How to Care for Jersey Calves

Jersey calves are a very popular smaller dairy cow. Jerseys have gained popularity after being featured in movies such as "City Slickers," where a Jersey calf portrayed the role of "Norman." Because they are smaller than standard cattle, they do not require the same amounts of food or care. Even so, knowing how to care for your Jersey calf is important for its overall health.

Things You'll Need

  • Small Pen
  • Dog House
  • Water
  • Bottles with nipples
  • Buckets
  • Milk replacer
  • Colostrum
  • Calf-starter Pellets
  • Probiotics
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Instructions

  1. Caring for your Jersey Calf

    • 1

      Provide warmth and shelter for your calf by placing it in a small pen with a shelter. Usually a dog house will suffice. Bed the shelter with clean straw and provide the calf a companion -- preferably another calf or even a goat.

    • 2

      Provide fresh water, ensuring that it is available to the calf at all times. Place the water far enough away from the food to avoid contamination.

    • 3

      Provide colostrum to the calf for the first three days. If you cannot get the calf to suck this mixture from a bottle, you will need to ask a vet to tube the necessary colostrum into the calf. Without the colostrum, the calf will die. Bottle feeding the calf is a great way to get it started. Over time, you can teach it to drink from a bucket.

    • 4

      Provide up to three liters a day of milk or milk-replacer mix to the calf during the first three months of its life. Offer milk-based feed free choice after the first month. Also offer a free-choice salt block for the calf to lick. Keep a close eye on its water intake. Diarrhea is a constant concern, so add probiotics to the milk to help the calf avoid this common problem.

    • 5

      Introduce grass hay and grain to the calf starting at four months of age. Offer milk-replacement pellets when the calf is one month old; the calf should be eating them regularly by two months. Continue to add probiotics to the feed to help the rumen (the first compartment of the stomach) to develop properly.

    • 6

      Wean the calf completely by six months. Give it a free-choice creep pellet formulated especially for calves. Mix this feed with some all-stock sweet feed to help the calf make the complete transition.