can i raise bull calves from a dairy on nurse goats? any experice with doing this?
Question by in c: can i raise bull calves from a dairy on nurse goats? any experice with doing this?
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3 Responses to can i raise bull calves from a dairy on nurse goats? any experice with doing this?
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You bet. But, you’ll need a herd of goats.
Dustoff
June 28, 2012 at 4:18 pm
You would be best getting a nurse cow. Bull calves at real young ages are too strong for even the largest and most determined nanny goat. You can nurse 4 bull calves to one Nurse Cow. Some organic farmers are utilizing this method and it works well – well adjusted calves that grow well. I don’t believe even the best producing Nubian nanny would be able to produce enough milk with the proper protein and fat levels for the calves. The other alternative is to raise them conventionally with a milk replacer, but this is a more hands on approach.
Jo
June 28, 2012 at 5:16 pm
After a calf is three days or so old farmers will sell them. If you don’t have milk get the milk replacer and mix with warm water and pail feed them. (It’s called “18% milk replacer” at Fleet Farm or Farm & Fleet, The Tractor Store, or whatever you have like that.) If the calf hasn’t been taught to drink from a pail, dip your fingers in the warm solution and stick them in the calf’s mouth. With you fingers in the calf’s mouth, drag it down into the pail. It’ll get the idea fairly quickly and you won’t need to use your fingers to get it started in a couple days.
The goat would be shorter than the calves, I don’t know how that would work as dairy calves nurse standing up and weigh a lot more than the goats. You could use goat milk, of course, rather than the replacer, same pail principle.
I think the feeding amounts are on the bag, and when young at least twice a day. Having water and hay available as they get a little older is a good idea.
olivia54984
June 28, 2012 at 5:49 pm