Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
3-week-old heifer calf doesn't want bottle
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Anonymous" data-source="post: 8704"><p>Okay, I tried the beginner's board but got no response as of yet, so I'm going to try this board!<p>After never having cattle before, I now have two 3-week-old heifer calves and one 5-week-old bull calf, red Brangus, which we bought through an arrangement with a friend who works at a feed lot (never again!). The calves all spent a short time with their mothers. The bull calf and one heifer calf are doing well. The other heifer calf is a bit of a pill. After my vet came and gave me a crash course in calves, I successfully brought her out of critical-stage scours by drenching gel electrolytes and milk replacer according to his directions and injecting Naxcel twice a day x 5 days. She now willingly eats calf grain and alfalfa hay, and she grazes on the dry pasture in the enclosure we keep the calves in during the day, but she will only take about a 1/4 bottle of milk replacer with a lot of struggle on her part and mine. I enlarged the hole in the nipple so she can just swallow as the milk trickles into her mouth, but she gets congested and hacks a lot. I let up when she hacks, so I know I am not drowning her. After the ordeal is over, she stands, usually in a corner, with her head down and sulks for a while. This happens morning and night.<p>My vet did say the sooner I got her on solid foot, the better she'd fare, so should I continue the struggle of bottle feeding her, or should I let her wean herself, which is exactly what she seems to be doing? I know her rumen needs time to develop, and I know in a perfect world she shouldn't be weaned yet, but at what point do I give in and let her be the happy calf she seems to be when the bottle isn't in her mouth? <p>I would greatly appreciate a little help with this dilemma!</p><p><br></p><p><br><hr size=4 width=75%><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> <a href="mailto:jdlane@sierratel.com">jdlane@sierratel.com</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Anonymous, post: 8704"] Okay, I tried the beginner's board but got no response as of yet, so I'm going to try this board!<p>After never having cattle before, I now have two 3-week-old heifer calves and one 5-week-old bull calf, red Brangus, which we bought through an arrangement with a friend who works at a feed lot (never again!). The calves all spent a short time with their mothers. The bull calf and one heifer calf are doing well. The other heifer calf is a bit of a pill. After my vet came and gave me a crash course in calves, I successfully brought her out of critical-stage scours by drenching gel electrolytes and milk replacer according to his directions and injecting Naxcel twice a day x 5 days. She now willingly eats calf grain and alfalfa hay, and she grazes on the dry pasture in the enclosure we keep the calves in during the day, but she will only take about a 1/4 bottle of milk replacer with a lot of struggle on her part and mine. I enlarged the hole in the nipple so she can just swallow as the milk trickles into her mouth, but she gets congested and hacks a lot. I let up when she hacks, so I know I am not drowning her. After the ordeal is over, she stands, usually in a corner, with her head down and sulks for a while. This happens morning and night.<p>My vet did say the sooner I got her on solid foot, the better she'd fare, so should I continue the struggle of bottle feeding her, or should I let her wean herself, which is exactly what she seems to be doing? I know her rumen needs time to develop, and I know in a perfect world she shouldn't be weaned yet, but at what point do I give in and let her be the happy calf she seems to be when the bottle isn't in her mouth? <p>I would greatly appreciate a little help with this dilemma! <br> <br><hr size=4 width=75%><p> [email=jdlane@sierratel.com]jdlane@sierratel.com[/email] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
3-week-old heifer calf doesn't want bottle
Top