New Calves

[Sherril]

Hi all, just had 2 heifers drop. About 4-6 weeks late for the weather here in Illinois. I have a couple of questions. One of the heifers didn't develop much of a milk sac. I'm not sure if the little one is getting enough milk or not. She hops from teet to teet frequently, and I don't see any signs of milk in her mouth. This calf was born Tuesday. Today is Thursday so it should be milk and not colostrum right? The calf seems to have enough energy as of now, just seems thinner than the other day. I did give the calf a colostrum replacement pill in case it wasn't getting anything the first day.
The next thing is, I have all of them penned up in a partly small area with a small barn attached because I am afraid of the calves getting too cold. The temperatures are dropping into the 30's at night here. The calf that I am not sure is getting enough milk had originally tried to nurse off the heifer that has a good milk sac. (not her Mother)Now that heifer has been throwing the calf around when it comes near her. I don't really want to let them out to pasture yet, especially not knowing if the one calf is getting enough milk. Any ideas?
Also, I want to have the 2 now cows rebred in about 6 weeks. Should I not have the one with little milk bred again?
Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[flaboy+]

Is there anyway you can get the one with little or no bag where you can try to milk her. If you can then you can see if she is milking or if she has a problem. Some cows don't develop a huge bag but still milk ok. Do the teats look like they are swollen or do they just look normal? Also what bred are the cows?

 

[Sherril]

They are black angus cattle. Her teets look shriveled and not very large at all compared to the other cow. Very little sac hanging down. I'd say the teets are not much larger than before. I don't think there is a way I can trap the cow to try milking her. I'll have to see if I can think of some way to do it. I'm a whimpy gal with a husband that drives cross country and it's not easy corralling a mad momma.

 

[TK]

Sherril, I'm mostly a beginner myself but I can try to help a little. If you think the calves aren't staying warm enough, make sure they have a place where they can curl into a pile of any kind of bedding. Straw, hay, corn stalks, anything to help them conserve heat and energy. You can make it so the calves can get under a divider and the cows can't. That way the one calf being pushed around has a place to get away. I would definitely try some good milk replacer right away before the calf starts to weaken and if the calf wants it, it's probably not getting enough milk. Good luck with your calves and enjoy them.

 

[flaboy+]

Ditto to what TK said. Get some milk replacer and start feeding or trying to feed the calf off the cow with no milk. If it is hungry it won't take it long to figure out what you are doing. Would be nice to know for sure if momma is milk less or not. I have seen momma cows come around with the milk later by a few days also. The milk replacer won't hurt it even if mom is giving her some and it is better to play it safe rather than get it down and then try to bring it back. If the calf won't take the milk replacer even after getting a really good taste, it is probably getting all it needs from the dam.

With all that said, I have some with small bags that still give a lot of milk. You couldn't tell by looking though.

Kind of hard to diagnose long distance via text but that's the best I can offer right now.

 

[flaboy+]

Oh and shriveled can be a good sign that the calf is actually sucking.

 

[dj]

If the calf is trying to steal a sip it's still hungry. Start the milk replacer. Seperate the calf and mother for 4-5 hours then check for a swollen tight bag and teats. After 8 hr.s or so that cow will be looking for some relief if she is milking.

 

[Three T]

What part of IL are you in? Do you know anybody close that raise cattle? I'm sure they would run by and give an opinion. Ease your mind if nothin else.

 

[mgman]

I wouldn't worry about the calf not getting enough milk unless it's losing weight and/or looking weak. I've seen some pretty small uddered cows produce a good calf-a small udder doesn't necessarily mean the cow isn't producing adequate milk.
As far as worrying about providing shelter because of the temps...unless it's pouring down rain and muddy I don't think you need to be concerned about that either. Calves are much hardier than you might expect. They should handle 30 degree weather without any problem.

 

[Sherril]

Thanks for the replies. I tried to give the calf a bottle yesterday but she didn't seem too interested. She still has a lot of pep, so I'm assuming she must be getting some milk. I'm still keeping a close eye on her.

 

[GINAFLOYD]

I know mine were getting much milk but I mashed on her teats a few times and then the milk came out but this was her first calf and she was only 18 months old. But the baby got sick and I fed it milk replacement and electrolytes to give it energy 3 or 4 times a day. It is doing fine now.

Gina
Georgia

 

[Beefy]

if the calf is early the heifer may not have come into her milk like she should have. we had a heifer calve prematurely year before last and she didnt milk from her front two quarters until the next year. it would be best for you to catch the cow, try to milk her to assure she is producing milk and that all four quarters are working and not stopped up with the wax plug. if she is not milking you could give her a shot of oxytocin to make her let her milk down. then if she still doesnt milk i'd for sure send her on her way, and open. after a few days they sometimes will come into their milk on their own.

the thing that YOU mentioned that is a pretty good sign that calves are not getting much milk if any is they switch teats frequently. this could indicate a blind quarter, a teat with wax plug still in, little to no milk, or poor milk quality (mastitis).

depending on how long it has been since they calved it may be too late to do anything about it. if she weans an average calf and the calf seemed small at birth i would give her another chance. most of the time they will milk normally the second go around assuming there is nothing wrong going on inside the udder. Another thing that could cause her to be a poor milker is if she was overly fat. Udder fat.

A lot of times even if they are getting little milk, its still better than milk replacer and they will turn their nose up to it. if the cow doesnt start milking better you might supplement the calf with feed as it gets older. just some ideas.

 

[Sherril]

It appears the momma's milk has FINALLY come in after a week. Still not a big milk bag but evidentally doing the trick. The calf appears healthy! YAYAY!