calf won't suck

[stocky]

I have a calf that won't suck the cow or even the nipple on the bottle--I am pouring the milk down it with an esophagus feeder. The cow's teats were stopped up, so I guess it gave up and quit trying to get milk. This is the second time I have had a calf do this---the other time, it never did start sucking. Anyone have any suggestions? I have used my fingers, poured milk on the nipple, squeezed the nipple and shot milk in it's mouth, worked it's mouth open and shut, it refuses to suck or swallow.
Thanks

 

[Crowderfarms]

Not to sound pesimistic, but It's been our experience that the Non-Suckers stay Non Suckers. The tube feeding can get old real quick.How old is the calf? We tubed one for 5 weeks believe it or not, and shipped it.We had two this past Winter that would just not suck, we tried every trick in the book. Try straddling the calf with the nipple in it's mouth, and gently rub it's throat, is it just biting the nipple and rolling it's tongue? KEEP TRYING, don't be a quitter. But if nothing works in a few days I'd get shed of it.

 

[stocky]

Thanks Crowder,
The calf is 4 days old. I really want it back on that cow and she licks it and tries to get it to suck and I hold the calf under her and shoot the milk out of the nipple into it's mouth and work the teat in it's mouth. With the bottle it just clamps down on the nipple and refuses to budge. This is only the second one I have ever had like this---the other one I tubed 3 weeks and shipped it

 

[Crowderfarms]

If you cant get it back on the cow, and getting it to suck fails, ship it. Maybe you'll get lucky. I sure hope so. ;-)

 

[buckaroo_bif]

Gotta agree with Crowder, non suckers stay non suckers. Straddle the calf and keep trying. Ship her if she can't do it. We rarely keep a bottle calf.
bif

 

[msscamp]

Gotta agree with Crowder, non suckers stay non suckers. Straddle the calf and keep trying. Ship her if she can't do it. We rarely keep a bottle calf.
bif

It's a shame you guys aren't closer. I'm trying to find bucket calves and not having any luck with it.

 

[Crowderfarms]

MssCamp,
Finding bottle calves here is not hard to do. Finding a reason to let 300.00 blow out of my wallet is hard to rationalize. Too big a risk of too many problems.It's hard enough to raise them sometimes off one of your own cows, if need be, but once they've ended up at a sale barn, and been exposed to everything, I would'nt take the chance.We've raised lots of em' but it's a game you better prepare yourself to have some losses at.Just my 2 cents worth. ;-)

 

[buckaroo_bif]

Bottle calves bring a gol durn good price around these here parts.! 250 to 300 dollars and if they are roping size even more. All these wanna be goat ropers and they wanna practice on a Little calf! Raising one is a big risk seems to make more sense to get what you can when you can than lose one.
bif

 

[stocky]

i certainly dont disagree with you guys about the problems with bottle calves. I know the easiest and probably the best thing to do is ship this calf and that will probably what i have to do soon. The thing is, if the calf starts sucking the cow, the cow-calf pair is worth 1200-1300 dollars. if it doesnt, the calf is worth 250 and the cow is worth 500 for slaughter. that is 750 which makes that calf sucking that cow worth 500 dollars---lol, so that is why i am giving it a chance

 

[jt]

Thanks Crowder,
The calf is 4 days old. I really want it back on that cow and she licks it and tries to get it to suck and I hold the calf under her and shoot the milk out of the nipple into it's mouth and work the teat in it's mouth. With the bottle it just clamps down on the nipple and refuses to budge. This is only the second one I have ever had like this---the other one I tubed 3 weeks and shipped it

if that cow is licking the calf, i would put them in a small catch pen together and leave them alone... when that little dude gets hungry enough he may try to nurse then...

i am a little confused... you said her teats were stopped up, but you squirted milk on the calf... i suppose you have been tubing this calf from birth... if it has good strenth, and the teats are not too big, and with the cow licking it, i figure you have a pretty good chance of getting this pair together..

jmo

good luck and keep us posted..

jt

 

[stocky]

thanks jt,
yes, the teats were stopped up and after seeing the calf was making no attempt to nurse, we checked and got the teats unstopped, so they are free now----i am sure that the calf tried and couldnt get milk because they were stopped up---the teats arent too big, and she is a nice 5 year old, i dont know why they were stopped up

 

