Cow won't let calf nurse....

[robertwhite]

On top of having to deliver a calf this morning (sack did not break, swallowed tons of fluid. Cow & calf are fine),tonight, I had a heifer give birth and she will not let the calf nurse. She licked him off, etc., but every time the calf goes under her, she kicks at him (she may have hurt his leg/shoulder).

I wound up putting her in a head catch and blocked her legs so she couldn't kick, but the calf couldn't nurse because the cow was still struggling.

I then bottle fed the calf with about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 quarts of colostrum powder form. I will observe in the AM and bottle feed again if I have too.

How do I go about getting the cow to let the calf nurse?

If I have to continue bottle feeding until he is old enough to sell, I will.

The cow will be on the trailer next week if she won't nurse.

Ideas?

 

[jilleroo]

robert, they often do that, it's very rarely they don't let them nurse at all. Many will kick them away for quite a while but eventually the calf will persist and succeed. If you search on here though, there's plenty of advice on what to do when a heifer is determined not to let them suck. We did have one recently that was the same as yours - we put the calf on her in the crush (chute) for about three weeks before she finally gave in. She liked the calf well enough, just wouldnt let it suck. It is rare though so give yours a bit more time. Try putting the calf up behind the heifer in the chute if its strong enough, (be careful) and don't tie up the heifer's legs unless really last resort. Don't get kicked!

 

[dun]

Pass a strong 1/4 or so loop of rope with an eye in one end over her back and up in front of her udder. Pass the end of the rope through the eye and pull it as tight as you can and tie it so it can;t get lose. That sort of pinches the nerve in the back to the point they can;t kick (much). You might also want to hand milk some from each quarter, enough to relieve the tightness in the udder.

 

[Old_man_emu]

check the teats for mastitus or anything that might cause discomfort.
It would be great if you could milk her, even only a little. I dont know how good colostrum powder is but i'm sure milk is infinitely better.
Sometimes it just a matter of persistence.

 

[pdfangus]

I have dealt with a few like this over the years.
do what it takes..... what ever it takes...... to get the calf to nurse.
often a flank rope will do.....
but just as often you got to tie back a hind foot.
eventually the switch will click on in the cow.
I have had a couple that it took more than a week but normally a couple days will do it.
definitely mark that cow as a cull at weaning.
I had one a few years ago that I thought was going to tear the pen down and kill us all with her kicking.....
and she had been a pet cow.....
eventually the switch clicked on and then she wanted to fight over the precious baby.
few days later she was fine.....

 

[Roadapple]

If you had one that wanted to tear everything up, but then turned out a good mother, why cull this heifer? I've never culled a cow for not resisting her calf at birth. After a few days they've took to the calf and never had a problem with later calves. Sometimes it just takes an attitude adjustment.

 

[Caustic Burno]

If you had one that wanted to tear everything up, but then turned out a good mother, why cull this heifer? I've never culled a cow for not resisting her calf at birth. After a few days they've took to the calf and never had a problem with later calves. Sometimes it just takes an attitude adjustment.

This is where you and I disagree . I am not putting up with that crap for one minute, if I have to get involved I need a better cow.
It is much easier and cheaper to keep a good cow versus a POS. It is the cow's job to have, raise, and protect the calf not mine.

 

[Roadapple]

So, Caustic, what do you do with those type of cattle?

 

[pdfangus]

not caustic but I cull em after weaning the calf

 

[Caustic Burno]

not caustic but I cull em after weaning the calf

I sell the calves for a 100 bucks to a lady at church that raises orphans on a Jersey, dry the cow and ship her for Wolf Brand Chili.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I would try to milk the cow first. Do like Dun says and flank her with a rope. I have a Stop Kik and will use that on our cows if needed.
Get the calf up there and squirt some milk on his nose. He might lick it off.
We have had a few first year heifers kick a bit but then settle down and let the calf nurse. We did have one several years ago that licked the calf off but not let him suck. Then she took a real dislike to the calf and tried to kill him. Cow got shipped and calf got sold.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Pass a strong 1/4 or so loop of rope with an eye in one end over her back and up in front of her udder. Pass the end of the rope through the eye and pull it as tight as you can and tie it so it can;t get lose. That sort of pinches the nerve in the back to the point they can;t kick (much). You might also want to hand milk some from each quarter, enough to relieve the tightness in the udder.

:nod: :nod:
This is pretty much what I did when I ran into a similar situation.

A couple of times, in my case, the issue 'seemed' to be a tight bag, and once pressure was relieved, all was well. I did, however, have one that cleaned the calf and all that good stuff, but then decided to 'walk away' and want no part of motherhood. We rodeo-ed around for 2 weeks and I said said to he77 with this! I separated, let her dry off, sold her to a former neighbor who wanted to "giver her another chance" and sold the calf to a fellow who wanted a bottle calf.

As to her "another chance" apparently a year later she smartened-up and turned out to be a good cow. Personally, I wasn't willing to gamble on another year of feeding, minerals, etc only to have it wasted.

