# How to train calf from bottle to bucket



## jucal (Jan 27, 2003)

Has anyone trained a calf from a bottle to drinking from a bucket? Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Gin64 (May 16, 2007)

Have the calf suck on your finger and with it still suck you drop your hand into the bucket. The calf will figure it out. It may take a couple of tries. I like to switch my calves to buckets within the first week.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

You can also take the nipple off a bottle and hold it into the bucket, after the calf has latched onto it. I try the finger-sucking first, once in a while there is one that head-butts a lot, then I use the nipple method. Be sure your bucket is securely mounted to something, they tip them over easy. 

Afew snorts of milk up their little noses, and they (mostly) get the idea real quick.


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## jucal (Jan 27, 2003)

This calf is over a month old. Did I wait too long? Didn't think I would keep him but have decided to milk feed him until he is butchered. Has anyone eaten milk fed beef? I don't mean veal because he will also be on grass and hay but no grain.
Thanks,
Judy
www.oklahomarawmilk.homestead.com


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Awww....I rememeber now. The lowering of the fingers into the bucket, the snort and look of surprise in the calf's eyes, the greedy sucking when he figured it out...thanks for the memories.


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

jucal said:


> This calf is over a month old.


It's just a little more of a wrestling match Back him into a corner first!


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## Gin64 (May 16, 2007)

dcross said:


> It's just a little more of a wrestling match Back him into a corner first!


DRINK OR DROWN [email protected]#$%^


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## john in la (Jul 15, 2005)

jucal said:


> This calf is over a month old.
> 
> 
> > A month old calf should know how to drink from a bucket allready. You have been giving him fresh water in a bucket. Right?????????????????
> ...


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## jucal (Jan 27, 2003)

Well you all were right. The calf drank from the bucket this morning with just a little bit of encouragment. I put my finger down there in the bucket and he caught on in just a flash. My life just got easier. Thanks for all the advice.
Judy
www.oklahomarawmilk.homestead.com


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

gone-a-milkin said:


> ... Be sure your bucket is securely mounted to something, they tip them over easy.


In the small pens outside the calf hutches, we put a plastic milk crate down, then set a 2 gallon calf bucket inside them. Seems to reduce the amount of flipped over buckets from a rambunctious calf.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Much easier to get a calfateria, pour the milk into it and walk off and let the calf drink. Better for the calf too to suck rather than drink milk.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

We used to use black rubber solid nipples with a suction cup base. Stick it on the bottom of the bucket and pour in milk so some nipple is exposed, then let calf suck your fingers and lower his head down onto the nipple. After a day of that, you don't need the nipple any more.


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