Confused calf or mama has no milk

[Clodkicker]

Well, our last heifer had her calf Monday night--69# red angus bull that came out backwards--feet first--had to pull him. The calf didn't recover very quick and hour two was approaching so gave him some colostrum supplement. Mama is very protective of him but sometimes lets him nurse and other times walks away. When she walks away, he runs to any teat he can find to eat. He seems to be active for his age but I am concerned he isn't getting enough to eat. Put his eartag in tonight and he acts like he is defeated.

Any advice would be great. Should we start supplementing with replacement milk?

Thanks,

 

[dun]

Pen the 2 of them seperate from everyone else for a couple of days and keep an eye on him to see that he doesn;t act like he's hungry all the time. With just the 2 he'll learn where the groceries are and won;t be as apt to eat fomr another table

dun

 

[rocking_S_Ranch]

sheeeesh, Dun.... You should be a marriage counselor! LOL!!!

 

[I luv herfrds]

Do as Dun says about putting them together and watching. If the calf is nursing and is very aggressive butting Mom and moving from one teat to the other, then there is a chance there is no milk. Only then think about bottle feeding.

 

[ranchgirl]

We had a simular problem with a calf we pulled. We bottle fed the calf for about a week and put the momma in the barn with the calf at night and bottle feed during the day and after about 2 weeks we relesed the calf into the field and the momma finally dropped enough milk to feed and she started feeding him. We still gave him 1 bottle a day then he wouldnt take them anymore and she was producing enough milk for him.

 

[Clodkicker]

Thanks--I think that was partially the problem-mama wasn't producing enough; the calf seems fairly satisfied now and won't take a bottle. As long as he is still running aound and playing, we figure he's getting enough .