Sick Calf and nursing

[Mahoney Farms]

We hope that we have our Angus Calf's health turned around now. Since September 4th he has been running 103 - 105.5 temp. Vet's been here and have a "get well" plan implimented. My question.....I can feel the calf's ribs, not see them. He eats very tentively. When I hand feed him grass he will occasionally get my finger and start sucking. Does this mean he isn't getting enough to eat during nursing? He doesn't make any sounds and today was running some in the pasture. Previously, he layed all day until his mama got him up to nurse. He is a second calf for his mama, and she appears to have enough milk.

What would the signs be of a hungry calf?

Thanks, JMD

 

[Beefy]

signs- when he nurses does he go from teat to teat like he is trying to get them to work or does he latch on to one for a while and suck before he tries another one. does he butt her in the bag more often than ordinary?

ribs, rough coat, look of lethargy, ethiopian bellied are other signs but could also be due to a set back early on.

laying around i dont worry about too much unless they stay in the same place for more than a day. especially if the calf is big and clumsy or in this case been under the weather. also weather can have a lot to do with this.

 

[Mahoney Farms]

"when he nurses does he go from teat to teat like he is trying to get them to work or does he latch on to one for a while and suck before he tries another one. does he butt her in the bag more often than ordinary?"


Yes, he would nurse longer if she would let him. I watched for 15 -20 minutes and he went around the horn many times and butted at least 6 - 7 times. Can a cow regain milk production?

 

[msscamp]

"when he nurses does he go from teat to teat like he is trying to get them to work or does he latch on to one for a while and suck before he tries another one. does he butt her in the bag more often than ordinary?"


Yes, he would nurse longer if she would let him. I watched for 15 -20 minutes and he went around the horn many times and butted at least 6 - 7 times. Can a cow regain milk production?

Define "if she would let him" please? Sounds like she is not producing enough milk to sustain this calf. Generally speaking, a cow will not increase milk production when being suckled by a calf - what she has is what there is. Is this calf sunken in in front of his hip bones? If so, that is called 'ganted up' and is an indicator that he is not getting enough to eat. Assuming that is the case, you might try creep feeding this calf - depending on his age and willingness. Again, depending on the age of the calf, you might also try supplementing with a bottle. That is usually a hard row to hoe, however, because the nipple has a different texture and feel than his mothers and the calf knows the difference. The mother bawling to him also complicates matter, usually.

 

[Beefy]

"when he nurses does he go from teat to teat like he is trying to get them to work or does he latch on to one for a while and suck before he tries another one. does he butt her in the bag more often than ordinary?"


Yes, he would nurse longer if she would let him. I watched for 15 -20 minutes and he went around the horn many times and butted at least 6 - 7 times. Can a cow regain milk production?

sounds like maybe from your description she could have mastitis and/or blind quarters. can you get the cow up and see what you have to work with?

A cow can regain milk production depending on the situation. for instance if a calf didnt nurse for about 5 days and she began drying up and then the calf for some reason was put back on her she MAY come back into some milk (but probably not as much). sometimes heifers wont milk well the first year but will come in better the next calf. also sometimes the dams of premies may not milk as well at first. mastitis can be treated depending on the severity. if she has blind quarters theres not much you can do (will usually look like a lopsided udder, the nonfuctional quarter(s) will "dry up" but may look normal right at calving)

if he is getting any milk from her he likely will not willingly take a bottle b/c even a little cows milk to a calf is better than a lot of milk replacer. get her up, see how much milk, see if you can get the quarters flowing, and go from there-


*edit* is there more info on this calf in another post? it sounds like he may have been off the cow for a while and she may have started drying up or either wasnt milking right to start with?

 

[Kelly]

Sometimes it helps to put the cow in a headstall (and keep her legs from kicking out) but let the calf nurse as much as possible. Try this a couple times a day. By having her in the headstall you can see where the problems are & maybe get the milk flowing better. I also would at least try to supplement a bottle in hopes that maybe the calf will accept it if it is hungry. I also have given the calves a little high energy gel a few times a day & that seems to help them gain a little strength to nurse better. How old is this calf?

 

[Mahoney Farms]

the calf was born on August 21, (5 weeks, 3 days). I did post in the health topic about navel ill. He was fine for about 9 days and then got sick. As I posted above he has been treated by a vet since then and yesterday was our last treatment.

The vet and I checked the cow for mastitis, she was fine. This is her second calf. He did nurse on her while he was sick. Today he seemed to get more milk......he sucked on each teat for numerous times then started going around from one to the other and butting. I think he would of nursed more but quit and started roaming. He is very friendly and I am able to feed him grass hay by hand. I will have to check to see if the calf has sunken in in front of his hip bones. I think I would have noticed, but.....I will check tonight.

Kelly, what high energy gel do you give?

thanks appreciate your adivce big time......