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heifer refusing to take calf
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<blockquote data-quote="Linda" data-source="post: 22712" data-attributes="member: 50"><p>Keep tube feeding him until he gets over the shock of his difficult birth and has time to gain strength. If the heifer isn't threatening to hurt him, I'd leave them together. If you can milk her out a couple of times a day, do so. </p><p></p><p>I had one cow that had a heifer calf come backwards. It was a delayed birth, even though the calf was small, and the calf was a bit shell shocked. She would stand with her head against her mama's flank but couldn't get it together to nurse. I milked her mama twice a day to keep the milk flowing and left the pair together. I tubed the heifer calf twice a day. The third day I tubed the calf and watched it stagger away like its belly was really full. A few minutes later I saw it nursing for a minute off its mother. Apparently it had started nursing during the night & I hadn't realized it. At 205 days that heifer calf weaned at over 700#. </p><p></p><p>Sometimes those big calves that have had a difficult birth just take a few days, or even a week or so, to get over the trauma of birth. </p><p></p><p>We usually keep a heifer penned alone with her calf for a couple of days, so the older cows don't try and "steal" the baby. By the end of a couple of days the heifer has usually bonded well with the baby and the older cows aren't a problem. </p><p></p><p>Best of luck with your baby and its mother, Carla. Let us know how it goes!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Linda, post: 22712, member: 50"] Keep tube feeding him until he gets over the shock of his difficult birth and has time to gain strength. If the heifer isn't threatening to hurt him, I'd leave them together. If you can milk her out a couple of times a day, do so. I had one cow that had a heifer calf come backwards. It was a delayed birth, even though the calf was small, and the calf was a bit shell shocked. She would stand with her head against her mama's flank but couldn't get it together to nurse. I milked her mama twice a day to keep the milk flowing and left the pair together. I tubed the heifer calf twice a day. The third day I tubed the calf and watched it stagger away like its belly was really full. A few minutes later I saw it nursing for a minute off its mother. Apparently it had started nursing during the night & I hadn't realized it. At 205 days that heifer calf weaned at over 700#. Sometimes those big calves that have had a difficult birth just take a few days, or even a week or so, to get over the trauma of birth. We usually keep a heifer penned alone with her calf for a couple of days, so the older cows don't try and "steal" the baby. By the end of a couple of days the heifer has usually bonded well with the baby and the older cows aren't a problem. Best of luck with your baby and its mother, Carla. Let us know how it goes! [/QUOTE]
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