For sometime now, I've wanted to put together information about
bottle babies. You may agree or disagree with what I have to say;
however, I feel that there is a lack of information concerning proper
care of bottle baby bovines. If you've never raised a baby animal, the
information may seem a bit daunting. My purpose is not to scare
anyone away, but to present a few facts about raising bottle calves.
There is nothing more rewarding than going into a pasture full of 2 year
olds, and instantly becoming the center of attention of the animals that
you've raised on a bottle.
Remember this is just a set of guidelines; something you can go by.
I do not claim to be an authority. I do encourage you to contact
your local vet and county extension agent if you have questions.
Hopefully this page will help answer some of the questions you have
about the care of a Miniature Zebu bottle baby. These are
only guidelines developed from years of raising good, healthy, happy
babies. However, these are only guidelines, and you should always
keep in touch with your local veteranarian.
Colostrum: It is important that a Miniature Zebu baby get its
colostrum within the first 12 hours. This can be either from the
mother, or a formula.
Milk Replacer: Find a good quality milk replacer from your
local farm store. Since each brand is different, be sure to follow
the directions on the label. Be careful not to mix it to
rich nor too lean.
Additives to milk replacer: I have found that adding from one
teaspoon to a tablespoon of fiber (Metamucil or equivalent) is very
helpful in preventing scours (diarrhea). Its also a good idea to
add a little electrolyte as well as a drop or two of baby vitamins.
Adding a teaspoonful of sugar is also a good idea, especially at the
beginning.
Scours (diarrhea): This is the most common problem in raising
bottle babies. As stated before, using fiber in the formula will
help in preventing this problem. However, sometimes it is caused
by a bacteria, and you need to have your vet prescribe proper
antibiotics to combat this problem. Always look for a little
"redness" in the stool. This is a sure sign of infection that
needs to be treated. If your calf does develop scours, it is very
important to add electrolytes to the formula to prevent dehydration.
Feeding Time: This is crucial especially within the first month
or so of a bottle babies life. It is important that the baby is
fed every 12 hours.
Amount of Milk Replacer: I always mix up at least one quart for
each feeding in the beginning. When the baby is a few days old, it
may or may not drink a full quart. However, it is important that
the baby get all it wants. As the animal gets older, you will want
to "up" the amount to a quart and a quarter, then to a quart and a half,
and finally to 2 quarts per feeding.
Water: Make sure your baby always has fresh water available.
You may even want to mix in a little electrolytes to help prevent
dehydration.
Feed: It is a good idea to introduce your baby to feed as early
as possible. Even though the feed won't add any nutritional value
to its diet, the familiarity of feed will help when weaning your bottle
baby.
Hay/grass: Always have a little bit of hay for the baby to
"nose around" in. A major disadvantage with bottle babies is they
don't have a mama cow to emulate, and learn to eat grain and grass.
The earlier you can introduce your calf to "real" food, the better.
Socialization: This is a very important aspect of bottle babies
that is sometimes overlooked. Touching the baby, talking to
it, petting it is very, very important. Cattle, especially the
Miniature Zebu, are very social animals. You don't have to spend
enormous amounts of time with your baby, but just be sure what time you
spend is quality time. One thing you want to be very
careful of is "butting games." This comes very natural to a
bovine. It is cute when the animal is 20" tall and 20 pounds, but
it is dangerous when that animal has horns and weighs 200 pounds.
You can pet and handle your calf all you want, but make sure you
do not participate in the "butting games." Know when to keep a
distance from your baby, and you'll end up with the perfect pet!
Weaning: This is always hard on both you and your bottle calf.
There's no good way to do this, and I'm still trying to figure out the
best way. .....More to come......
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