calf wont suck

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crossbreed curt

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Today I bought a day old bottle calf bull . He was a twin off a ranch nere my house . He is a polledherdford part of the bommer line . The problem is he wont suck on a bottle . Any ideas of what to do :?:
 
Re:
The problem is he wont suck on a bottle
Are you saying he won't take the bottle in his mouth or he won't suck after you put the nipple in his mouth?
 
Oh Jeez...I hate it when that happens. Keeping it alive will require tubing. Each and every feeding, offer it the bottle first...meaning, stradle that calf and poke the nipple in its mouth, work its mouth up and down. And, if that doesn't work, tube it.

In the back of my mind I remember my Daddy telling me, when I had a hard time getting a calf to suck a bottle, that sometimes a calf became dependent on the tube. I also remember how relieved I was that the calf in question began to suck the bottle.

Alice
 
Sir Loin":g281er9i said:
Re:
The problem is he wont suck on a bottle
Are you saying he won't take the bottle in his mouth or he won't suck after you put the nipple in his mouth?

Get real...

Alice
 
Get straddle of his back with his head in front of you. Pick up his neck, hold the bottle in your left hand and pry his mouth open with your right. Force the nipple in his mouth. Once you have it in, squeeze his jams with your right hand. You may have to do this a few times. Get a quart down him and don't let his neck down.

I once had one I had to completely pick up the front legs in this manner. On the third day it was sucking the bottom out of the bottle.
 
crossbreed curt":d1rrzqvj said:
Today I bought a day old bottle calf bull . He was a twin off a ranch nere my house . He is a polledherdford part of the bommer line . The problem is he wont suck on a bottle . Any ideas of what to do :?:

1) If you're using a regular calf nipple, swap it out for a sheep nipple on a coke bottle for the first feeding or two until the calf figures out the bottle is food. The sheep nipple more closely resembles his mother's tit, and is easier for his to suck.

2) Coat the nipple with molasses or Karo syrup, sometimes this will do the trick - sometimes it won't.

3) If it doesn't do the trick, put the nipple in the calf's mouth and then gently squeeze his nose and jaw together to cause the milk to flow. Do this a time or two, and then give the calf a little time to think about it, then do it again. You can also put the nipple in his mouth and tip the bottle up and down to get the milk to flow - your choice.

I would not tube except as a last resort - it is not a pleasant experience for the calf, and can make his throat sore - thus causing a reluctance to swallow. Also, do not try to bottle him laying down. It is better if he is standing up.
 
Alice,
Re:
Get real...
I think it was a legitimate question to ask.
The calf is one day old and should have been sucking its momma or he shouldn't have bought it.
If he knew it wasn't sucking on it's momma he,s got more problems now then he thinks he's got and he may very well have bought a dead calf and don't know it yet.
I was just covering all bases as I don't know Curt.

Maybe my first question should have been "Do you know if it sucked on its momma.

SL
 
crossbreed curt":eese6sd3 said:
He wont suck if you put the nipple in his mouth .

Put the nipple in his mouth and squeeze his jaws open and closed, The milk will run into his mouth. If his neck is up, he'll swallow. Keep working his jaws open and closed with your right hand.

I back them into a panel when I get straddle of them and do this. They can't back up. I am straddle of their back and holding the head and neck up.

Your other choice is to tube him but I've never had to do that. I have never lost a bottle calf either.

If he sucked his momma as you said, he got colostrum. You just need to ensure he gets atleast a quart tonight. Is the milk warm?
 
Yep, we do the straddle and a squeeze of the legs to prevent them from backing up in situations like this. Depending on why they are struggling to suckle (Real weak ones or just don't like the nipple) will dictate what is next.. The gentle squeeze of the mouth to let milk escape the nipple or even the coke bottle and shooting some milk into their mouth so they get the taste of it.. It can be a long day but it always feels good when that calf becomes a milk seeking missle again, lol..

We had one that was about 3 weeks old, on her momma when an ice storm came in.. knocked her right out and she didn't stand on her own for 3 days after the storm.. I went from thinking she was a gonner, to thinking she would make it and back about a dozen times a day..Finally starting sucking on her own and now she comes a running everytime she sees ya.. Working on breaking that before it becomes a real poblem.. I want to say it took a couple or 3 days of the gentle squeeze method after having to be tubed for a 2 days before she was ready again to bottle feed at a decent pace...
 
Re:
yes its sucked on its momma !
OK, then his instinct to suck is OK.
He may be just stressed out from the move.

Spend as much time with him as you can. Talk to him and make that low mellow sound his momma made.
Dip your finger in some milk and very gently rub his lips with it, working your way inside his mouth, so he can smell it and taste it. Keep doing that until he lets you put your finger in his mouth, then do it several more times then try replacing your finger with the bottle without letting him see the bottle.
Try this about every ½ hr leaving him alone between attempts.

If that doesn't work after the 4 try, force feed him and let the tubing be a very last resort, as that is the most stressful way to go.
Hope this helps.
 
OH one more thing. When you not with him, turn a radio on and put it on a station that plays elevator music near him, with the volume low.
 
Sir Loin":co3yiom9 said:
OH one more thing. When you not with him, turn a radio on and put it on a station that plays elevator music near him, with the volume low.

Excuse me? :eek:
 
msscamp":y5efd7rv said:
Sir Loin":y5efd7rv said:
OH one more thing. When you not with him, turn a radio on and put it on a station that plays elevator music near him, with the volume low.

Excuse me? :eek:

msscamp, I wasn't going to touch that one! :shock: :shock: :shock: :lol:
 
Make sure he brushes his teeth. And don't let him eat before bedtime. Let him say his prayers and tuck him in real good.

Walt
 
backhoeboogie":2hxamt9j said:
msscamp":2hxamt9j said:
Sir Loin":2hxamt9j said:
OH one more thing. When you not with him, turn a radio on and put it on a station that plays elevator music near him, with the volume low.

Excuse me? :eek:

msscamp, I wasn't going to touch that one! :shock: :shock: :shock: :lol:

:lol2: :lol2: I can't say that I blame you! I guess it's just my habit of following people around and giving unsolicited advice that made me respond! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
i do things a little bit differently.

when i straddle the calf and squeeze his neck with my legs so he cant back away i take the bottle in my RIGHT hand and pry the mouth open with my LEFT hand. once i get the nipple in there (dont like gag the calf with the nipple, it doenst need to go all the way in)they rarely start sucking so i squeeze the nipple with available fingers to get some milk to come out. for some reason i have better luck getting them to suck when i do this than i do when i squeeze their nose. another thing i like to do if your nipple is open enough is when i approach the calf (if it wont run away) i stick it to his nose and squeeze the bottle so some milk squirts onto his nose. they will lick their nose and be like 'hmm..milk' and start associating your approaching wiht feeding and i find that they take to it better than if you have to straddle them and fight them to take the milk. in fact i have used this method out in the pasture on calves and never even had to catch them. did two that way this year, actually.
 

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