How to Take Care of a Two-Month Old Calf

Raising a bucket calf if fun and educational for the whole family.

A bucket-fed calf is a calf that has been fed milk replacer instead of nursing from its mother. At two months of age, a bucket-fed calf can usually be weaned. Properly caring for your calf during this time is essential to keeping it healthy and ensuring that it continues to grow at a good rate. The primary considerations for taking care of your calf are shelter, a nutritious diet, and clean water.

Things You'll Need

• Two-month old calf
• Calf starter feed
• Water trough
• Clean water
• Hay
• Straw
• Calf hutch
• Fencing for an 8x8 pen

Instructions

Provide a Good Environment

1. 

   Multiple bucket calves should be kept in separate pens to prevent spread of disease.

   Keep your calf in a pen by itself until at least two weeks after it has been weaned.

2. 

   Use straw or sawdust to give your calf a clean, dry place to sleep.

   Make sure the living environment is clean and dry.

3. 

   An east-facing calf hutch remains cool in the afternoon.

   Provide shelter from the sun and rain. If you are keeping your calf inside a barn, make sure there is proper ventilation and that it doesn't get too warm inside.

4. Fence the area to keep the calf safe from predators and vehicles. A fenced area of eight by eight feet provides enough space for the calf to exercise and sleep.

Feeding and Watering Your Calf

1. Keep fresh, clean water available at all times.

2. 

   Good hay is green with a lot of seeds.

   Keep fresh grass hay available at all times.

3. Provide calf starter in a bucket. By the time your calf is three months old, it should eat between two and three pounds of calf starter each day.

4. Feed your calf milk replacer twice a day until the calf is ready to wean.

5. Wean your calf only after it has started eating at least 1-1/2 pounds of calf starter every day.

Tips & Warnings

• Vaccinations help promote immunity against disease. A two-month old calf can receive the following vaccinations:

• Clostridial bacterin

• IBR-PI3 nasal vaccine

• 5-way Leptospira bacteria

• Pasturealla leukotoxoid

• A farm veterinarian or an experienced farmer can administer vaccinations.

• You can also administer a dewormer to protect against internal parasites.

• Do not wean your calf if it is not healthy.

• Weaning produces stress. Do not make any other changes to your calf's environment during weaning. You should also avoid giving vaccinations or performing castration or dehorning during weaning.

• Monitor your calf to make sure it is healthy. Some indications of disease are dry or runny nose, cough, diarrhea, stops eating, dull eyes, fever (a normal temperature for a calf is 101.5F), and acting depressed.

References

• 4-H Bucket Calf Project

Resources

• Frontline: Managing the Calf From Weaning Through Four Months of Age