Between their mother’s milk and supplemental milk replacer, our Bobsey twins, Flossie and Freddie, are thriving! Their heights and weights are comparable to their peers born about the same time.
My youngest sister, Lila, who lives in Alaska, came for a visit in October. We put her to work feeding Flossie, although she said it wasn't really work!
Just as human babies progress from milk to cereal, so do bovine babies. Since Gerber doesn’t make calf cereal, Bill bought a grain mixture of ground up corn, oats and molasses at the feed store. He gives them handfuls of this mixture with their milk replacer.
While Bill feeds Flossie, Freddie sees something nearby that interests him…the empty milk bottles that were supposedly “hidden” in a five-gallon bucket. He’ll just check these out in case there’s a drop of milk left!
The bottles were already sucked dry, but there was grain in the bottom of the bucket. We took the bottles out and Freddie dived right in!
Flossie has been less enthusiastic about grain, but she’s coming around. Early last week she, too, found the grain in the bucket.
Bill set up “creep feeders” in several of the pastures to provide continuous, free-choice grain to the calves. One is pictured below. Creep feeding supplements Mom’s milk and the grass some of the older calves have started nibbling. The name comes from the design of the apparatus—calves “creep” under the top rail which is low enough to prevent cows from entering the feeder. At least most of the time. In the past, one of our smaller cows wedged herself into the feeder, then couldn't get out. Of course, with all that grain to feast on, she wasn't interested in leaving. Bill had to convince her otherwise, turn her around—not easy in the confined space—and nudge her out through one of the narrow openings.
Freddie and Flossie chow down grain in the feeder while one of their friends looks on and wonders, “How do I get in there?”...
Bill set up “creep feeders” in several of the pastures to provide continuous, free-choice grain to the calves. One is pictured below. Creep feeding supplements Mom’s milk and the grass some of the older calves have started nibbling. The name comes from the design of the apparatus—calves “creep” under the top rail which is low enough to prevent cows from entering the feeder. At least most of the time. In the past, one of our smaller cows wedged herself into the feeder, then couldn't get out. Of course, with all that grain to feast on, she wasn't interested in leaving. Bill had to convince her otherwise, turn her around—not easy in the confined space—and nudge her out through one of the narrow openings.
Freddie and Flossie chow down grain in the feeder while one of their friends looks on and wonders, “How do I get in there?”...
...while Ginger, First Calf Heifer #72, lurks behind the feeder wondering the same thing!
"Mmmm...we really like this calf granola!"
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