do I just feed them twice a day milk replacer,  give them access to outside, grass, bit of straw and calf pellets if they want to nibble on it and go from there.  Or should i keep them in until eating certain amount of pellets, then let them out.
Don't think I need to keep them inside with all the germs but thinking if I let them out and they picking at grass they might'nt bother with the pellets.
Any thoughts..

_Brian

Ideally start in shed until settled on milk and eating crunch.

Mooooo

Will they be calving outside? If so if leave them outside. Milk twice a day and ration in a creep feeder to keep the birds away from it. Small amount of meal till they get used to it as it will go off otherwise. A paddock with a gate standing to hold the milk bar and creep feeder

24_7

No, they'll be calving inside as probably be c-section, so I'm keeping an eye on them.

_Brian

I would definitely start them inside until eating plenty crunch and drinking water freely.

Then depending on your setup at 6 weeks I’d think of introducing outdoors, open doors to a closed yard if possible for a further week. We setup electric fence on closed yard to train them.

Then if all going well and weather suitable move to a sheltered paddock and feed on. Milk and crunch, OAD milk, again if all going well.

I think starting them outside is way too high risk, these aren’t calves with their mother to tend to them and let them sick every 2 hours. One wet cold night when they’re that small sucks and your in big trouble.

Mooooo

I used calve the autumn cows outside in Oct. Calves were in a sheltered paddock till Nov did fine. Coming from inside to out would be different.

moll3

24_7 wrote: »

So, Ive a couple of young beef heifers that got bulled by accident and coming close to calving and showing no signs of milk, so due to reduced suckler cow numbers I was thinking of bucket rearing them and maybe another few other dairy types with them. See what sort of money they run into.
Have reared  a few calves before so know the time and effort to do this, but it would of been earlier in the year and fed inside twice a day until weaning/weather improved and they got outside. 
So my question is, Do I just feed them twice a day milk replacer,  give them access to outside, grass, bit of straw and calf pellets if they want to nibble on it and go from there.  Or should i keep them in until eating certain amount of pellets, then let them out.
Don't think I need to keep them inside with all the germs but thinking if I let them out and they picking at grass they might'nt bother with the pellets.
Any thoughts..

what dare you going to do with heifers once calved ?
kind of in the same situation my self

squinn2912

We’re you not better off leave the heifers with them to rear them and just keep them away from the bull this year. Give the heifers meal and let them condition up a bit. If they’re c-section (or not) it’s unlikeky they’re market ready anyhow so why not leave the calves with them a couple of months and take the work out of it. They’re bound to have enough milk to start the calves and you could creep some meal into the calves too

24_7

I wouldn't of thought they'd have enough milk, so was just going to take them off altogether and try and rear properly rather than have them going about all summer getting feck all to drink, and end up wee runts. even with meal.
Was just going to feed the heifers on and get rid when there condition improves, stitches heal etc.

squinn2912

I think you’ll be waiting a while on the heifers anyway so if it were me I’d see what you can get out of them. They’d at least get the calves going I’m sure. I’ve had young heifers go in calf and estrumate not work but always able to do some sort of job on the calf. You’re looking at them every day so you know yourself but maybe wait til they calve before ruling them out