# Can you feed a bottle calf whole milk from the store?



## MOFarmWife (Feb 18, 2015)

I am new to this bottle calf thing and will be going next week to purchase a few bottle calves. My question is, can I feed them with whole milk like you would buy from the store? Normally this wouldn't be cost effective for most people, but I happen to be able to get outdated (though not yet sour) milk from the local milk distributor for free. I feed it to the pigs all the time, but was wondering if it could be done with the calves. Experienced opinions appreciated!


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

You absolutely can. Make sure they have a good mineral for them I their feed as the milk is mostly dead. They will thrive on the whole milk. If you get skim milk add either cream or butter. They have to have fat.


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

I would be all over that deal for bottle feeding.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Yes you can  Wish I could get in on that deal too! I have to buy it, LOL. Milk prices are petty low here $3.19 / gallon and I use whole milk for bottle raising [goat] kids. Right now I'm bottle feeding a Holstein heifer calf and it isn't cost effective with her drinking 2 gallons a day


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Not a problem. You can even feed it to adult cows! I tested a dairy herd that did that. That's a great deal if you can get it!


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

I want free milk.


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## wannabfishin (Jan 31, 2014)

Tango said:


> Yes you can  Wish I could get in on that deal too! I have to buy it, LOL. Milk prices are petty low here $3.19 / gallon and I use whole milk for bottle raising [goat] kids. Right now I'm bottle feeding a Holstein heifer calf and it isn't cost effective with her drinking 2 gallons a day


wouldnt it be cheaper to buy milk replacer


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

wannabfishin said:


> wouldnt it be cheaper to buy milk replacer


MR costs roughly $3/gal. Yes, it would be cheaper to BUY. It may or may not yield the best performance, though. That cost, by the way, is not happenstance. Of course, OP is getting milk for free.


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## wannabfishin (Jan 31, 2014)

Awnry Abe said:


> MR costs roughly $3/gal. Yes, it would be cheaper to BUY. It may or may not yield the best performance, though. That cost, by the way, is not happenstance. Of course, OP is getting milk for free.


I was actually replying to tango, it sounds like they are buying their milk. I thought your price for milk replacer was high, as I havent used it for a while so i checked DuMORÂ® Ultra Plus Calf Milk Replacer, 50 lb. It cost 89.99 at tractor supply and makes 50 gallons. thats less than $2.00 a gallon and less trips to the store.


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## MOFarmWife (Feb 18, 2015)

Thank you all for your responses. Should be getting bottle calves next week and was wanting to talk to some people with more cattle experience than I so I didn't inadvertently kill my investment! It has sure saved me a lot of money on my pigs and bottle calves don't sound like such a bad deal if they are quite a bit cheaper to feed. Should I supplement with some probios or something like? I know that the pasteurized and homogenized milk takes a lot of the "goodies" out of it. I also use the free milk and milk products to feed out my pigs along with almost free bread I get from our local bread distributor and they do very well. I use a starter feed on the pigs for a little while after they are weaned then transition to the milk and bread. Just got my first hog back from the processor that I fed this and she was sooo good!


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Use a calf starter grain with a good mineral. That's most all you need.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

MOFarmWife said:


> I know that the pasteurized and homogenized milk takes a lot of the "goodies" out of it.


If this milk was originally intended for human consumption, some of the goodies (Vitamin D) are artificially added back in. If this was somehow post pasteurization but pre fortification I'd be somewhat concerned with vitamin D content.


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## MOFarmWife (Feb 18, 2015)

dlskidmore said:


> If this milk was originally intended for human consumption, some of the goodies (Vitamin D) are artificially added back in. If this was somehow post pasteurization but pre fortification I'd be somewhat concerned with vitamin D content.


This milk is packaged returns from the stores. They are exactly what you buy from the store. Some are "out of date" or close to it, but I drink the stuff and its still good!


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

wannabfishin said:


> wouldnt it be cheaper to buy milk replacer


Cheaper only by a little. Good quality milk-based replacer is not all that more expensive than whole milk from store. Land O Lakes at the Co-Op is cheaper than Dumor btw and better quality. Dumor has two levels of preparation which is how it can give more milk but ounce for ounce, it is more expensive than Land O'Lakes.


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## collegeboundgal (Jul 17, 2005)

*side note* I saw (I am assuming) your post on the moSW facebook page! lol. fun to see someone else on here from around here! welcome!


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Hmmmm,i asked that very same question on here a few years ago and got all no's ,in line with dlskidmores response.
I was also able to get free expired but good milk!


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

ufo_chris said:


> Hmmmm,i asked that very same question on here a few years ago and got all no's ,in line with dlskidmores response.
> I was also able to get free expired but good milk!


this question was asked on another fb page and got conflicting replies too. if the milk is not separated or rotted in anyway, as in, if you will drink the milk because it is okay to drink for a human there is no reason why it shouldn't be good for a calf to drink - it is after all cow's milk. many dairies suggest pasteurizing raw milk for the calves too and people feed calves raw goat's milk. if i could get free milk or if milk were the same price as the replacer i get, i would use milk. makes sense. 

don't know if anyone can advise if there is a time that it is better to feed milk replacer than real milk?


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## Broken-Circle (May 28, 2016)

This is a bit late but handy information to know if I get in a pinch on milk replacer. Im curious what your method of heating the milk would be if you were feeding a number of calves. I considered mixing MR in advance but it saves no time when it comes to heating it up. Feeding from buckets is a time saver but i also considered rigging up a "manifold" with multiple nipples gravity fed from a small tank
One problem comes to mind quickly, how tobe sure a few strong calves arent getting more & slower feeders are getting shorted?


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I just use hot water out of the faucet and a whisk for mixing when feeding several calves at once. If you are feeding one calf just dump the appropriate amount of MR into it's bottle and add hot water from the tap, shake and serve. Topside


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## Broken-Circle (May 28, 2016)

I mix in a bucket from the faucet with a wire whisk usually. The bucket I normally use only holds about 4 bottles with room for stirring, pouring etc but i like it because it pours well. What is a "milk bar"? 
I love working with the calves and want to increase capacity by doing things efficiently and working smart but as many before me have mentioned the bigger battle lately is the constant battle with scours in the young calves. Meds, electrolytes, pro-bios, we're throwing everything at them and seems we can't beat it. Sorry for getting off topic a bit.


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## jordie (May 12, 2016)

what do you all do for diarrhea in calves on milk replacer when beginning?


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