Solve this one for me....

[Wisteria Farms]

OK... something new that has me stumped.

First calf heifer has a bullcalf during the night. Our first sight of him is in the early morning when we look out and see it starting to rain HARD. New momma and calf is in the shed but due to the rain all the girls start coming up from the pasture to get in the shed....there's this little guy getting shoved around. So we go out and run everyone except calf and mom out of the shed and make a corner stall for mom and calf. We notice the calf has a contracted tendon of his right front leg and is unable to "connect" with mom's teat due to hobbling on this leg. He gets close and she moves. We watch this for several hours and he gives up. WILL NOT suck a bottle so I tube some high quality colostrum in him and give him a calf-boost shot (mix of vitamins, dex, oxytet).

Over next two days... he still can't get on mom (but I DO manage to get his suck reflex going with a bottle) so we move the pair into the bigger barn (with the chute)... we milk mom and he takes it from the bottle... after the 1 quart or so we got from mom he's looking for more and we get him under her in the chute and he has a good meal. GREAT! So we throw them in a stall together and see him nursing her so we think all is good... however we ALSO see him drinking a lot from the waterer in the corner (his chin is always wet)... Now, a week later he SEEMS to be getting weaker... walking like he's all stoved up. Now, the contracted tendon is looking pretty good but he's walking slow and stiff. I'm telling the husband "somethings not right" so he says lets weigh him... He had a BW of 83 lbs on May 3 and was 89 lbs yesterday may 8...so husband says "he's gaining weight... he's fine".

No... he's NOT fine because of the way he's moving about and the amount of water he's drinking...I'm thinking one of two things... mom isn't producing and she's basicly nothing more than a pacifyer OR he's not pooping like he should. I've taken a warm rag and rubbed his butt with only a very small amount of poo coming out....

What do you all think?
Have any of you had a heifer that simply didn't produce hardly any milk? When he sucks his tail does NOT whip back and forth... am I crazy to think that's not right?
I'm wondering if he's surviving on water and that's why he's walking the way he is... that he's getting weak from lack of nutrition. I'm thinking of tubing him again (I tried the bottle but at this point he's used to the taste of mom and will NOT take it... I tried).

 

[TexasBred]

Had a lst calf heifer once that produced NO milk. Calf had to be raised on bottle and heifer went to packer.

 

[cmf1]

I had a heifer from a first calf heifer this year and everything looked good for 1-2 days. Started watching closer and saw that after the calf would vigorouly suck for a normal time, the calf would wander a few feet with it's nose down. Realized the calf was drinking water from pasture holes. It was very wet in the pastures. I had bought a nurse cow because of an old momma with a rough bag that I had already planned on shipping after calving. Saw her calf doing the same thing, and robbing too. Grafted them both onto the nurse cow and shipped both of the mommas.
Probably could have kept the first calver and she might have developed but culling is easier to do when hay is in short supply and spring is still a ways off.
A nurse cow is a wonderful thing when you need it I have found, but a completely different management protocal then just opening gates like for the the beef cows. She eats twice a day from a bag but she's raising 2 calves that i would be bottling otherwise and they are growing much better than a bottler. The nurse cow will be AI'd with the others to an MG sire and I have already discovered that extra calves to graft on are pretty easy to find to keep from having to hand milk her when she's full milk.
I don't have that much experience with it but from what little I have I would highly recomend getting a nursecow into the herd as cheap insurance that pays it's way for me.
Hope everything goes well with the calf Angie.
Chris

 

[mjnetex]

Give him a shot of Banamine asap. 1.5 cc per 100 lbs. if I remember right, IM. Possibly he's got inflammation enough that he just feels bad. Might not help or might make a world of difference. I gave a shot to one once that just sort of pushed at mom's udder but didn't really latch on and it cured him, was amazing--I had been tubing him for three days. Also he should be gaining weight at twice that rate, he's not getting enough. Ignore husband.....

 

[mjnetex]

Also, if she doesn't have enough milk he will move from teat to teat and be obviously frustrated. Sounds like that's not the problem. She doesn't have a tiny udder, does she? Try the Banamine! And check his temp. perhaps. If normal, definitely don't give any antibiotics.

 

[chippie]

I'm wondering if the mother isn't making enough for him. If you can, put her back in the chute and try milking her to see what she is producing. I was told that a calf wagging it's tail meant that it was getting milk.
Are you feeding her while she is penned?

 

[Chris H]

Temp him and check his naval for an infection.