Hi everyone, I got a problem. My Jersey heifer had her calf early and the calf nursed off the mother before I found it, now he will not take a bottle. Got any ideas of things to try? I don't want to loose the calf and I don't want to put him with the mother. HELP! Thanks!
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Jess,<br>I'm not sure what you could do to get your calf to take a bottle. Are you trying to bottle feed it the jersey's milk? You might want to try this board and maybe someone there can help you http://www.cattlepages.com/wwwboard/beginners/index.asp
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<ul><li><a href="http://www.cattlepages.com/wwwboard/beginners/index.asp">cattle pages begiunner board</a></ul>
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Jess,<br> This is what I do. I have a nipple that I enlarged the hole so when the bottle is turned up it free-flows about a 1/8" stream of milk. Stradle the calf, put nipple in its mouth ( it will probably fight you, so be ready ), and the free-flow of milk will force the calf to swallow. Stroking the calf's throat will help to stimulate it to start sucking. A hungry calf helps, so if you have it with mama, seperate them for at least half a day. If its sides are sunk-in it will be hungry. Start with its mothers milk until it readily takes the bottle, switch to the normal nipple so it sucks the bottle and slowly mix milkreplacer at an increasing percentage until it's 100% milkreplacer. Shouldn't take more than a few days feeding 2-3 times a day. I have used this method several times and it has never failed me. Good luck.
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