starving calf out

[angus9259]

1. healthy cow had 3 wk old calf die this am
2. momma with bad hoof/leg has healthy calf
3. healthy calf is now penned up with healthy momma
4. based on experience with this cow, the calf will likely be the weak link
5. how long should the calf be allowed to go w/o nursing her momma in order to help her toward nursing the healthy cow?

 

[Suzie Q]

Pen the calf away from Momma. That way you know whether the calf is drinking or not.

12 hours at a time. The calf only needs to drink twice a day. Of course when saying that I am talking about Australia and not in snow. I have no experience with that.

I just typed out how to put a calf on a cow in the thread calf won't drink from a bottle if you are interested.

 

[angus9259]

Pen the calf away from Momma. That way you know whether the calf is drinking or not.

12 hours at a time. The calf only needs to drink twice a day. Of course when saying that I am talking about Australia and not in snow. I have no experience with that.

I just typed out how to put a calf on a cow in the thread calf won't drink from a bottle if you are interested.

I'll look it up. Thanks a lot. The situation has changed - calf will take the cow, cow won't take the calf. Putting "new momma" in the chute now and calf is nursing. I'll do some searching on that issue. Thanks again.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Keep putting the momma in the chute. Once the milk has had a chance to turn to poo, the calf will start to smell like her, she will get over it.
Now depending on when the calf of the healthy momma died, I have had good experience on skinning the dead calf and using twine and tieing the hide onto the the calf i am trying to graft on to the cow. We did not skin the legs. just needed enough to cover the neck to tail and the back and sides of the calf. Disgusting way to go...but it works. Left the hide on for a few days.

 

[angus9259]

Keep putting the momma in the chute. Once the milk has had a chance to turn to poo, the calf will start to smell like her, she will get over it.
Now depending on when the calf of the healthy momma died, I have had good experience on skinning the dead calf and using twine and tieing the hide onto the the calf i am trying to graft on to the cow. We did not skin the legs. just needed enough to cover the neck to tail and the back and sides of the calf. Disgusting way to go...but it works. Left the hide on for a few days.

Interesting option. I buried the calf so probably too late for that. Honestly my backup plan if healthy momma won't take the calf in a week, she'll go to the sale barn and I'll put her natural momma in with the hurt foot to keep raising her till she goes to the sale barn too. Our sales are on Tuesdays here so someone's going to the salebarn on Tuesday.

 

[stocky]

The skinned calf technique will work. However, the easiest and simplest way I have found is to put the new momma and the calf together in the cattle trailer. Take your dog or dogs and have them go around and around the trailer and even into the back compartment, if the cow is upfront. The cow will want to butt or fight the dog. This will help the new momma with her mother instinct to protect the calf. Generally, after leaving them together overnight, the cow will have accepted the calf. There is something about the pair being up off the ground and in a small, unfamiliar confined area that makes the mother take the calf much more quickly than if they are in a barn stall or pen, on the ground.

 

[angus9259]

The skinned calf technique will work. However, the easiest and simplest way I have found is to put the new momma and the calf together in the cattle trailer. Take your dog or dogs and have them go around and around the trailer and even into the back compartment, if the cow is upfront. The cow will want to butt or fight the dog. This will help the new momma with her mother instinct to protect the calf. Generally, after leaving them together overnight, the cow will have accepted the calf. There is something about the pair being up off the ground and in a small, unfamiliar confined area that makes the mother take the calf much more quickly than if they are in a barn stall or pen, on the ground.

Well, that tip is on deck. Dug up the dead calf today and wrapped some of the skin around the "grafting calf". Seems to have done quite a bit to help. The grafting calf has now eaten twice off the cow (in the chute) and I just smeared some of that poop on the calf. We'll see what tomorrow brings . . .

 

[rockridgecattle]

Dug up the dead calf today and wrapped some of the skin around the "grafting calf". Seems to have done quite a bit to help. The grafting calf has now eaten twice off the cow (in the chute) and I just smeared some of that poop on the calf.

The things we do for our cows...

 

[Suzie Q]

For what you have done for this calf you deserve for it to live and be accepted by the cow.

I have only had one cow that would not accept a calf that was not hers and that was without using the original calfs skin or poo. Just put in the chute for a week and then in a smaller area with me standing there with a piece of polly pipe that means don't attack calf.

The cow that would not accept the calf, her own calf died because she did not open the sack at birth. She never accepted the calf we bought to replace it. She just did not want to be a momma, so I had to going out there for half an hour twice a day for him to feed off her. She would let him feed if I was standing there, but not if I wasn't. Without fail that would be when the phone rings :roll: We ended up getting rid of her and keeping him.

 

[angus9259]

Cow was letting the calf nurse on its own this morning. Thanks for the tips. Any idea how long I need to keep that hunk of skin strapped to it?

 

[stocky]

I don't remember ever taking one of those skins off. After a few days the calf always got them off on it's own. If you want to take it off, I would think 2 or 3 days now that it is sucking should be plenty---but, I am guessing

 

[rockridgecattle]

couple of days. Once the cow accepts her, you are pretty much home free. But keep them in a smaller space for a few more days for the cow to chase after her new baby

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You did a great job!! congrats.
Can't believe you dug up the old calf :clap: :shock:

 

[Suzie Q]

The skinned calf technique will work. However, the easiest and simplest way I have found is to put the new momma and the calf together in the cattle trailer. There is something about the pair being up off the ground and in a small, unfamiliar confined area that makes the mother take the calf much more quickly than if they are in a barn stall or pen, on the ground.

LOL Stocky, this is the same thing that happens when two horses 'get married' on a float. Float is Aussie for a horse trailer.

 

[Suzie Q]

Congrats angus9259.