Getting heifers to claim

[Anonymous]

So I pulled two huge bull calves last night, left them with their mommas to let nature take its course, came out two hours later and they were damn near dead. (30 below windchill) I brought them in the house, dryed them off, tubed them with colostrum, got their body temp up and put them in small pens with moms. The heifers are sniffing around them but not "mothering" them.Do you think they will figure it out or am I in for two weeks of putting them in the chute to nurse?

I've had mixed results over the years and would appreciate any insight from people that have a sure fire method. Or at least maybe BlackPower can tell me how to graft them on a goat.

 

[Anonymous]

> So I pulled two huge bull calves
> last night, left them with their
> mommas to let nature take its
> course, came out two hours later
> and they were damn near dead. (30
> below windchill) I brought them in
> the house, dryed them off, tubed
> them with colostrum, got their
> body temp up and put them in small
> pens with moms. The heifers are
> sniffing around them but not
> "mothering" them.Do you
> think they will figure it out or
> am I in for two weeks of putting
> them in the chute to nurse?

> I've had mixed results over the
> years and would appreciate any
> insight from people that have a
> sure fire method. Or at least
> maybe BlackPower can tell me how
> to graft them on a goat.

Since they are sniffin them, one trick that we have used is to put salt on the calf's back- They start licking the calf and the salt, get a smell and taste of the calf and sometimes claim them. I've also found sometime with heifers it takes them a few hours to settle down after a delivery. I've had them absolutely fight the calf until after they'd cleaned (expelled the afterbirth).

 

[Anonymous]

Seems like pulls, especially hard pulls will put them off of the mothering deal for a while.

dun

> Since they are sniffin them, one
> trick that we have used is to put
> salt on the calf's back- They
> start licking the calf and the
> salt, get a smell and taste of the
> calf and sometimes claim them.
> I've also found sometime with
> heifers it takes them a few hours
> to settle down after a delivery.
> I've had them absolutely fight the
> calf until after they'd cleaned
> (expelled the afterbirth).



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[Anonymous]

Try rubbing some dry powdered blood meal on the calves' back and throwing a lil on the heifers' nose. Put them in a pen and let them be for a while. If you feel it's necessary to watch the claiming process, it'd be best to watch from a distance without the pairs knowing that you are anywhere near; they'll concentrate on you more than what they're supposed to do.



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[Anonymous]

There is a powder called "O-No-More", black stuff, bad smelling, but it worked last year 4 times for me. 2 of them were adopted Jersey calves. $8.00 a bottle and I still have pleanty left.

> Try rubbing some dry powdered
> blood meal on the calves' back and
> throwing a lil on the heifers'
> nose. Put them in a pen and let
> them be for a while. If you feel
> it's necessary to watch the
> claiming process, it'd be best to
> watch from a distance without the
> pairs knowing that you are
> anywhere near; they'll concentrate
> on you more than what they're
> supposed to do.

 

[Anonymous]

> There is a powder called
> "O-No-More", black
> stuff, bad smelling, but it worked
> last year 4 times for me. 2 of
> them were adopted Jersey calves.
> $8.00 a bottle and I still have
> pleanty left.

With having to pull the calves, then taking them away, then bringing them back with a new scent(house), it might take the heifers a little while to get back into the swing of things, especially after a tough delivery.

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