New calf

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Showstock

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New born 2 day old calf. Heifer wouldn’t take the calf, easy caving, she got up and walked away. Never lick or bonded. Put hay on calf and she ate the hay and nudged the calf away. Milked the heifer in the Shute and bottle fed and now day 2 she won’t go back to the shute, In the shoot the calf eats and no problem she lets it eat with no stress, but once you step in the pen she goes ballistic. I have the calf in a small pen inside hers. She has nothing to do with the calf. If I let it out she knocks it down and if it try’s to get to the udder she try’s to kick it. I am thinking of going to milk replacement. Do I mix the two or go straight to replacer? Going to send the heifer to the sale don’t want to take a years chance to see if she does it again. Prior she ate and slep under this same pole barn for the last 4 months, not a new enviorement. Any help or in site? The calf is doing great.
Thank You
 
Follow the directions on milk replacer bag.... mix with Water.
or
Restrain her head (chute) or behind a gate, rope hobble heifer's rear legs, allows calf to suck
without kicking, but a lot of extra work.
 
We have a small pen next to our chute. It's handy for many reasons, but especially for confused heifers. We will pen up a first time momma and put her in the chute 3x a day and push her calf over to her bag. After 3 times the calf is usually standing there waiting to eat. It is time consuming and has taken as long as a week for us. After a few days of this we have found the heifer licking on her calf and allowing it to nurse. If not we typically get rid of the heifer. Also, we have had 2nd calf heifers leave their calf unattended all day or all night and walk 3/4 mile away and have a coyote find it. We also get rid of those heifers/cows.
 
keep trying to help them bond. I have penned them side by side where they can see and smell each other and waited for the switch to flip on the cow . once the calf is strong enough he will help by being aggressive . I have also had good luck with putting a dog in the pen with them and mother instinct will kick in.
 
Cow finally took to calf let him nurse but milk never dropped vet came out and looked at her(just to make sure) and said leave him with Mom but 2 quarts twice a day milk replacer all in all calf looks good
 
Cows can be very temperamental for the first few days after calving but then calm down back to their old selves. I wouldn't worry, her milk will come in fine if the calf keeps drinking what she makes.
 
Thank you everyone for some good advice. I did hit her with oxy. right after the birth. It’s now 4 days calf is eating twice a day on the cow in the chute. She has no problem with the calf eating but once out of the chute she knocks the calf away and I put the calf back in it’s pen. The calf has gotten next to the udder but she raises her hind let but doesn’t really kick him. Thinking tomorrow putting hobbles on her and feeding her in the feeder and releasing the calf to try free feeding again. I have heard about the dog and going to try that one also after the feeding.
 
Showstock said:
Thank you everyone for some good advice. I did hit her with oxy. right after the birth. It’s now 4 days calf is eating twice a day on the cow in the chute. She has no problem with the calf eating but once out of the chute she knocks the calf away and I put the calf back in it’s pen. The calf has gotten next to the udder but she raises her hind let but doesn’t really kick him. Thinking tomorrow putting hobbles on her and feeding her in the feeder and releasing the calf to try free feeding again. I have heard about the dog and going to try that one also after the feeding.
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Being the dog in before/during the feeding. Don’t let the dog get to her. Just close enough that he can be considered a threat to her baby. May trigger her maternal instinct.
 
If you are going to keep trying with her in the pen, I would go ahead and hobble her. Once the calf realizes she can't get a good kick in to hurt the calf, it might get more aggressive with wanting to nurse. But there comes a time when it is not worth the time to keep fooling with an animal that doesn't "get it". We need them to "be a mother" from the get go. If they don't get with the program fairly quickly, we don't keep them because they will be a half-a$$ed mother in the field. Since the calf has gotten a decent start with the effort you have put into it, I would seriously consider just sending the momma and raising the calf. Some of them just aren't cut out to be momma's, and them you don't need.
 
There is a CHEAP product called O-No-More. It is a powder that you sprinkle on the calf. Dam cannot resist licking it. I have found in bonding (generally splicing a calf), if a cow LICKS the calf, maternal instincts kick right in. A jar costs maybe less than $10. Lasts forever. I would never be without it for calving season. Valley Vet, Jeffers.
 

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