Can I do anything to help this calf?

[linnettejane]

a few years ago we calved out 10 heifers...it was like nightmare from heifer street...seemed like every one of them did not want to let the calves nurse...now they mothered the calves every way possible, licking on them, "talking" to them, even protective of them...but it was like they were almost too concerned with where their babies were and wanted to keep them in front of their noses...so every time the calf would go back to nurse, the heifers would move around to see  and keep the calf in front of them...im sure it was from all the excitement...but i really like to see a calf nurse within 4 hours...so when 4 hours rolled around and the  heifers hadnt calmed down enough yet to let them nurse, we tied them, pushed them up against the fence, and put a rope around the back leg and pulled it tight so she couldnt kick at the baby and let it nurse...when it was done nursing we took all the ropes off and let them be together...we probably only had to do this three or four times before they finally figured out what they were supposed to do...and usually by then, the calf was strong enough to be pretty persistent about it...
sometimes you do get one that has a very tight sack and teets and they wont let them nurse because it is painful...we just tie them like above and massage the udder and strip them out, saving the milk for the baby of course...

 

[common sense]

In many cases the heifer doesn't want that calf sucking because she is uncomfortable in some way. Either her bag is tender or she is still not feeling good following calving.  That leads to stress and when they are stressed the last thing they want is a little calf irritating them even more.  My vet suggested banamine and a little ace for one or two days.  The cow will just mellow out and not care if that calf is sucking.  If you can get the calf to suck when she is mellowed out then they will almost always give in and your problem is solved. 

I guess I wouldn't change the cows eating program at this point in the game.  There is no reason that graining a cow would lead to scours in a  calf.  Your primary concern right now is getting that calf sucking before they both give up.  Good luck and be careful.  Remember, the least amount of stress that you put that cow through the better.

 

[linnettejane]

In many cases the heifer doesn't want that calf sucking because she is uncomfortable in some way. Either her bag is tender or she is still not feeling good following calving.  That leads to stress and when they are stressed the last thing they want is a little calf irritating them even more.  My vet suggested banamine and a little ace for one or two days.  The cow will just mellow out and not care if that calf is sucking.  If you can get the calf to suck when she is mellowed out then they will almost always give in and your problem is solved. 

I guess I wouldn't change the cows eating program at this point in the game.  There is no reason that graining a cow would lead to scours in a  calf.  Your primary concern right now is getting that calf sucking before they both give up.  Good luck and be careful.  Remember, the least amount of stress that you put that cow through the better.

i dont know why, but i never thought of banamine...it makes sense...and a heck of alot less work and stress on everyone involved... (thumbsup)

 

[oakbar]

Make sure the calf is not with the cow until she has completely accepted him.  I had to put down one of my best heifer calves last year because I thought the heifer had finally turned the corner after several days of putting her in a stanchion and letting the calf nurse.  As soon as I put them together she rammed the calf into the wall and broke its hip.  We bottle fed it for several weeks and still had to put it down as the hip joint was ruined.  Its better to bottle feed a calf or get a nurse cow than lose the calf--and believe me, it can happen real fast.

 

[DiamondS]

I have learned that if you are trying to get a cow to accept a calf, whether it's hers or a grafted calf, that if they get the smell of the calf that is constantly irritating them, they learn that they absolutley want nothing to do with it.  If you can keep them separate for a couple days, but get the cow in 2-4 times/day time allowing, let the calf nurse her out and in a few days, the calf will begin to smell like her then you can put them together to see if she'll naturally take it.  Before I put them together, I usually put some o-no-mo on the calf and put a little in her nose.  She gets the taste of the O-No_mo and and  a lot of times will lick it off of the calf too, kicking in the mothering instinct.  Miracle Whip also works well.  Once these things all come together, I've had great success.  Oakbar's right, if she's at all aggressive towards it, be careful. 

Last year out of 700 mother cows, I had 8 sets of twins.  I also lost a handful due to mud, bad weather, but I was fortunate to get all of the calves grafted.  I had 3 cows that calved and walked away from their baby's never looking back.  I managed to graft their calves back to them, but they were shipped in the fall.  Life's too short to deal with bad mothers. 

I hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[Vacanballs]

Hell Yes Knabe,

I'm glad someone can speak up against animal rights hippies. As for the person that thinks that I am cruel and you shouldn't hit a cow, you can pet one all day while they are losing money for you. This is a business, bottom line. And if you think that a cow is going to get back at you for hitting it, you will have another thing coming when a cow runs over you for not showing her who is boss. To answer the comment about not being around cattle very much, my family and I have raised cattle in Texas for over 150 years and a slightly larger herd than 60 cows I might add. My full time job funds my cattle and family which does very well. So next time you're out hugging a tree, watch your butt, because one of those cows u let get away with everything will be right there to give u a little pat right back.

 

[cowman 52]

    Calved a bunch the same problem you are having-- Give her enough ace promazine/ rompom mix to put her nearly to sleep --sleep not dead--- put the calf in with her while she is in never never land  when she starts to wake up life will be a heck of a lot different.  not enough fire to do stupid stuff and by the time it wears off she will usually do whats right

 

[texasgirl]

Well- thanks for all the suggestions-  It hasn't turned out like we hoped.  The heifer kept kicking at her calf and was just plain mean to it.  After several days we have put the calf with a nurse cow- but now, the calf won't even suck on her so we are milking the nurse cow and bottle feeding it.  It's weird because wheneve we put the heifer in the chute or had it hobbled the calf would suck on the momma but now it won't nurse.  It will suck on you fingers and does great with a bottle- just won't nurse on the nurse cow.  Will keep trying, but I really appreciate all of your help.  I will keep you posted