Grafting a twin to a heifer?

[tom4018]

Any tips for getting a heifer that lost a calf to accept a twin from another cow?
She licks and bawls for the calf, can'ts seem to get her to let it nurse. Calf nurses her good in the chute and actively pursues the heifer in the corral. Been keeping them in a small are and letting the calf nurse her while in the chute, just started it late yesterday. wondering if I should do anything different? Never tried this much before.

 

[Silver]

Hobbles. Small pen. What happened to the hide from the dead calf?

 

[tom4018]

Hobbles. Small pen. What happened to the hide from the dead calf?

Stayed with he calf, I don't have the stomach for that.

 

[Aaron]

First, keep a bottle of this in your supply. It's the cat's a$$ and is better than skinning a calf any day. Rub down the calf with it, get lots into its back. Shove it up the heifers nose and mouth. Make her breath it in and lick it out of her nose. Do them separately and then unite the heifer and calf.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07967-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

2nd, hobbles, in combination with #3.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=8816667F-A0C7-407E-8135-0569219BE52F

3, maternity pen.

https://realtuff.com/product/maternity-pen/


And now you stand a fighting chance!

 

[Nesikep]

Persistence, you need to be more stubborn than the cow! Hobbles definitely help, don't know if haltering is an option, but I prefer it to the chute if I can help it
I just grafted a 2 month old twin to a cow that lost her 1 month old calf.. it took a good week, and it helped that I had a strong, determined calf as well.. he knew as soon as I came along I'd be making the cow cooperate

it's been 3 weeks now, she's even given him a couple (though unenergetic) lickings, but they seem to have bonded well
image online uploader

 

[tom4018]

First, keep a bottle of this in your supply. It's the cat's a$$ and is better than skinning a calf any day. Rub down the calf with it, get lots into its back. Shove it up the heifers nose and mouth. Make her breath it in and lick it out of her nose. Do them separately and then unite the heifer and calf.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07967-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

2nd, hobbles, in combination with #3.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=8816667F-A0C7-407E-8135-0569219BE52F

3, maternity pen.

https://realtuff.com/product/maternity-pen/


And now you stand a fighting chance!

I have used #1, doubt the local farm stores carry #2.

 

[TCRanch]

Quality time in the chute, molasses and Orphan No More didn't work for me when I tried to get a heifer to accept her own calf. Sold that calf to a friend who adopted it onto one of her cows. She put the cow in the chute the first time - no hobbles or restraint, no Orphan No More - calf sucked her dry. 2nd time she just gave the cow a pile of cubes - no chute. Kept them in a small pen and the adoption was a done deal by the next day. Sold my same friend a twin (she's having a rough year) and that adoption took less than a day. Helps to have a fairly aggressive calf (and of course a good cow) but patience and time are key. Good luck!

 

[Silver]

I've never had any luck with O-No-Mo either. I tried. I really wanted it to work. Also tried stuffing the cow's nose and mouth with it a few times. But I do know making a jacket out of the deceased calf's hide works, and it only takes 5 minutes.

 

[Katpau]

Unless you have a heifer like the one TCRanch mentions, I'm sure with a little time and repeated nursing in the chute, she will accept the calf. A heifer that rejects her own calf is rare and should always be culled IMO. Some will accept a grafted calf in less than a day but most take a little time. Usually if the heifer lost the calf at birth, and you can get a replacement on her that same day, acceptance comes quickly. If it has been a few days, it will probably take longer. I certainly would not be concerned if you've only been at this a day. Unless she is aggressive to the calf, leave them together in a small area where she can't get out of sight of the calf. Restrain the cow a few times a day, so the calf can nurse. I predict within the next day or two you will arrive in the morning and find a content calf with a full belly. I really don't know if O-NO-Mo works or not. I put it on because I have some and it makes me feel like I'm doing something. I can't say that a cow who was rejecting a grafted calf ever changed her mind as soon as I put the stuff on. It usually happens over night, when the cows udder gets uncomfortably full and the calf is hungry and persistent.

 

[Katpau]

I grafted three this year. A day old orphan on a cow that had a still born calf 7 days earlier, a day old twin on a cow that had a still born calf 17 days earlier, and another week old twin on a cow I borrowed from a friend. She lost her calf 9 days prior. The one in the picture is the borrowed cow and she was the most difficult. It took awhile before she would let him nurse without being restrained. She had never seen a black calf before since she came from a herd of registered Herefords. She looked like she wasn't completely sure what it was for the first few days. They are well bonded now and out with the herd. I have had some that took over a week, but it is pretty rare to fail as long as you are persistent.

