Grown heifer sucking on nursing cow

[scf]

Hello - I am new to the forum but have a question. We have a 4-H heifer that we just brought back from showing. She has started nursing on a cow that is being held in the same pen with her in the barn. Any idea how to break her of this? If we put her in the pasture with other cows, will she likely become a bigger problem?

Thanks!

 

[HFSimmOH]

SCF,
That is just an awful feeling when I see that happening because I know that the heifer or cow doing will continue to be a problem. My answer it to try keeping her seperate and re-weaning. If it continues as she gets older then the only answer we has found that works is the sale barn because I have waited to long before and ruined other animals hoping the problem would stop.
Sorry that is a harsh answer but sometimes it just does.

 

[Ryder]

Pig (hog) rings (sort of look like triangular shaped staples) in the tongue muscle on both sides of tongue will render them unable to suck.

You will have to find somebody that knows where to put them.

 

[3waycross]

I would try putting one of those cant suck nose rings on her. That will make the other cows react more forcably to her when she tries.

 

[showing71]

We had that problem with an ex- show heifer when we were breaking her calf. Whenever we'd let the calves out at night, her calf would come over and suck, but she'd go right to another cow and push it's calf out of the way and start sucking on the other cow (she'd only do this while all the calves were nursing, once the calves were done she'd be fine). She was fine out in the pasture during the day without the calves. What we ended up doing was followed her around and smacked her on the nose with a broom handle every time she tried to suck. She quit trying after a few days of that.

 

[scf]

Thanks all - appreciate the help and comments. May try some of these ideas and if they don't work I'll have to ship her. Sad as she otherwise has a great demeanor and my nephew who showed her really likes her.