:roll: :bang: Hi y'all I was given a 5 day old brown Swiss calf from a dairy, that I'm buying all of their bull calves. The story on him is. He was born on a really cold night and he was really cold when they found him, they put him in their calf warmer, but he just hasn't had much energy, he has a rough hair coat, he was blind in his left eye , but can now see out of it, his eye is a bit snotty, he did have lung problems at first, they were able to get him to drink a pint of milk from the bottle, then he would quit drinking, so they would Tube the rest into him, this went on for 5 days, then they gave him to me, I've been able to get anywhere from 1 cup to 1 half gallon of milk at a time into him at a feeding, each time it's taken me an hour to get the milk into him, that's with me squirting the milk into his mouth. When he does suck it's weird because he wraps his tongue around the bottle nipple and keeps his mouth open and sucks about 5 times, and he quits and I end up wrestling him trying to get, and getting more milk in him. He's NOT Sick, cold wet nose, no temperature, I'm getting sore and tired he's getting stronger, his back is almost to my waist I'm 5,6 he is 8 days old, he lays around and walks around. I've tried holding his head against my stomach so he has to swallow, I've tried rubbing his forehead and his nose, I've tried rubbing his backside, I've rubbed him all over Vigorously, I've tried calf nipples, lamb's nipples, I've tried a B Complex shot and an A&D shot an Iron shot,. Any Advice is WELCOME!!!
Brown Swiss won't take a bottle.
- Thread starter Hereford2
- Start date
Do you have a wet cow to try him on? I just tubed a calf for 8 days that refused to suck. A cow came available and he went to sucking like he'd been doing it for months. They are now a very happy pair.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Man that's a tough one!
I had one I pulled off a mama that wasnt making much milk. She would nurse the bottle. 3/4 of a bottle was all I could get in her. Every time. She did well tho.
Sold her to a couple down the road. She eventually nursed a full bottle but preferred grain.
Not much help I know. Sry
Sounds terrible but maybe let the lil guy skip a feeding or two and see what he does
I had one I pulled off a mama that wasnt making much milk. She would nurse the bottle. 3/4 of a bottle was all I could get in her. Every time. She did well tho.
Sold her to a couple down the road. She eventually nursed a full bottle but preferred grain.
Not much help I know. Sry
Sounds terrible but maybe let the lil guy skip a feeding or two and see what he does
greggy
Well-known member
If he really is well, leave some stuff for him to nibble on, and keep trying the bottle when he is hungry.......
I grab mouth, sqeeze the snout, or, put a finger in mouth and press teat so milk is coming out....is just a matter of getting a hang of it....it can take many days.....
After trying the bottle, you can also see if from a bucket is something he prefers......
You can also tube, tubing saves your back and lots of time, but that wont get him to learn to use a bottle. Some do not like the rubber of a teat....
I grab mouth, sqeeze the snout, or, put a finger in mouth and press teat so milk is coming out....is just a matter of getting a hang of it....it can take many days.....
After trying the bottle, you can also see if from a bucket is something he prefers......
You can also tube, tubing saves your back and lots of time, but that wont get him to learn to use a bottle. Some do not like the rubber of a teat....
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Also...
Has that calf had any antibiotics to treat the lung issue?
If the lungs were damaged from pneumonia, it may be too late. They will act very sluggish. Lay around alot. Last one I had, laid in one spot for weeks while mama came to him twice a day to nurse.
If hes in pain, benamine helps too.
Hard to tell from here but just some ideas..
Ya know, it also kinda sounds like he just may not be hungry! Sounds silly but, he is probly still getting adjusted to digesting milk. He is only 8 days old.
For the first several days I never can get a full bottle in em. But from there on out they are usually running to me for the baba!
Let us know how it goes. Any pics of the lil fart?
Has that calf had any antibiotics to treat the lung issue?
If the lungs were damaged from pneumonia, it may be too late. They will act very sluggish. Lay around alot. Last one I had, laid in one spot for weeks while mama came to him twice a day to nurse.
If hes in pain, benamine helps too.
Hard to tell from here but just some ideas..
Ya know, it also kinda sounds like he just may not be hungry! Sounds silly but, he is probly still getting adjusted to digesting milk. He is only 8 days old.
For the first several days I never can get a full bottle in em. But from there on out they are usually running to me for the baba!