As for the others who were a bit 'muley' they were fine after the pressure was let off. Fortunately I haven't had but a few of those over the years. Now, had they been range cattle, who knows what the outcome would have been. My guess is the strong persistent calf will survive.

Just my :2cents:

Katherine

 

[angie1]

I dont know how good colostrum powder is but i'm sure milk is infinitely better.

If the nutritional demands of the heifer/cow were inadequate during gestation, then powdered colostrum is as good as, if not better than what comes from momma. I would much sooner use it than frozen (have done both) in this situation.

 

[robertwhite]

Brief synopsis...........

Early this morning I got up and saw the heifer was still not letting the calf nurse. I then bottle fed another 1 1/2qts of colostrum replacement.

I then got the heifer up in the head gate and was able to get milk from each quarter (saved it), but 2 of the 4 were a little clogged at first. Eventually, all produced milk.

Came back a few hours later and heifer would still kick at calf. Not hard, but she definitely wants no part of it. She constantly moos for the calf and is very protective, so she is not abandoning, just not nursing.

I cut a section out of the wooden part of my chute where the udder is and will catch the cow later and put the calf on her.

I am a little concerned about putting a flank rope on the cow. Partly because I have never seen it done and partly because I can't picture it working. A couple of you have said you have done it, so I may try it.

I will have to get some milk replacement as after 10 minutes of milking the cow, I only got maybe 1/2 pint. I have nerve damage in both hands, so it is very hard for me to do it. I don't mind working with the pair if a happy outcome is possible, but I also am not going to dote on them for weeks.

 

[Old_man_emu]

I dont know how good colostrum powder is but i'm sure milk is infinitely better.

If the nutritional demands of the heifer/cow were inadequate during gestation, then powdered colostrum is as good as, if not better than what comes from momma. I would much sooner use it than frozen (have done both) in this situation.

Isn't it the maternal antibodies that are part of colostrum that kick start the calfs immune system that makes it so important more so than the nutritional value?

 

[ohiosteve]

I agree with Caustic. Low maintenance cows are an absolute must for me. A cow that won't mother a calf is high maintenance.

 

[ohiosteve]

As for colostrum I have never had any luck with powdered. I used to freeze colostrum from my dairy cows and it would stay good for many months. The thicker and darker the better.

 

[WORANCH]

Brief synopsis...........

Early this morning I got up and saw the heifer was still not letting the calf nurse. I then bottle fed another 1 1/2qts of colostrum replacement.

I then got the heifer up in the head gate and was able to get milk from each quarter (saved it), but 2 of the 4 were a little clogged at first. Eventually, all produced milk.

Came back a few hours later and heifer would still kick at calf. Not hard, but she definitely wants no part of it. She constantly moos for the calf and is very protective, so she is not abandoning, just not nursing.

I cut a section out of the wooden part of my chute where the udder is and will catch the cow later and put the calf on her.

I am a little concerned about putting a flank rope on the cow. Partly because I have never seen it done and partly because I can't picture it working. A couple of you have said you have done it, so I may try it.

I will have to get some milk replacement as after 10 minutes of milking the cow, I only got maybe 1/2 pint. I have nerve damage in both hands, so it is very hard for me to do it. I don't mind working with the pair if a happy outcome is possible, but I also am not going to dote on them for weeks.

The flank rope will work just be sure to pull it tight . I tie the rope to the top of my chute . If you cut a board out just be sure not to get your arm broke . It can happen .

 

[dun]

not caustic but I cull em after weaning the calf

I sell the calves for a 100 bucks to a lady at church that raises orphans on a Jersey, dry the cow and ship her for Wolf Brand Chili.

Not who bought it from us, but same principle. Had one heifer that refused her calf at first. She's the one a mentioned that a steer kept headbutting it back inside while she was trying to calve. Flank strapped on her and never another lick of problem through the 7-8 calves she had after that. One cow raised her first calf with no problems but decided she was going to kill her second calf. Calf would hide from her and she would go and hunt it down and start pounding the crap out of it. Tried everything and after 3 days she was worse. Shipped the cow and the vet bought the heifer calf. "Lil Orphan Annie" is getting ready to calf with her 4th calf and has never been anything but an excellent mother, as has her daughter that he kept.

 

[angie1]

Isn't it the maternal antibodies that are part of colostrum that kick start the calfs immune system that makes it so important more so than the nutritional value?

Though the antibodies passed to the calf are (in the opinion of most research I have read) the most important feature of colostrum, they are not the only important feature. Other important functions include nutritive value and laxative properties. It has been suggested that inadequate nutrition during late pregnancy can reduce the quantity and quality of colostrum, and the resulting colostrum often will not meet the needs of the calf. A colostrum supplement (which is nonsense in my opinion) will not contain those antibodies, but a colostrum substitute will as well as the other requirements.

One thing we can all agree on is that colostrum is too important to the health of a calf to just "skip it" if its inconvenient. Use what works, but I would sooner use the powdered colostrum than frozen of an unknown origin. Its important that new people don't get the opinion that its not worth the money it costs.