dexter as a nurse cow?

[fish]

I was thinking of putting a non dexter bottle calf with a dexter cow . Has anyone tried this? I know the beef calves grow faster and bigger. I just figured they would self wean if they got too tall. 2 calves should be ok on one cow? I figure I can raise more calves with fewer cows. the beef calves would be sold after weaning. I have never done bottle calves. the wife says I am on my own with this experiment! I think it will work. Good idea?

[LizMO]

Hi, I think that the trick is to get the surrogate mama to accept the new baby. I am working on this now as we had to put a mama down that had a 10 day old calf. I tried the bottle and it is a struggle. My back can't handle the bending to hold the bottle, and the calfs head etc. I think that the cow will produce enough milk for more than one calf but she has to be fed well to make more milk. I wonder how long it will take before a cow will start accepting a "new" calf? What has been the experience of anyone out there?
LIZ

[midhilldexters]

I had a heifer that rejected her first calf a few years ago, anyway the heifers Mother fed him for 10 months along with her own calf.
He could only feed when the cow's own calf fed, and he generally fed from behind. He was smart, he figured out to watch when feeding time was and he was there like a shot.
Within a week the cow was fine with feeding him, she would never wash or take care of him, that was my job! They were a family though, always together. Not all of my cows would have done that.
Good luck hope it all works out,

Carol K

[cddexter]

I've done this with a holstein veal calf, and with a dexter calf whose mama's milk production was tiny (but the cow made great hamburger) It's usually the smell that does the trick, so once the calf starts to poop her milk it will smell 'right'. Not all cows will willingly accept another calf. if this is the case, surrogate is one up on hand-rearing, but still work.

I brought the cow in three times a day, tied her up, and let the calf in with her. I had to stand beside her with my leg cocked in front of hers, to block her from kicking.

Size isn't an issue. Where there's a will, there's a way, and beef calves will kneel to get to the grub.

Somewhere I have pics of a Cranworth cow in Nova Scotia with four calves all nursing, and of a Hillside cow nursing a hereford. Not everyone does it, but it's not uncommon.

if you have some kind of squeeze, that will allow you access to the udder, I'd use that for nursing.

good luck, c.