orphan calf sucking on bottle but not getting anything

[box6rranch]

I'm not sure what to do. We took an orphan heifer calf from our friends yesterday. The mom died of hardware. She apparently dried up a week or so ago. The calf is 6 weeks old and has been running with the herd but is much smaller and skinnier. We have her in a stall. Have tried everything to get her to take a bottle. She'll suck on it and it looks like she is getting milk but nothing is going in her. We've cut the hole in the nipple larger, squeezed milk in her mouth, she just can't seem to get the hang of it. Any suggestions?

 

[Jeferin]

Try to feed her the milk out of a pail.

 

[CAB]

  I don't know what type of bottle that you are using, but sometimes when I buy a new nipple, the vent hole needs to be addressed as well as the size of the hole in the end of the nipple. Calf creates too much of a vaccum for the milk to come out. Good Luck. Brent

 

[box6rranch]

  I don't know what type of bottle that you are using, but sometimes when I buy a new nipple, the vent hole needs to be addressed as well as the size of the hole in the end of the nipple. Calf creates too much of a vaccum for the milk to come out. Good Luck. Brent

Tried the bucket, no luck. I'll try and make a bigger vent hole. Thanks

 

[FutureBreeder2013]

i remember having a calf like that. we ended up having to stocach tube it to get it to drink anything.

 

[box6rranch]

Tried the vent thing. That didn't work. Do you think she was off the teat for so long that she won't suckle? I don't know. Right now she's got milk in a bucklet and some hay with a little grain mixed in that she is picking at.
Any alternative feed that would help with the nutrients that she's not getting from the milk?

 

[CAB]

  Calf is defiantly old enough to start eating dry feed. A handful of a good calf starter morning & evening will help it a bunch. Calf is old enough that it will be very nervous/skiddish, also big enough that trying to handle her while getting her to relax and feel comfortable enough to nurse is a lot to ask, but I would guess that this is some of what you are having to contend with. Good luck, Brent

 

[box6rranch]

Brent, thanks so much for the help. I'm going to go to the feed store and see what they have that I can feed her.
She's actually calmed down a lot. She's letting me rub her all over and seems to like it.

 

[Jill]

See if she will suck your finger, she may have issues with sucking that you aren't seeing.  We never have been able to get them to drink out of the bucket, but haven't ever had a problem with the bottle if they have the ability to suck and the bottle vents correctly.  She is more than old enough for feed, if you can get her to eat you can try mixing in dry milk with the feed, some will eat it some won't, but if you have the milk it's worth a shot.  Good Luck!

 

[Rocky Hill Simmental]

I was given an orphan baby charolais calf a while back that wouldn't suck a bottle for anything. She ate grain so I ended up having to mix the powdered formula in with the feed. She acted like she had bad lungs or something. She'd even lap up water like a dog instead of suck/sip water like like a normal cow.  :-\

 

[kanshow]

Thats a hard age to get them moved over to a bottle.    Honestly, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.    The main thing is to get her eating something - a good grain ration is better than whatever she was getting with the cows.   

 

[cowcrazy]

When you attempt to bottle feed the calf, are you straddling her, with her head between your legs?  If you straddle her and hold her muzzle and squeeze to simulate sucking it will get them started.  I usually cup my hand under their chin and squeeze the bottle gently.  Try to keep her head at the angle she would be at if she were nursing, so that her head is lower than her lungs, in case she ingests some milk down into her lungs.  You might try sticking your finger in her mouth and tickle the roof of her mouth.  Usually this will get them to suck.  You can also check for a cleft pallet. Hope this helps!  Good luck!

 

[box6rranch]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Late yesterday afternoon she figured out how to drink the milk out of a bucket we left in her stall. Now she's a little pig! Happy though, she gave us a scare. Thought we'd leave her in the stall another few days until she fills out a little and then turn her out in our pasture with the other calves. Our cows are former show cows and pretty laid back. The calves all steal milk from each other so maybe she will join in. If not we'll go out a couple times a day and bucket feed her. We have a creep feeder up so she should be fine. Excited to see what she'll look like. She's out of the Angus Rita line and the bull was our pb white shorthorn. She's blue roan with a white belly, frosted rear end and white tipped tail. Again thanks for everything, I appreciate it!

 

[CAB]

  Glad to hear that she finally decided to take a drink. Sounds like she'll be  a pretty one. Hope she does well for you. Have a good day. Brent