Feed Time

How much milk do you consume in a day? A week? A month?

 

Remember Sadie?

 

 

Can you guess how much she consumes in a feed? In a day?

 

 

Yesterday evening's feed was around 4L, at midday she had 1L and for breakfast she had 2L. So there you have it a week and a half old calf is consuming around 6 to 7L of milk per day and would happily drink more if you let her, glutton.

 

Sadie is an orphaned calf so she is living in the main house yard and is fed milk that is made up from milk powder especially created for farm babies like foals and calves.

 

 

The milk powder or calf pad is put into water and whisked to make sure it isn't lumpy. Sometimes an egg is added for extra protein.

 



 

It is then poured into Sadie's calf feeder that is hooked on the fence. She usually beats us there. Once she sees the jug of milk she excitedly runs up behind whoever has the jug and follows along putting in a burst of speed when nearly at the feeder so she gets there first. She is also usually already sucking on the teat, just hanging for that moment when the milk hits the bottom of the feeder.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On finishing, with her guts extended, she turns and stares at you with gorgeous calf eyes wanting to know why the milk supply ran out. If she really does seem hungry more milk is produced (the sign of this is continual sucking on an empty feeder and blahing for more).

 

 

The calf feeder is then washed out and filled with water which she happily sucks away at on and off until it she has had enough. She then curls up in the shade for a nice little nap until when she thinks it should be her next feed time or someone is around to play with.