[jt]

thanks jt,
yes, the teats were stopped up and after seeing the calf was making no attempt to nurse, we checked and got the teats unstopped, so they are free now----i am sure that the calf tried and couldnt get milk because they were stopped up---the teats arent too big, and she is a nice 5 year old, i dont know why they were stopped up

i know what you are talking about on the stopped up part, unless they were stopped up real bad... i dont know if this is the right way to put it, but the teats are sealed and the seal is broken when the calf starts nursing..

if that calf tried to nurse initally and had problems, i would consider that a good sign... he will try again when he is hungry enough, and this time he should be successful.

good luck

jt

 

[sidney411]

I'm sure most non-suckers stay that way but not all of them. I had a tiny heifer born a month ago this weekend. I tube fed her for 2 weeks - she would not nurse the cow or the bottle. The cow was so full the milk dribbled out of her teats, and I milked out 1 gallon 2x a day for 2 weeks to tube the calf with. This calf would fight me tooth and hoof to not nurse. She would run up to me when I'd go in the pen but when I would strattle her she would go ballistic, spit the milk out, choke on it, push her tounge out he side, buck, kick and stomp me. 2 weeks a light went on in her dumb little head and she started nursing. The pair are out in the cow pasture now. Moral of the story: don't give up.

 

[Farmhand]

I have to disagree with some calves never sucking. Have had some stubborn ones that took as long as 2 weeks to get it right but all did figure it out. I have never tubed a calf either. I always start out each feeding by putting the calf on the cow and trying to get it to nurse her. The little one will eventually tire and then I milk the cow into a bottle and feed it to the calf. This usually involves a slow and messy process of letting the milk flow into its mouth. Means enlarging the nipple enough that milk flows out on its own. Hold the calf's mouth shut. It has to eventually swallow. If the calf becomes active but still does not nurse, then I take the calf away and skip a feeding to make it hungry. May have to do this several different times. I feel it is important to keep the cow and calf together and trying to get it to nurse her if you want them to stay a pair. Usually momma will stay interested in the calf if they are kept together. Keep going with this routine 'til you think you just can't do it anymore - that's when the light bulb will go on and the calf will take off on its own.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

i certainly dont disagree with you guys about the problems with bottle calves. I know the easiest and probably the best thing to do is ship this calf and that will probably what i have to do soon. The thing is, if the calf starts sucking the cow, the cow-calf pair is worth 1200-1300 dollars. if it doesnt, the calf is worth 250 and the cow is worth 500 for slaughter. that is 750 which makes that calf sucking that cow worth 500 dollars---lol, so that is why i am giving it a chance

by all means give her the best chance you can and Good Luck! i just know too many times i work for weeks to save a calf and think i about have him straightened out then i go out to find him daid the next morning! i guess time is a big factor in my situation. and i give them all the time i can.
bif

 

[Kelly]

I have a calf that is a really soft sucker that I have been trying to feed also. She will not suck on the bottle at all & when she nurses she licks a little and bearly sucks - so then the mom keeps walking away. We put mom in the head stall & the baby took her sweet time but she did finally get her milk. She will not try hard when mom walks away & will just lay down & sleep. She also will go drink water out of the tank. I have been giving her some high energy gel w/ vitamins in between feedings & it has made alot of difference in her energy level.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

I had this calf a year ago. Poor little calf was born in a snowstorm. The day he was born I had him in my pickup warming him up. He never was quite right. Did not act right looked very poor and slowly got worse day by day. He got so bad he would not nurse. I tried electrolytes , he would not take a bottle I tubed him for weeks. Every morning I would milk the cow to keep her milk coming in and tube the calf. After a couple weeks I was finally able to get him to suck a bottle. Then we got him back to nursing mama. I got very attached to him, even named him, Ed. This went on for over a month maybe 6 weeks I dunno but just as I was thinking that little Ed might make it one morning I went to the barn and he was laying daid in the bunk. The very day I was going to take them back to the pasture. So I sure ain't saying I won't try to save a calf. I do everthing I can but i have to draw the line somewhere and say, he's going to town next sale day. Don't like it but thats the way it is.

bif

 

[stocky]

thanks for all the ideas. the calf never started sucking the cow and the cow lost interest. the calf did start sucking the bottle, so i sold it to a neighbor for a bottle calf. thanks for the ideas, at least the calf started sucking on the bottle, so it will be fine