Hi all, new member due to calf trouble. I'm raising two dairy(soon to be) steers. They are about 8 weeks, still bottle feeding. Yesterday morning right after feeding, (I wasn't present) one started heaving and coughing, from the way it was described to me I figured he got milk down the wrong pipe. Tonight I was present at feeding, and within 2 minutes of finishing his bottle, he started staggering, then fell over. (milk in lungs, not enough oxygen to his brain??) He heaved for half an hour, but not coughing much. He would give a big belch every 5 minutes or so, but if it was just indigestion/air, why the dizzy heaving spell? BTW, I know bottle feeding is better, but does it also matter about bottle height, ie. holding the bottle lower (more natural) so they have to swallow up hill, rather than holding it high and having it run too fast?
help!
- Thread starter ksgirl
- Start date
J&T Farm
Well-known member
Hello and welcome! :lol: I think it does help to hold the bottle lower but at that age they shouldnt have any trouble. IMO I would probably wean them off the bottle and have them eating a good calf starter feed. Theres alot of smart people on here and they will have some good advice for you. Good luck.
Bama
Well-known member
One thing you may want to think about is mixing the replacer in dry with the feed before cutting them off completly. This helps with the transition.
ksgirl":1bybn53v said:
Sounds like he's gobbling his bottle and the bottle may be too high. I try to keep the bottle about level with my hips or a little below (I'm 5'6") so that it's at less than a 45 degree level and the calf's sucking pulls the milk as opposed to the milk running out of the nipple. Belching indicates to me that he's ingesting fairly large amounts of air along with the milk, which can happen if the milk is being delivered too fast. Coughing would indicate that he's getting the milk faster than he can swallow and it's being inhaled. Try lowering the bottle so he has to suck rather than having gravity delivering the milk. How much are you feeding at a sitting? Also, rather than weaning completely, you may want to consider gradually reducing one bottle until he's only getting one bottle a day. Calves generally stay on their mom's until they are 5-6 months old and, while I know this is not practical with a bottle calf, 2 months is a bit young to be weaning totally. Just my thoughts.
It sounds like he may be getting the milk too fast. Replace the nipples and keep the hole on the small side. Make him pull it out of the bottle. If they are 8 weeks old you do need to be weaning them soon. The next time you get some baby calves do yourself a favor and teach them to drink from a plain feeding pail. It only takes 2 or 3 feedings to train them and it is so much easier.
bigbull338
Well-known member
he is drinking his bottle to fast.try holding the bottle some lower to control the flow of milk.or try putting him on the bucket to drink.how much feed are they eating.scott
Cut back to 3 pints, they were getting 2 quarts twice a day. He did fine this morning, kept the bottle lower. Thanks for all the input...been doing calves for years but never seen any feeding trouble this strange before. (usually went to a bucket earlier) K
