New Born Calf

[cloone]

We had a Belgian Blue heifer calf on Christmas eve
Limousin cow calved naturally on her own
My problem is the calf will only suck when I find the teat for her
She will suck for a half an hour no problem
Although she is with mum she only sucks when I appear
Currently I am assisting her morning and evening
Definitely not sucking in between all she does is lick and nose the teats
Is there an easier way
Happy New Year all

 

[A.J.]

Is it having a hard time fitting the teat in its mouth without you helping it? If the cow's teats are too big, you may need to try to milk them out some to make them a more manageable size for it to latch onto on its own.

 

[cloone]

Gave her a vitamin shot twice (Vittel) since and she seems to be better able to manipulate the teat
Seemed to have a very large tongue in the beginning but looks more coordinated now
Fingers crossed its onwards and upwards now

 

[jcarkie]

it may have taken longer to deliver and cause swelling ln her head.

 

[cloone]

Is it a phenomenon of Belgian Blues to be born with vit A deficency
So my vet says
Although calf is now sucking she is very tender on her feet and seems to lie and sleep a lot
What do you think

 

[angus9259]

I agree with dopey calf or "dumb sucker". Supposedly due to lack of oxygen to the brain at some point - difficult birth - getting chilled to quickly after birth - if the calf can suck when you help it, it's just lost its instinct (thus the "dumb" in dumb sucker). BoSe has been known to help jump start dumb suckers but sounds like yours just needs time. As long as you can keep it eating, it should figure things out as time goes on.