Calf Bottles: Snap-On vs Screw-On Nipples, Sizes, Parts

How snap-on and screw-on calf bottle nipples attach, the bottle sizes we list from 1 litre to 4 quarts, lamb nipples, and the replacement nipples, inserts, caps and holders that fit each system.

Short answer: a snap-on nipple pushes straight onto the neck of the bottle, while a screw-on nipple sits over a threaded neck and is held down by a separate screw ring (cap). Each nipple style fits its own bottle type, so a spare nipple has to match the bottle you already own. The bottles we list run from Kerbl's 1 litre lamb bottle to BESS 4 quart bottles. How much to feed, how often, what goes in the bottle, and when a calf or lamb needs more than a bottle are questions for your veterinarian.

Snap-on or screw-on: how each nipple attaches

A snap-on bottle has a neck that the nipple presses over; there is no ring, so a snap-on bottle and its nipple are two pieces. A screw-on bottle has a threaded top: the nipple's flange sits on the mouth of the bottle and a screw ring (cap) threads down over it, so the set is bottle, nipple and ring. BESS, Little Giant and Tuff Stuff all sell both styles, and Kerbl's calf bottle uses a snap teat while its lamb bottle uses a screw nipple.

Bottle sizes we list: 1 litre to 4 quarts

BESS (made by Cotran): 2, 3 and 4 quart nursing bottles, each sold with a clear snap-on nipple or a clear screw-on nipple. Cotran's launch announcement describes the bottles as high-density polyethylene. The bottle bodies are also sold on their own.
Little Giant (Miller Mfg): 2 and 3 quart nursing bottles with a snap-on or screw-on nipple. Miller Mfg lists the 2 quart bottle at 4.25 inches square by 10 inches high and the 3 quart at 4.1 inches square by 14 inches high, in FDA-compliant food-grade polyethylene. It lists the screw-on nipple at 1 inch in diameter by 3 inches long and the snap-on nipple at 1 inch by 4 inches.
Tuff Stuff: 2 quart (about 1.9 L) milk bottles with a screw-type collar or a snap cap, including versions with a moulded handle.
Kerbl: a 3 L calf bottle with a snap teat and handle, and a 1 L lamb bottle with a screw nipple included.

Spare nipples have to match the bottle

Before you order a spare, check which neck your bottle has. Snap-on bottles take snap-on nipples; screw-on bottles take screw-on nipples and a screw ring. Within each maker's range:

BESS replacement nipples come in clear or red, snap-on or screw-on, each supplied with its nipple insert. The insert, the screw ring cap and a bottom cap that fits the 2, 3 and 4 quart bottles are also listed on their own.
Little Giant lists a replacement calf screw-on nipple (93PK), a replacement calf snap-on nipple (98CN) and a replacement screw-on nipple cap (93SC).
Tuff Stuff spare teats come two to a pack, in screw and snap versions for its 2 quart bottles.
Kerbl lists a Super replacement calf teat, a natural-rubber teat in honey colour, a teat with ring and plate that mounts through the wall of a bucket feeder, and a spare teat and valve 2-pack for bucket feeders.

Lamb and kid nipples, including pop-bottle nipples

Miller Mfg lists the Little Giant snap-on lamb nipple (94LN) at 0.5 inch in diameter by 3.5 inches long, and says it fits its 2 and 3 quart snap-on nursing bottles (items 98CB, 9803CB, 9812 and 9813). We also list the Little Giant soft rubber lamb nipple (92) and Pritchard lamb nipples, which thread onto a soft-drink (pop) bottle, the Kerbl 1 L lamb bottle, and a Kerbl lamb feeder bucket with five teats. Ask your veterinarian or an experienced shepherd how to feed orphan or weak lambs.

Bottle holders and bucket feeders

A holder mounts on a pen rail, panel or board and holds the bottle while the calf drinks. Cotran's launch announcement says the BESS bottle holder fits all three BESS bottle sizes. Little Giant makes a 2 quart holder (97) and a 3 quart holder (973), wire holders that hang on a two-by board. Tuff Stuff's 8 quart calf feeder bucket comes with a nipple and an over-the-fence bracket, with a spare teat 2-pack and an adapter valve listed separately. BESS also lists cleaning brushes sized for its bottles and nipples; follow your veterinarian's advice on cleaning feeding equipment.

A bottle is not a tube feeder

Bottles and nipples are for a calf or lamb that sucks. Tube (esophageal) feeders and drenchers are a different tool: ask your veterinarian whether one is needed and to show you how to use it before calving or lambing starts. They are listed on our bottles and drenchers page.

Calf and lamb bottles we list

Related guides

Sources: Miller Mfg product pages for the Nursing Bottle with Screw-On Nipple (9312 / 9313), Nursing Bottle with Snap-On Nipple (9812 / 9813) and Snap-On Lamb Nipple (94LN), miller-mfg.com, read October 26, 2026; "Cotran launching the BESS line of calf nursing bottles and nipples", Hoard's Dairyman, January 4, 2019.

Calf and Lamb Bottles: Snap-On vs Screw-On Nipples, Sizes and Spare Parts