Heifer won't accept calf

[DLF]

Had a first calf heifer calve about 6 days early. Found a wet baby calf wandering around the pen and the heifer showing no interest in the calf. Put them into a box stall by themselves and tied the heifer up. At first she did nothing but kick and jump around, but finally settled down and the calf got to nurse. For a week now we have been tying her up twice a day and standing with her so the calf can nurse, she seemed to be getting better but now is almost as bad as she was before kicking and moving around. She just has no mothering instincts and looks at the calf like she is wondering what in the world is that. Also, if the calf tries to nurse on it's own she slams it around. Every once in a while she will smell the calf but it's just like she's not getting what she's supposed to do. How long do you give them to accept the calf? We have another cow that lost her calf that we thought about trying to get the baby switched to. Any ideas?

 

[Spencer10218]

I would attempt the switch immediately
Either that calf is going to end up dead your having health problems from malnutrition.
At my work maiden mares (first foal mares) often do this and we pull the foal as soon as we figure it out and bring in a nurse mare
The second cow may not except the calf either but it's worth a shot
If she doesn't except it be prepared to bottle feed
And the calf needs to be able to nurse more than twice a day especially since it's winter
You don't want a cold hungry calf

 

[Gargan]

If you have a dog , try putting it in the pen or close to the calf. Sometimes that will trigger a maternal instinct to protect the calf. Its worth a try.

 

[hntwhitetail]

Ive poured a sweet feed mix on a calf before and after the cow licked everything off, she accepted it.

 

[Spencer10218]

Ive poured a sweet feed mix on a calf before and after the cow licked everything off, she accepted it.

Now that's thinking outside the box

 

[GoWyo]

Get "Orphan No More" and sprinkle it down the calf's back.  Molasses can work too.  Anything they like to lick.  Works for grafting a calf onto a new cow too.  If the calf is aggressive enough I have put hobbles on the back legs of the cow so they can't kick and it slows them down so that calf can get latched on.  Have grafted calves this way and the cow just gives up after a few days of hobbles.

 

[kiblercattle]

Save your self the trouble load her and the calf up and ship them. A heifer like that is more headaches than she's worth!

 

[Warrior10]

Get "Orphan No More" and sprinkle it down the calf's back.  Molasses can work too.  Anything they like to lick.  Works for grafting a calf onto a new cow too.  If the calf is aggressive enough I have put hobbles on the back legs of the cow so they can't kick and it slows them down so that calf can get latched on.  Have grafted calves this way and the cow just gives up after a few days of hobbles.

We've used "Orphan No More" in the past as well.

 

[ROMAX]

We pour molasses on the calf,she will be very vigorous about getting it out of all the nooks and crannies of the calf,before she knows it the calf is dry and she is in love.

 

[SJcattle]

Get "Orphan No More" and sprinkle it down the calf's back.  Molasses can work too.  Anything they like to lick.  Works for grafting a calf onto a new cow too.  If the calf is aggressive enough I have put hobbles on the back legs of the cow so they can't kick and it slows them down so that calf can get latched on.  Have grafted calves this way and the cow just gives up after a few days of hobbles.

I remember my dad using this when I was younger and it worked absolute wonders! For whatever reason it was no longer available in Canada, but it certainly worked! When the Orphan No More wasn't available to us, we used a strong cologne, sprayed the mothers nose and then the calf and that actually worked well too. It was a trick we learned from a fellow who had been in the industry for quite some time. I'm not sure how or why it works, but it seems to. Good luck! (thumbsup)

 

[diamonddls]

Had the best luck with the dog in the stall. The cologne trick also works wonders. As far as the kicking goes hobbles work best. Good luck with it most first time mothers only have this problem once.

 

[chappy6655]

Had one last year that was this way after keeping them in a 12 x 12 pen with hobbles on heifer for 2 weeks she finally decided to be a mom and weaned off the biggest calf in the herd.

 

[DLF]

We switched the calf over to the other cow that had lost her calf. She has been doing well with letting the calf nurse, will probably take a couple days to get adjusted to her new black calf - her own calf was white. 
After switching the heifer with the cow, the heifer went back into the pen she came from. We let them out in into some small runs and another calf that is about a month old went through the electric fence and got in the same run as the heifer that would not accept her calf. The heifer then latched on to this calf and would not let her out of her sight. When it came time to feed and sort the calf back to her mom, this heifer was running around bawling and keeping an eye on that other calf. So we put her own calf back in with her and she didn't want anything to do with it! So frustrating because she has a great udder, probably not gong to take a chance on it happening again next year. Her mom is one of the best mothers at our place, but what can you do!

 

[HelenH]

DLF, your latest  experience is quite interesting. I would next separate for a few hours and nurse both calves at once, with the cow tied. Then, just one calf after a few feedings.  Did the first calver clean properly or have any trouble calving?  Any straining?  Pain can really interfere with bonding and an anti inflammatory is needed. Perhaps she identifies pain with her own calf.  You may end up using the cow that loves the calf. If you keep her, breed to an easy calving bull.
...I'm sorry, you didn't write that the other calf actually nursed the heifer.  Only that the heifer 'latched on.'  Might work though. Especially if the udder is too full for a less determined young calf.

 

[BTDT]

If the calf has nursed 2 weeks and the heifer is showing no signs of claiming, you are fighting a closing battle.
The feed/molasses works great if it is borderline.
"Calf Claim" or "Orphan no more"  is basically molasses. Before BSE, Calf Claim contained bloodmeal which worked wonders, but since they have removed that, it is pretty hit and miss.

Your best bet is cull the heifer (who wants to fight it again next year, and who wants those genetics in the herd?) and either bottle feed the calf, or sell it as a bottle calf.  They are bringing good money around here.

 

[librarian]

Heifers are so stupid.
If it was me, I would leave the calf with the grafted mom and not confuse it anymore.
I would let the stupid heifer back out with the other cows and if she wants to adopt the other calf, so what? That calf will grow great with two moms. Maybe its mom didn't have that much milk so it goes around stealing milk anyway. Then the heifer learns to be a mom, the cow that list her calf gets a calf and the milk stealers mom gets some help.
I had this heifer calf stealing thing happen with one that lost her calf. It all worked out okay. That heifer was the best mom ever to her fake calf and the real mom just short of tolerated it.
I don't think she will do it next time, she wanted a calf but is too dumb to add 1 plus 1.
Good for you for trying to help the calf.

 

[cpubarn]

We  have had similar good experiences with the "extra Mom" thing, from a cow/heifer that lost a calf.  She appears to be sure that she has a calf just not the right one.  I would give her the second chance, but I consider she has two strikes, one more and she's outa here...

 

[DLF]

The new cow is bonding quite well and the calf is doing great.

I don't believe the heifer had any trouble calving. At 3am check she showed no sign and at 6am there was a 55lb calf up running around, just had not been licked off.

Time will tell if we keep the "dumb" heifer or not.