Have a calf that was born around 5 am. She never got up and seemed to be chilled. Brought her in the house around 7:45 am to get warmed up. Tried to give her colostrum but she wouldn't suck the bottle, so we tubed her. Also gave MultiMin. Around 11 am she was up and ready to go back out to mom. The other problem is the cow kicks when the calf goes near her udder. Around 5 pm we put the cow in a chute and tried to get the calf sucking. She didn't seem to want any part. She is bright eyed and looks fine, she just hasn't nursed her mom yet. Could she still be full from being tubed? Hopefully she will get hungry overnight!
Can't get calf to nurse...
- Thread starter DLF
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Freddy
Well-known member
She might have gotten kicked, but where she has went a while she might not have figured out where milk is .....Have you squirted milk in between fingers in her mouth ,time and patients is your best friend right now, also get some milk into her and with a little time could help with getting an appetite .....None act the same but 99% of them will come around .....
randiliana
Well-known member
First of all will she suck at all? By now she's got to be hungry. Stick your finger in your mouth and if she'll suck you'll know it. If she sucks, chances are that she got kicked and is scared to suck. If that is the case try getting her to suck on the bottle and once she's going good on it transfer her to the cow.
If she won't suck, that's a different story. First of all you have to feed her at this stage, so that means you have to tube her. Feed her 2-3 times a day, you need to build up her strength. Try bottle feeding her before you tube her though. Now you'll have to tube her for a couple of days or until she sucks the bottle. After a couple of days of tubing her, let her go hungry by missing a feeding. If you can leave her with the cow that would be the best, if not hopefully she will suck a bottle for you.
If she won't suck, that's a different story. First of all you have to feed her at this stage, so that means you have to tube her. Feed her 2-3 times a day, you need to build up her strength. Try bottle feeding her before you tube her though. Now you'll have to tube her for a couple of days or until she sucks the bottle. After a couple of days of tubing her, let her go hungry by missing a feeding. If you can leave her with the cow that would be the best, if not hopefully she will suck a bottle for you.
If you are leaving her with mom all the time are you sure the calf isn't nursing some when you aren't looking. I have had that happen a few times. The calf will act good but being the worrier I am if I don see them suck I get nervous. One thing I started to do is my calving pens have tube gates between them. I will separate the mom and the calf while I am not there. Mom can still see the calf so she is good. It has worked more than once that I will separate them and go back in a few hours and put them together and calf sucks in its own. What a relief it is to see that!!!! Good luck!
Judging by the cows udder, it doesn't look like she's nursed, but it's possible I guess. The calf definitely has a full look, but after all she went through right after birth, just not sure she gets the nursing thing. Will keep an eye and see if she possibly nurses on her own. That would be great!
Hope it is too. Most of the time a calf will suck and just keep hammering once they start but I have seen it more than once one will just what I call snack just every little bit. Why they are this way I have no idea. And if that's what they are doing and the cow is a heavy milker you really cant tell if they have sucked or not? I got the idea from a friend of mine to separate them for a while and only let them together while I was watching them and got to see them suck. Check the calf's nose to see if its moist. It may not be the case for you but hope it gets going for you.
If you determine the calf isn't nursing. Put some warm milk in a 15ml syringe, place on tongue to mimic a teat, dispense while stroking side of the jaw. This stimulates the sucking reflex. Repeat. Most young calves bawl when hungry. Cold newborns have a cold and ridged mouth. The stomach empties every two hours.
The cow likely kicks because she is full of milk &/or hasn't properly claimed the calf. When she is in a chute, you could tight rope her vertically at the flank (rope goes ahead of the udder) to prevent kicking until the udder pressure is relieved. Never leave a kicking cow unsupervised. The calf will get turned off and/or injured.
The cow likely kicks because she is full of milk &/or hasn't properly claimed the calf. When she is in a chute, you could tight rope her vertically at the flank (rope goes ahead of the udder) to prevent kicking until the udder pressure is relieved. Never leave a kicking cow unsupervised. The calf will get turned off and/or injured.
BogartBlondes
Well-known member
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- Nov 10, 2013
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Take a pea sized piece of a cow Asprin pill and make it swallow. This will make the calf hungry, I have had this work 8/10 times.
