# Milk replacer



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

I check the markets regularly. Last report had milk replacer at .42. Locally it's selling for up to $80 per bag. I've had people price it for me and they only want to knock off 1-2 per bag on 20 pallet per month orders.
I guess what I'm asking is where can I get the replacer bulk before they put in a bag with a label and the raping commences.
20 ton per month I would think would qualify as "bulk". It's be worth the drive but I can find zero information other than what it's selling for in Chicago and what the feed store charges.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Yah, it's stupid for what milk replacer sells for. Almost just makes me wanna send any orphan calfs straight to the sale barn instead.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

What if you tried to become a dealer for it?


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

mlappin said:


> Yah, it's stupid for what milk replacer sells for. Almost just makes me wanna send any orphan calfs straight to the sale barn instead.


Yeah, I learned that years ago...

Bottle raised an orphaned calf on milk replacer, and found out when it was all said and done he'd eaten his own worth in milk replacer before he was ever weaned...

Better to just send them down the road and save all the expense and aggravation...

Plus, after all the expense and stuff of buying the milk replacer, it seems the stuff is made out of sawdust or floor sweepings or something... just dried whey I guess... the calves will about starve to death on the stuff... I put him on grass and sweet feed ASAP because he was just turning into a little pot bellied runt on that milk replacer crap... Took nearly a year to get him straightened out and make anything out of him...

Later! OL J R


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

8350HiTech said:


> What if you tried to become a dealer for it?


I'm looking into it. From what I gather the name in the bag doesn't necessarily manufacture the product. Good replacer grows some great calves. May have to see if I can buy the whey protein concentrate and manufacture my own. Otherwise I'm going to have to start milking again. Or find someone who has lost there contract.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Best thing we ever done was to find an old style flat bulk tank, gave us enough storage to always keep fresh cow milk of the calfs and then milk replacer wasn't exactly dirt cheap but it wasn't stupid expensive either.


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## moneybear (May 13, 2016)

We are having great luck with milk replacer. Our Vet is the son of a huge dairy farmer. He gave us their milk replacer formula, and we had local feed store make to his specifications. We also treat all bottle calves as sick nor matter when when they arrive.

We are hooked into a supplier of holsteins and angus mix for $85 calf.

As in any business there are people doing what others say can't be done.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Care to enlighten me?


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## moneybear (May 13, 2016)

We had to sign a non-disclosure since the dairy is a corporation. However, this board has been a godsend for me the past two years and I owe people for all the free advise they have given me. Let me talk to him, and see if i can send you a private e-mail. May be new to you, or you may say been there done that. Either way i'll see what I can do.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks I appreciate it. I still have some pencil pushing to do. I'd sure like to avoid milking 150 head again in a flat barn.


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