Foster mother (milking cow)

RobinBanks

Hi All,

I am caught between a rock and a hard place with something. I have a 2 month old calf that needs a foster mum to rear him. I was considering buying a cow from a dairy man that is lactating. One that may be marked for culling soon. Something cheap and cheerful! I am not after a fancy cow or anything just something with lots of milk.

My dilemma is - what makes more sense, buy / hire a cow for the length of time it takes to get the calf weaned or spend the money on ration and hope he thrives on that. Oh and this is a pedigree calf!

There is also the issue of getting another cow to take to him and working mon - fri may not suit this approach.

Looking forward to reading you're comments. Thanks guys.

AtillaTheHun

training the cow to the calf and the calf to the cow is hard work!
far better to do a 'wet foster' and trick the mother. had successfully got a cow to adopt a calf this year but when they were left out to the field the calf started robbing else where.

we have had situations like this before where say a calf's mother die's from the staggers and the calf has been alright. calf became a Maverick and robbed where they could. we've one cow this year feeding 3 calves and a cow that has a nose piece.

calf won't have the same weight as they should. maybe 50-60kg? behind where they should be come weaning time

Bodacious

If you can get the cow to take him you wont beat the milk over creep at 2 months especially what a good dairy cow could provide especially if good valuable pedigree calf she would make some job of him/her

5live

If you get a quiet cow then a few days will sort it out. We used multiple suckle and leave cows in to calves each morning and evening. A dairy cow will be used to the routine and 10 minutes will get the job done in the crush to start and then in a small space with you keeping an eye on her. 90% of cows sorted in a week.

But the other 10%.........:mad:

Tipp Man

5live wrote: »

If you get a quiet cow then a few days will sort it out. We used multiple suckle and leave cows in to calves each morning and evening. A dairy cow will be used to the routine and 10 minutes will get the job done in the crush to start and then in a small space with you keeping an eye on her. 90% of cows sorted in a week.

But the other 10%.........:mad:

Used to do exactly the same ourselves. A good quite cow will rear 3 or 4 calves with no problems.

If i was the op I'd start by leaving the cow into the calf for 10 mins morning and evening for a couple of days, then leave him in with her full time and then leave the 2 of them off together. Should do ok

RobinBanks

Well that sounds encouraging. I am thinking about getting a cow. I have since just realized that my brothers in-laws milk over 200 cows. They are bound to have a lame cow or one marked for culling that they could give me for the rest of the year. Maybe I will get lucky. Milking cows should be quieter aswell seen as they are handled everyday.

I agree aswell that milk is far better than creep. This is a bull calf so I would like to feed him on.

Bizzum

RobinBanks wrote: »

I agree aswell that milk is far better than creep. This is a bull calf so I would like to feed him on.

Nothing like a good supply of milk to put power into a calf.

BeeDI

Years ago when I had more time on my hands, I kept 2 friesian cows.
Used to keep 5 or 6 continental springers each year also.
Weaned the calf off the springers within a week, and transferred to the friesian cow. 3 calves per friesian cow (two plus her own)
Flogged the springers to the factory as fat heifers within a few months.:cool: Would keep the milkiest of the springers with her own calf for breeding.
If I were full time farming, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to this system.

PROFITABLE:D

Other benefit was getting the odd heifer calf off the friesian cows from limmy AI. Another good suckler mother on the way up.

Back then I hadn't even heard of creep feed:o

what happen

Tipp Man wrote: »

Used to do exactly the same ourselves. A good quite cow will rear 3 or 4 calves with no problems.

If i was the op I'd start by leaving the cow into the calf for 10 mins morning and evening for a couple of days, then leave him in with her full time and then leave the 2 of them off together. Should do ok

would a fr cow be able to stick a calf on her all the time would she not get very thin.seen fr cow rear 3 or 4 calves but only let suck morning and evening.

RobinBanks

ok so I have a cow organized. The man that has her told me bring the calf down some evening and he will put him in with the cow for a day or two. This is a cow that will be culled in the back end as she has only 3 teats. She is milking ~8 gallons a day. That seems like an awful lot of milk to be giving a calf but I will worry about if they take to each other

5live

Ah thats cheating. He is doing all the work for you:D

It might be time to buy a calf or 2 to put in with him. I think he will generally only drink what he wants and her production will fall to the calfs intake level in a week or 2, just like a milky suckler.

Bodacious

How did the cow and calf work out for you!? Did you leave him single suckle or put a mate with him?;)

RobinBanks

Bodacious wrote: »

How did the cow and calf work out for you!? Did you leave him single suckle or put a mate with him?;)

I haven't tried it yet Bod. Just been busy with other stuff at the moment. I have the 2 of them on there own in a small field and the cow is getting Dairy nut and Barley. The calf is eating with her so I will see if he starts thriving again before I go for the cow.

I am worried that she might dry up when i take the calf off and then the calf wont suck the foster mother. I will be in a right mess then.

Muckit

BeeDI wrote: »

Years ago when I had more time on my hands, I kept 2 friesian cows.
Used to keep 5 or 6 continental springers each year also.
Weaned the calf off the springers within a week, and transferred to the friesian cow. 3 calves per friesian cow (two plus her own)
Flogged the springers to the factory as fat heifers within a few months.:cool: Would keep the milkiest of the springers with her own calf for breeding.
If I were full time farming, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to this system.

PROFITABLE:D

Other benefit was getting the odd heifer calf off the friesian cows from limmy AI. Another good suckler mother on the way up.

Back then I hadn't even heard of creep feed:o

Now that sounds like a system But want a bit of patience at times I'd say.

Did you buy the friesan cows in or were/are you in milk?