Difficulty getting teat in mouth

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Farminlund

Farminlund

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Central VA
A third calf cow calved around 2PM. The calf has tried on 2 occasions to nurse but has not gotten the somewhat swollen teats in its mouth (it is now after 5PM). The back two are both squirting milk so all it needs to do is open its mouth!

The question is: after a couple of failures, what is the likelihood that on a subsequent try it will succeed? The reason that I want to wait is that she is way too protective & my safety is at risk to get between her & her calf to drive her into the chute/head gate. If I have to intervene, it will be her last calf here; maybe last no matter what, as I have spent much time just watching & hoping it would get one in its mouth. They are not real big balloon teats but short & swollen – maybe because she is over a week late in delivery (due 5/22).
 
Farminlund":35fr574i said:
A third calf cow calved around 2PM. The calf has tried on 2 occasions to nurse but has not gotten the somewhat swollen teats in its mouth (it is now after 5PM). The back two are both squirting milk so all it needs to do is open its mouth!

The question is: after a couple of failures, what is the likelihood that on a subsequent try it will succeed? The reason that I want to wait is that she is way too protective & my safety is at risk to get between her & her calf to drive her into the chute/head gate. If I have to intervene, it will be her last calf here; maybe last no matter what, as I have spent much time just watching & hoping it would get one in its mouth. They are not real big balloon teats but short & swollen – maybe because she is over a week late in delivery (due 5/22).
Click to expand...

i have had a few like that over the years, but they dont last here either... i have a front end bucket on my tractor that i have thrown the calf in and driven away with when i have a cow that protective. i get the tractor between the cow and calf and quickly put the calf in the bucket and jump back on the tractor. take them to the squeeze chute and get the calf going.



good luck

jt
 
So you are saying if they don't get it initially, they don't get it later?

Beleive it or not, they are both in the corral which is a problem as I can not easily separate them to force ma into the chute. My system works ok but it does require me to be with cattle to move them into the chute.
 
My experience has been that the calf will give up trying after awhile. Can you find someone to lend you a hand? I would think the calf would take off on its own once the teats have been nursed down some.
 
We have had cows like that before. After anywhere from a few days to a week, the baby nurses all four tits.
 
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Farminlund":3nbivhl3 said:
So you are saying if they don't get it initially, they don't get it later?

Beleive it or not, they are both in the corral which is a problem as I can not easily separate them to force ma into the chute. My system works ok but it does require me to be with cattle to move them into the chute.
Click to expand...

they will get em later, but if i am understanding your situation correctly, you have a newborn here and it needs to be getting some colostrum and soon. i wouldnt wait until morning. i put em in the chute and make sure they can get it, and then when they have some strength, i turn them out, and the calf can handle it on its own then. they will eventually nurse those big teats too.

good luck,

jt
 
let me add something though, being she is very protective, get some help... that calf isnt worth getting hurt over. if i absolutely cant get them where i want em, i then leave em and let nature take its course.

good luck

jt
 
The issue was they were together & he just couldn't get the rather swollen teats in his mouth (a large bull calf). I would try to get near them & see would shake her head & threaten to charge. I needed to get her in the chute but see wouldn't leave the calf. I opened the gate to the corral for an escape route & using a cattle prod (never use one unless I'm loading the truck), pushed at the calf to move it toward the chute entrance, when the mother would start the charge, I hit her in the noise with the electric shock (she would back down). When both got close to the gate of the chute entrance, I hit the ma hard (electric shocks) & she went in (luckily the calf remained out). Put the calf in front of the head gate & she immediately came to get it & in turn was caught in the head gate. The nursing when poorly at first with the ma trashing around & kicking & just being a real butthead but as time went on, & we (my wife helped out) got the calf sucking a few of her teats, she settled down some. The calf got a good drink & I let them out to do it on their own (don't think I could go thru getting her in the chute again - really had my adrenaline pumping).
 
Farminlund,

The way I read your post the calf has gotten some milk. If the cow will accept it you should be o.k. I have a similar situation with probably about the same age cow. This calving her two front teats were large. I think now it is heredity (her mother was the same way). The calf has only worked rear teats. I started to get her up and milk the front but figured that would just relieve her for short period if calf getting what it wants w/o them. I'm hoping real soon calf will be working all four.
 
he should be ok once he gets a taste of it. the main thing with new calves and teats like that is to keep the calf from getting discouraged. generally with a cooperative cow that has somewhat enlarged teats once is enough. however in the future if you have an unruly cow and you are unsure about the calf, milk as much out of the cow as you can get while you have her in the chute. then if you have to, you have the milk to feed the baby later on. if you dont need it you can save it.
 
Beefy":2k8wf49h said:
he should be ok once he gets a taste of it. the main thing with new calves and teats like that is to keep the calf from getting discouraged. generally with a cooperative cow that has somewhat enlarged teats once is enough. however in the future if you have an unruly cow and you are unsure about the calf, milk as much out of the cow as you can get while you have her in the chute. then if you have to, you have the milk to feed the baby later on. if you dont need it you can save it.
Click to expand...

Good input - hadn't thought that far ahead. If the calf still has issues, don't what I'll do as they are not our in the pasture & there's hardly anyway to seperate them short of maybe the tractor suggested on an earlier post. I am hoping that since the calf has nursed once that it will be ok now that it knows that them things hangin there give milk.
 
You will be doing the same thing to her next year if you don't cull her from your herd.
 
After we helped him nurse initially, we let them out into the pasture. Monitored progress the next day - he attempted to nurse but seemed weak & again did not make a connection. Later on day 2, we noticed that he was breathing very hard & was most lethargic. We suspected pneumonia, & managed to sneak up & gave him a shot of micatel (he was near a fence & ma got there just as we finished). The next morning (day 3), it was obvious he had not nursed since the initial assisted event. We did not want to attempt to get him back to the corral as ma was most dangerous, but decided to take JT's advice & did the tractor bucket rescue. Got ma to follow & she did but was a nut about it (butted the bucket & started a nose bleed). Managed somehow to get her into the chute/headgate & did another forced nursing. He did not have much energy but did drink for a long time - with only a little assistance. Gave him some LA200 & some probious. Also milked her down as Beefy suggested, just in case. Next morning (day 4) he was nursing on his own - kept him till the PM & let ma & he again out into the pasture. Watched him again today (day 5) & was concerned by his heavy breathing (very hot day ~90 degs), but as it cooled, he nursed & started to work on his "racing legs" - a very pretty sight!
 

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