Hungry calves are healthy calves!

If your calf is less than six months old, expect to supplement their feed with milk replacer. Your breeder should send you home with a bag (or portion of a bag) of what you calf has been drinking and share the specifics of how much and how often you need to feed them. Be sure the breeder has had them on a bottle or a bucket for at least 10 days before you pick them up. The breeder should have monitored and ensured the calves are accustomed to their new routine. It’s also important that you do exactly as the breeder has been doing because moving your calf and learning a new environment can be stressful. Write everything down, so you don’t change their routine or their feeding program.

Most healthy calves do fine with a bottle or bucket two or three times a day. It’s a great chance to bond with your calf and is a fun experience for the whole family. Your calf will come to expect and love the time. Watching their antics as they prance around knowing it is about to be dinner time is joyful. Know that this anticipation and enthusiasm is normal. They may go back to prancing, pushing and moo-ing when they have finished as well. They are not starving! This is one of the most challenging things for new owners to realize. Some new owners feel for their calves and will make them a second bottle. Don’t do it. Stick with the recommended amount and feeding times. Calves can literally drink themselves to death. While they may seem ravenously hungry, remember if there were still with their momma, she would not have a bottomless supply of milk nor the patience to let them drink to their heart’s content. Modern day milk replacers ensure they are getting the right nutrients and your breeder has already figured out how much they need. You can expect to increase the amount as your calf grows, and then tapper back down as you wean your calf off of milk. By 6 months, their rumen has developed, you can eliminate the milk and they can sustain on hay and supplements.

Incidentally, this is how BamBam got her name. She was so enthusiastic about drinking she would punch the bottle. She would even jump up pushing on the bottle. Or if she didn’t have a bottle yet, she’d just jump up and punch you with her nose. If you weren’t careful, you’d get BamBam’d in the chin or belly! This is normal behavior because a calf will punch the mother’s bag to get her to let down more milk. Although I’m not exactly sure why a momma cow would give more milk if she were being punched, I admit, it was such a cute gesture, I wanted to give her more! Resist the urge! Remember, a hungry calf is a healthy calf!