heifer with no milk

[greenbriarfarms228]

My first show heifer calved 6 days ago but, she hardly has any milk. I can get a few squirts out but then she is dry. The calf did get some colostrum that someone gave us. I believe she is getting a little milk but not nearly enough. we are bottle feeding the calf. My 4-H leader says she should come to her milk. she did calve 11 days early but do you have any suggestions on something that could be wrong? Do you think she will come to her milk?

 

[Barry Farms]

Maybe? She might not ever milk very well, I hope that she will though!  :-\

 

[Warrior10]

My first show heifer calved 6 days ago but, she hardly has any milk. I can get a few squirts out but then she is dry. The calf did get some colostrum that someone gave us. I believe she is getting a little milk but not nearly enough. we are bottle feeding the calf. My 4-H leader says she should come to her milk. she did calve 11 days early but do you have any suggestions on something that could be wrong? Do you think she will come to her milk?

Pedigree of your heifer? Some just don't milk.

 

[greenbriarfarms228]

she's just a commercial cow. we don't know her pedigree. we bought her from the stockyard so I could make my mistakes on this one  before I got more expensive cattle.

 

[librarian]

I wouldn't give up and only bottle feed the calf. Let it keep trying and that could help. Milk replacer is a good supplement but even a little mama's milk will make the calf grow a lot better. I hope it gets better. Heifers can be a real pain, but they usually grow out of it.

 

[greenbriarfarms228]

Thanks for your help! I really hope she starts making more milk soon and she is still with her mom and getting what milk she can

 

[rmbcows]

Some heifers don't give much milk, don't give up on her though.  The best cow that ever walked my pasture nearly starved her first calf to death.  I was advised by many to haul her to the sale barn.  That was the last calf she ever starved, turned into a milking machine... even raised a set of twins without supplement feeding, AND bred back 35 days after those twins were born.  Wish I had another one just like her.