 

[76 Bar]

If available, skinning out the birth calf (doesn't need to be its entirety but definitely some of the head, back and definitely the butt/tail) & tying it onto the graft calf is the best bet. Less successful is smearing after birth on the calf due to the typical time lag/finding it. Never bothered with commercially prepared products including supposed scent masking concoctions. Speed is of the essence, persistence and a mother who resoundingly embraces motherhood are in your favor.

 

[darcelina4]

I had 3 heifers that I grafted extra calves onto this year. The jersey I tied her up and let the first calf nurse. He was kept in the pen in the barn next to her. After 3 feedings left him in with her after he nursed. Next day got her a heifer. Tied her so it could nurse. Left her there. She adopted it. They are all in pasture with the herd. We bring the momma out to eat a bucket of grain at night. Number 2 was a beef shorthorn heifer. We brought home a day old twin heifer to find that one calving. After the natural calf had nursed we moved them into the barn as a bad storm was coming. Natural nursed until she was full and went to sleep. Brought in the twin. She went to nursing. Cow started liking her too. Adoption complete. Number 3 was a red Angus heifer. When her natural calf was 5 days, I had a dairy heifer that was recovering from being very sick. I tied the red Angus and let the dairy calf nurse. We penned them together. She adopted her. The calf did great for a week. Then crashed and died. Next year I'll probably give her an extra calf as she was so willing. I am feeding the ones with extras a whole bunch of feed. I would not do that if they were just out on pasture. I think lots of cows will adopt calves if you restrain them to let the calf nurse several times then pen them together. You may have to tie them a couple more times to let the calf nurse once together. I've never not had a cow accept a calf but I do have a very handled group of cows and we have culled hard for disposition.

 

[Nesikep]

My easiest grafting was onto an old cow that had a breech heifer stillborn, 2 days later a cow that had enough of a challenge counting to 1 had 2 in the middle of a miserable night.. didn't want the second calf, so I took it into the shop and fed it.. Next morning I brought it to the cow that lost her calf, up the alleyway, she saw me and the calf, mooed at me, and it was a done deal... I think the thing that made that adoption work so easily was she never got to sniff her dead calf, and me coming up the alley with a calf meant it was hers!

 

[gcreekrch]

Just got one grafted today. A 19 year old girl who works for us followed protocol and cow was mooing and licking as soon as she arrived at the pen we put them in.

 

[Nesikep]

Just got one grafted today. A 19 year old girl who works for us followed protocol and cow was mooing and licking as soon as she arrived at the pen we put them in.

when you said "19 year old girl who works for us" I wasn't sure if it was a bovine!

 

[gcreekrch]

Just got one grafted today. A 19 year old girl who works for us followed protocol and cow was mooing and licking as soon as she arrived at the pen we put them in.

when you said "19 year old girl who works for us" I wasn't sure if it was a bovine!

No, I was showing how simple it is if you do it right.

 

[tom4018]

Just a update. Put her in the chute several times and she finally would let it nurse while eating feed or hay. Kept them up a little over a week and turned them out today. Hopefully she will be ok. A little concerned she is giving enough milk but I always got some when I milked her. Calf seems to constantly move quarter to quarter.

 

[Nesikep]

Just a update. Put her in the chute several times and she finally would let it nurse while eating feed or hay. Kept them up a little over a week and turned them out today. Hopefully she will be ok. A little concerned she is giving enough milk but I always got some when I milked her. Calf seems to constantly move quarter to quarter.

might end up with a small calf, but he'll probably learn to steal milk too.. I had an orphan I adopted out to a cow that had her own calf, by the fall the orphan had 5 mommas and you couldn't tell him from the rest!

 

[tom4018]

Just a update. Put her in the chute several times and she finally would let it nurse while eating feed or hay. Kept them up a little over a week and turned them out today. Hopefully she will be ok. A little concerned she is giving enough milk but I always got some when I milked her. Calf seems to constantly move quarter to quarter.

might end up with a small calf, but he'll probably learn to steal milk too.. I had an orphan I adopted out to a cow that had her own calf, by the fall the orphan had 5 mommas and you couldn't tell him from the rest!

I have been giving it a half bottle twice a day also but it doesn't act real hungry.