milk replacer - where can I buy smaller quantities

[carole]

Hi
I'm just getting my calving kit together and having thrown away about 19k of milk replacer because it was seriously out of date I was just wondering if anyone knew of anyone selling it in smaller quanities. (I'm working on the basis it that if I have it I will not need it :D )

[Saffy]

If you are on friendly terms with a local dairy farmer, you could always ask if you could buy a small amount and store it in an airtight container. I have never seen it for sale in very small quantities.

Or you could just milk a bit extra off a cow. Take the usual few pints of colostrum to freeze but also take a few extra pints of ordinary milk and then you have enough to keep you going until you can buy a bag of milk replacer as and when it is needed. Although colostrum can and should be fed for at least a couple of days, so that should cover it anyway, if you can take enough spare colostrum from your cows.

Stephanie



Edited By Saffy on 1263477322

[carole]

thanks stephanie, although I've never tried milking our own (we get colostrum from our local dairy farm) I might give it a go.

[jem]

How many colostrum feeds would you feed a new-born calf before moving on to milk replacer?

[Saffy]

With the milking herd we fed the calf its mothers milk - or a recently calved cows milk for a week before we put it onto cows milk replacer. However it was not colostrum for all that time it is a gradual change, some lasts longer than others.

If a cow is milked out by machine every day it usually has a tinge of colostrum about it until about the 5th day but of course if you have a beef cow and a quarter hasn't been suckled it will last longer.

My Mum liked to make Egg Custard with the colostrum and that was from the 2nd or 3rd milking. No eggs required just the colostrum and a little sugar - wonderful! :D

Stephanie

[Buryhill Dexters]

Mole Valley Farmers sell small containers of colostrum which have a long shelf life and are a handy one to keep in a calving kit see : http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf....es-228g

They have a fairly decent website and a wide range of handy products via mail order too.