Need input on Bull Calf's actions today

[cbattaglia38]

I posted a while back about my little bull whose momma died from prolapse. Baby Bull is about 1 month old now. He is doing great!! I have him in a lot with 3 miniature horses. Today I came home and my neighbor, who helps me out with my animals told me he caught him with one of the horse's tail's in his mouth. Okay, it gets better. Later tonight I find that all 3 horse's tail's are gone. I mean all the hair up to the end of the actual tail is gone. No I am not kidding, he eat their tails, okay I don't know if he actually swallowed all the hair or if he just pulled it out. Can you believe they actually stood there and let him?? I can't but they did. My questions:

A- If he ingested the hair what effect could that have on his gut?
B- He couldn't actually chew the hair off their tails could he?? He does not have any upper teeth. I guess he could have sucked the tail until the hair broke. What do you guys think. I swear I am not starving him. He gets his milk twice a day(2 bottles at a time) and has free choice hay and grain.

 

[Kelly]

Bottle babies tend to suck on everything. If you have more then 1 in a pen they will suck on each others mouths after drinking thier bottles.

 

[msscamp]

I would suggest you separate him from the horses.

 

[milkmaid]

Goats or sheep will eat tails too. I've seen some pretty sorry looking horses.

 

[sidney411]

Bovines no not have upper teeth in the front - young or old. Believe me though, he can still chew the horses hair if they will let him. He has upper and lower teeth in the back.

 

[sjr725]

I had the same thing last year - had a bunch of young calves in a pen and my horse actually backed himself up to the gate and the calves would lick his hind legs - I guess he liked that but in the process they ate his tail up just as high as they could reach! I asked my vet about the "hairballs" but he said it wouldn't hurt them. Fortunately my gelding has a touch of draft in him and he grows mane and tail hair like there's no tomorrow - his tail is back down to his fetlocks already! I didn't believe it either at first - until I saw them doing it! This year I've wired plywood to the gate so they can't do it again!

 

[Gale Seddon]

I don't know about horse tail hair, but donkey tail hair is VERY slow growing. There's a spray called "Whoa!" (about $9 a bottle) that we use on their tails to keep donkeys from chewing each others' tails...nasty tasting stuff...and it works. You can get it from: http://www.exodusbreeders.com.

 

[Alice]

I thought it was just jersey cows/calves that chewed horses tails. I know that's how my grandson's POA kept a short tail before we sold him.

Alice

 

[*Cowgirl*]

never heard of this, (learn something every day) but I know bottle calves will suck on anything. watch out for them to suck eachother's ears