calf won't suck

[shufly]

I have a calf that is about 10 days old and won't suck.  We tubed him for several days, we doesn't seem to be sucking mom, he won't suck a bottle, we have even tried a bucket to see if he would eat out of that.  Nothing seems to work.  We have resorted to a syringe and are force feeding him with that.  He will swallow, but won't suck.  This is getting old.  Any suggestions????

 

[common sense]

Some calves are just born "stupid" and don't have the sucking reflex.  I would try and find a different nipple for your bottle, like a lamb nipple. Sometimes those giant hard calf nipples are just too much. Then I would let the little guy get a bit hungry. Sometimes they will be more aggressive if their bellys are not too full. Patience is the key but you also have to understand that you may not ever get them to suck. It is just mother nature's way. If you are willing to keep tubing then keep it up for a while longer. I am guessing that as he gets stronger and more aggressive that he will figure it out.

 

[DTW]

Saw this years ago.  It is a vitamin e and selinium defiency.  Give the calf a shot of bose or muse. 

 

[BrechtCattleCo]

I had the same problem, my vet said that during birth they sometimes get their toung numb somehow... dont ask I dont know how, he said give them a shot of cortizone. But I would check with your vet first.

 

[Woody]

I had one of those 2 years in a row outa the same cow, shipped the cow and all is fine.  It is very frustrating though.

 

[farwest]

A shot of banamine.  Had em suck the boards off the fence. 

 

[DL]

How much are you feeding this calf? Have you given it any supplement like Nutridrench? Sucking a bottle takes a fair amount of energy - if the calf swallows it is possible that he does not have sufficient energy to suck - you need to determine if the amount you are feeding him with the syringe is sufficient to provide his maintenance needs - and then of course he is suppose to grow too. He may be undernourished - not stupid

 

[shufly]

Any other ideas!!  The calf has had Nutradrench, Cellerator, Bo-Se and  Banamine.  We also went back to tubing him, but nothing seems to make him want to suck.

 

[Bulldogg]

Bo-Se and B12... The B12 will make them want to eat.

 

[jbw]

Try a lamb nipple.

I have also made a bigger hole in the end of the nipple, it seems that it runs down their throut and they have to swallow...which in turn seems to trigger the sucking reflex.  

When the calf is a newbie I have found that if I rub the calf and physically stimulate him the calf seems to relax more, and gets more in the mood, not so worried about the stranger messing with him.

One more thing is I HATE tubing a calf, It is an absolute last resort. I have found that the calves seem to fight feeding when they have a tube run down their throut.  I had a dumb one out of a hfr and it took over 2 hours to get him to take the bottle.  Never used to have patience for this, but, it is worth my time to take the time at the start. AND I found that women seem to have more of a touch, they don't fight the calf, the calf doesn't get mad.

Good luck!

 

[DL]

1. How much are you feeding this calf?
2. What is the weight difference between now and when he was born?
3. Does he behave like a normal calf or does he lay around and do nothing?
4. What breed is he?
5. Have you checked his mouth? Does he have a cleft palate?

 

[Part Timer]

I had a guy tell me that the way they would train their bucket calves was to shove their head into the bucket and hold their head. I have never tried it but he claimed that they would start to drink out of the bucket.

 

[shufly]

He is an angus calf.  He does get up and walk around with his mom but doesn't have an abundance of energy.  His mouth seems to be normal.  I have fed bucket calves for several years and this method works good, except with this calf.  I have tried this too.  Not sure what to do, but I do want to say thanks to all that have given me suggestions and welcome any more that anyone has.

 

[sunny]

Are you absolutely sure he is not drinking from mom?  I find that a calf that absolutely won't suck is probably not hungry enough!  Seperate him from mom (and don't feed him) for eight to twelve hours, let them back together and watch closely.  If he shows no sign of trying to suck from mom, try the bottle again.  He will have to be hungry to try.  Also would be alert to the possibility of pneumonia.  Seems like force fed calves (tubing sometimes, but especially drenching, or trying to force to drink from a bottle) tend to get some milk in their lungs that can cause trouble!  Good Luck!

 

[shufly]

He has been seperate before, but even with his mom you can tell she hasn't been sucked.  We are afraid of pnemonia as well and hate tubing him but don't want him to starve to death either.  We are just taking it day by day, but his belly seems a little bloated and we are wondering about some internal problems.  We will just see what happens I guess. .