Orphan Calf - Home Wanted

[LISA]

We have a LONG LEGGED, MALE RED CALF (DEHORNED & CASTERATED), BORN 20/02/12.
We are a 4 Year T.B Testing Parish near Newark, Notts. Postcode NG23 7BE.
Price £50. Still on a cow at the moment.

Tel Lisa Bell 01522 778634

[ayrt1010]

Would love to give him a home but its a bit too far to come and we don't have a suitable trailer.

[LISA]

He would fit nicely in the back of a car at a month old. We are taking some cattle down to my parents farm near Silverstone, Northamptonshire tomorrow (Saturday), if that is any help to anyone closer to Silverstone than Newark.

Best Wishes

Lisa

[ayrt1010]

Thanks but we are just over the Shropshire/Powys border.

[Rob R]

I don't understand, how come it can't stay on the cow? Unfortunately we haven't started calving yet so we have nothing to rear it.

[LISA]

Hello, maybe this is more complex than it needs to be.
The calfs mother is sadly dead.
He is currently being suckled twice a day on a foster cow (i.e double suckled with her own calf). Whilst this is fine for the orphan calf and meeting his nutritional needs, it is a "pain in the arse" for me to suckle him twice a day when I am currently very short of time.
So £50 = cheap price, quick rehoming.
This calf is suitable for anyone who has lost a calf and needs a replacement to suckle their cow, or someone interested in bucket feeding a calf to rear on for beef.
Hope that explains the situation fully.

Best Wishes

Lisa.

[fdb]

Lisa,

I have just had my first calf of the year (on wed) and have a very milky cow feeding her, I would take him but have never fostered a calf to a cow before, if you can give me an idea how I would be interested.

Thanks,

Fraser

[LISA]

Hello Fraser
You need time and patience!
Some cows will take a second calf very easily (depends on the temperment of the cow). Some cows like their 2nd calf so much that they can run out in the field together and suckle ad lib, just as they would when single suckling.
However, most Dexters are not like that! To Double suckle you need to bring your cow in twice a day and let the calves suckle. It helps if your cow is halter trained so that she can be tied up until she accepts the second calf sucking at the same time as her own.
To Double suckle the cow will probably need extra food (eg pellets, coarse mix) to keep her milk production up and make it an enjoyable process. She won't mind them both sucking while she eats. It may be normal for some cows to "kick like Donkeys" at first, also the foster calf may be pretty thick latching on to his new mother until he is used to her. Probably the first few times you would need to physically put the cows teat in his mouth. Not easy if you have a "kicking Donkey"!
After a couple of weeks it is easy as you just let the cow in, put her food down and leave the calves to it.

It is a great way of rearing calves (Pre - children, we used to double suckle alot of ours with continental calves) However if you haven't got a fairly placid cow, with plenty of milk, and the time to do this twice a day for the next several months, and provide extra hard food it is more hassle than it is worth.
Hope that answers your query.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Or you could milk the cow and bucket feed calves - I used to do that and have reared as many as 8 calves on one cow in a year, and sold the bought in calves for a total of £500 more than they cost me, less two bags of calf cake. These calves would only be with us for 6 or 8 weeks, but did really well on Dexter milk. The cow gave us milk for the house as well. That was Harron Erica, our first Dexter from Veronica Schofield bought in 1986. We continued that with several other cows, but the prices of calves went a bit awry and it got too difficult to be sure you were not going to lose money rather than make it. We just single suckle now - better for disease control too.

Duncan

[Duncan MacIntyre]

PS bucket rearing gives you very easily handled Dexters, but don't make a pet of a bull calf if you want him as a breeding bull later.

Duncan

[Rob R]

Hope that explains the situation fully.

Best Wishes

Lisa.

Yes, thanks, sorry to hear about the cow.

[fdb]

wow that is allot of work, I have reared orphans before, 8 weeks on the bottle twice a day and they have done ok but that sounds more than my skill and time level at present. Thanks anyway.

fraser

[LISA]

Orphan calf has gone to his new (very nice) home today. Thank you to all who enquired.

Best Wishes

Lisa Bell