First time heifer had a calf (hard pull) and the calf is 3 days old. The cow won't let milk down -- she has a little, but not enough to support the calf. I've never had this problem. Is there anything that can be given to the cow to help?
Cow won't let milk down
- Thread starter farmwife
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Clodkicker
Active member
We had a similar issue. We supplemented with calf replacement milk a little. Vet told us to massage the milk vein; it actually worked!
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
hi, you can also give 2cc Oxytocin IM 15 - 20 min before milking. Just use it a time or two. From what i've heard here it can be addicting.
Hard pulls should also get 5cc IM Oxytocin to help shrink the uterus. With in 48 hours is best.
T
Hard pulls should also get 5cc IM Oxytocin to help shrink the uterus. With in 48 hours is best.
T
We have given the mother calf-manna before, basically a pelletized milk replacer for calves, and they have started milking afterwards. May have been a coincidence, but I've seen it happen enough that I'm convinced it works.
cfpinz
cfpinz
rockridgecattle":35nx4qmq said:
15-20 minutes is too long. It'll be gone and won't have an effect after that much time. Begin milking within 2-5 minutes of giving the oxytocin.
10cc's oxytocin is the standard dose for uterine contractions, and it must be given within 48 hours of calving or it will not have any effect on the uterus. The best is actually within 4 hours of calving.
cowvet
Well-known member
milkmaid":25ol4azs said:
I agree - the response to oxytocin is within a couple of minutes - and it doesn't continue for very long. If you wait for 20mins the oxytocin benefit will have been and gone long ago!
Read the label with regards to dose rate. The Oxytocin product I am used to is 5ml for a uterine effect and 1-2ml for a milk letdowqn effect. Check your label and dose accordingly!!!
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
yes i agree it works with in minutes (Oxytocin). I was just quoting our vet.
Our vet hands out four pages of do's and don'ts as well as advice for common problems every calving season and i just quoted her.
T
Our vet hands out four pages of do's and don'ts as well as advice for common problems every calving season and i just quoted her.
T
mom to 4
Well-known member
Clodkicker":3exj3fiq said:
Where is the milk vein, exactly.
Also, do you think a calf on a cow would drink from a bottle if he wasn't hungry? (I think a bottle calf would drink 'till he popped)
mom to 4":38busfwz said:
No, a calf on his mother will not suck a bottle unless he is darned hungry - and even then it's iffy. He is used to his mother's tit and the nipple feels and tastes different - it usually entails a fight, and a whole lot of coercing to get a calf transitioned from his mother to a bottle. Depending on the age of the calf, it can be impossible to make the transition. Have you ever adopted a starved cat/dog/or any other species of animal? If you have, you know how they act when given food after being deprived of it. A bottle calf is a lot like a starved animal in that he has been put on a schedule and does not have the kind of food he is seeking available when he wants/needs it, and he cannot follow his instincts. Why would he act any different?
mom to 4
Well-known member
That's pretty much what we thought, just looking for confirmaion. We have a heifer that got bred a little early. She's roughly a year and a half, so she's small and a little thin. Had to assist a little with the birth. The bull calf seemed to be doing fine, though. Good sucking instinct, up nursing a lot. He looked strong, filled out, prancing around. By the second day I started noticing that he would go from one teat to another round and round then go lie down. A little later he would repeat the process. Started wondering if he was getting enough. We're bottle feeding an orphan anyway, so I took a bottle to the new calf. Not interested. Tried 2 or 3 times, then all of a sudden he got the hang of it. I only had a pint in the bottle, so I mixed up another quart. It didn't take long for him to drink that, too. She must not be giving enough. We've got the heifer up on feed where we can watch them both. I think for now we'll just give him a bottle late in the evening so he can nurse all day on the cow. Hopefully she'll get her milk going better.
I know what it's like to try to start a calf on a bottle that's had time on a cow. Not a easy thing. It was just surprising that this little guy looked and acted so good to still be so hungry.
I know what it's like to try to start a calf on a bottle that's had time on a cow. Not a easy thing. It was just surprising that this little guy looked and acted so good to still be so hungry.
mom to 4":2i23tigy said:
Parts of the dairy cow...
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/dairy/document ... cattle.pdf
mom to 4
Well-known member
Thanks,
That was very helpful.
That was very helpful.
cowvet
Well-known member
Massaging the milk vein - make sure you have at least one of the following...
1) A VERY quiet heifer, or,
2) Good medical insurance
1) A VERY quiet heifer, or,
2) Good medical insurance
That's for sure!
