Raising a Bottle Calf

Being raised on a dairy farm, I don't remember a time when I wasn't well-versed in the raising of bottle calves.

- by Hope Ellis-Ashburn

The author feeding one of her bottle calves, Cole. "Cole became a steer and was sold," she says. "The day this photo was taken, I had rushed off the school bus and neglected to change out of my school clothes. When he finished drinking, he immediately wanted more and proceeded to kick me in the behind as I turned away to leave, staining my shorts with his hoof prints. I got into some trouble for ruining my clothes."

Their very existence was simply a fact of life, and time was set aside every day for their care and feeding.

During the first day or two of being trained to the bottle, I often initiated their suck reflex by first allowing them to suckle, my index and middle fingers before gradually sliding in the nipple that was attached to the bottle of milk. Just thinking about it my hand still recalls the gentle tug and the feel of their tongues, slightly abrasive and somewhat rubbery, while I taught them to take the bottle.

Feeding the calves wasn't always my favorite chore; I didn't enjoy washing the multiple bottles that came with feeding them. Nor did I like it when the calves head butted me while nursing the bottle; if they caught you just right, they could rattle your teeth. But even at my young age, I felt the work was rewarding because some of them would go on to join our milking herd or even become my show calves.

Calf Selection

On our dairy, like many others, calf selection looks a little different. Except for a cleanup bull, our cows were bred by artificial insemination, which means we played a part in choosing the genetics that contributed to the calves our cows produced. To get them started, we always ensured that each of our calves received colostrum and that their dams, as well as the calves themselves, received the recommended vaccinations.