Let us know how it goes. Any pics of the lil fart?
Buck Randall
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2019
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- 2,697
Not sure how cold "really cold" is, but I've seen calves with brain damage from hypothermia that can't suckle. Most eventually die from aspiration pneumonia. He's also probably acidotic and feeling sick from having been tubed all of that milk. Never tube milk! Tube feeding puts the milk in the rumen, where it sours and makes them sick. Colostrum on day one and electrolytes are the only things that should ever be tubed into a calf.
Hereford2
Well-known member
I don't know if his lungs are damaged or not, but his breathing sounds completely normal and he doesn't cough. I agree with you on not tubing milk into him, that's why I've only been giving him the bottle since I got him. The guys at the dairy said he acts like he got brain freeze, because he acts like he's a bit slow in the head. He walks around, but doesn't try to play and I haven't heard him moo at all. I will have to get pictures later,. These guys who run the dairy are also the owners and they treat their bull calves, like their Heifer's, they give them Clostrum first thing, they keep them for 4 to 5 days to make sure they are doing good and they band them , then I buy them. The night this little guy was born they had a calf coming out backwards that they had to pull, it was a heifer and weighed 120!!! It took both guys and this calf wasn't able to get the attention he normally would have gotten, if they hadn't been having to pull that other calf.
alisonb
Well-known member
Cut the milk and give him electrolytes...see if he will drink that. As Buck said, his rumen of full of undigested milk. He may have ruminal bloat, is the calf bloated? You may need to get hold of mineral oil to treat...perhaps speak to vet if that is the case. What do the feces look like? Is it nibbling on starter/hay? Are you feeding milk replacer(could there be something wrong with it), do you warm it?
Hereford2
Well-known member
He is getting Fresh Warm from the cow Jersey milk. He's not bloated either. I'm going to see if he will take the bottle this evening after missing 2 meals. Also he won't suck on my fingers, he just tries to bite them.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Maybe he needs a dentist!
Seriously..
Open his mouth and look around.
The heifer I was talking about previously, had the dang feed mashed in her teeth and gums so bad. I only caught it because she started bleeding from her gum line.
I rinsed with clean water, and seriously, I brushed her teeth. With a real toothbrush. Made a world of difference.
Seriously..
Open his mouth and look around.
The heifer I was talking about previously, had the dang feed mashed in her teeth and gums so bad. I only caught it because she started bleeding from her gum line.
I rinsed with clean water, and seriously, I brushed her teeth. With a real toothbrush. Made a world of difference.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Grrrrr!
Makes ya want to :bang: :bang: :bang:
Just gonna have to keep trying and hope for the best it sounds like
Makes ya want to :bang: :bang: :bang:
Just gonna have to keep trying and hope for the best it sounds like
farmerjan
Well-known member
Brown Swiss have an actual syndrome about not sucking. If they suck a cow, they may never be willing to take a bottle. This does not sound like yours, but if he got cold and had some problems from the birth, you may never get him to eat. Honestly, if he is that difficult, you would be much better off just putting your energy into a calf that will suck. There are some that just don't come around. I have raised more calves in 40 years than I can count and there have been a few that just wouldn't/couldn't/didn't get it. I used to put hours and days into them. Finally got to the point that some just never would. Understand that brown swiss are one of the most difficult of the dairy breeds to work with. One of my farmers that raised and showed reg swiss for over 40 years NEVER let his calves suck the cow and he would get up every hour when a cow was due to calve so it got dried off then he took it and milked the cow and gave the calf colostrum from the bottle.
Agree on the tubing also, electrolytes only.
But since he has had a couple strikes against him to start, there comes a time where you just get practical and realize that it is not sensible, economical or even fair to keep trying to get this calf to do something that his brain may not be telling him to do.
Agree on the tubing also, electrolytes only.
But since he has had a couple strikes against him to start, there comes a time where you just get practical and realize that it is not sensible, economical or even fair to keep trying to get this calf to do something that his brain may not be telling him to do.
Nesikep
Well-known member
I had a 500 lb calf get stuck in a bush in the summer, found him late, he was in rough shape, got him back to health, tubed him milk replacer for 3 weeks, but he'd lost all notion of how to eat, drink or nurse.. He'd chew and swallow grass, if you put it in his mouth, that was it. Finally just put him down.
