Heifer problem

[Waterboy]

I have a heifer with a 10 day old calf. She doesn't have hardly any milk. Calf constantly changes teats.
She will only let him nurse if I'm standing fairly close. Otherwise she moves/raises her leg. Not kicking him but more Like a cow trying to wean her calf.
Here is the strange part. She loves him. Licks him. Bawls at him. Lays with him and stays with him. This is a new one for me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jerry27150]

have any place you can put her on good green grass? this would give her enough milk for him

 

[Putangitangi]

Sometimes they miss out on the milk genes and will never do the job. Sometimes it's just a heifer thing but when they really can't feed their first calf, their next isn't likely to get much either.

 

[gcreekrch]

Hobbles and lots of good feed or graft the calf to another and ship her.

 

[elkwc]

We've had a few instances like that this year. One was where two heifers claimed the same calf and the other calf was maybe stealing a little. This year we are mainly calving in a small pasture and I wasn't down there when they calved. Got a call and said one calf was puny looking and gant. I had them feed it some in a bottle. Then when I got there I tried to determine the real mother and took the other heifer and the calf to the house. After a few days she took the calve and acted like it was hers but at times would kick like you said especially if it hunched. I felt her bag was sore. Not sure But after about a week so quit and is milking a little better and the calf is doing fine. Have turned them out on Triticale. Had a similar instance back in the fall. Again when the calf would hunch she would kick. But after a week she was fine. She came to her milk and he is doing fine.
I like to see my heifers milk good. I have one now ready to have her 3rd calf and she stunted her first calf and I almost sold her. But she is registered and I paid more for her. Her milk EPD was 19 so I know that isn't enough. She milked a lot better last year. Will see about this year. Her first heifer that got stunted calved last week and she has a perfect udder and really milking. Hope milk production picks up on your heifer.