What's not to love about a sweet red Ayrshire calf?
Even at three days old, this baby, that we call Red, has a mind of her own.
Those ears are not just standing out because she loves me!
She was letting me know that she didn't really like that
first lesson of learning to drink from a bucket.
We transition all of our babies from drinking a bottle of milk
to drinking milk from a bucket when the calf is three or four days old.
Once the calf is drinking milk from the bucket,
we add a handful of grain after the milk is consumed.
It's amazing that most calves will drink from the bucket
after two feedings but it's not unusual to have a calf that
requires a little more help.
We monitor them closely at each feeding to make sure all the
milk is consumed and give them help as needed.I'm pretty sure
Red will be one of those that requires a little more assistance.
It may be that red hair!
Love your calf! I grew up on a dairy farm in NE Arkansas, and I can attest to the fact that all cows have their own personality. Daddy had a variety of breeds, Holstein, Guernsey, Jersey. The Jerseys were my favorite. Daddy named them all.
ReplyDeleteWe've never raised a Jersey but they look sweet! Thanks for sharing your experience!
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