I always feel like in intervene too quickly. Calf just born. Birth was quick and easy. Bull calf got up quickly and is quite active running circles around momma. However, no particular evidence he has any desire to suck anything. He will occasionally put his nose into the bag but then quickly turns to do more laps, investigate the water tank, study the fence or whatever else is catching its fancy. How long do you wait before you need to get colostrum in them. I know their gut closes to it in 24 hours and "the sooner the better" - but it also seems forcing the issue isn't always helpful either. Should you wait 12 hours if you have what appears to be an otherwise very healthy normal calf?
time to nurse
- Thread starter angus9259
- Start date
I have no idea if you should intervene, but I tend to micromanage as well. Are you sure he hasn't nursed? If it lets you sleep tonight to put her in the shoot and see him latch on than I would do it. No harm done IMO.
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
If the calf is that active it will suck when it want to. Go away and come back tomorrow .
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
Never seen one that was up and active that didn't suck. They are born every day and no one is there to intervene.
Supa Dexta
Well-known member
If they are up half quickly they are generally strong and smart enough to suck when they are ready.
I only deal with the dopey ones who can't stand easily on their own. I tube them to start and then reassess later on how they can stand. I usually don't even bother trying to get a calf to stand and nurse right off the bat if it can't hold itself up.
I only deal with the dopey ones who can't stand easily on their own. I tube them to start and then reassess later on how they can stand. I usually don't even bother trying to get a calf to stand and nurse right off the bat if it can't hold itself up.
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regolith
Well-known member
If they haven't fed within two hours there's something wrong, or they're unusually stupid... in which case I plan to intervene by feeding them asap. That might be another 2 - 3 hours, depending on how available colostrum is and what else I'm doing in the day. The golden rule is within six hours, much longer than that and they might lose some of the motivation to suck.
In practice an active calf at birth seems to very quickly slow down if it doesn't feed. So a calf running around at six or seven hours old has most likely been nursing.
Fed two calves this morning, mothers with low bags one had obviously been trying to suck and got some, the other was just laying around reluctant to move anywhere. I reckon it was about lunchtime when I got back to them with colostrum and both calves had been born some time in the early morning hours, and that's on a dairy which is the standard for micro-management. Another calf born since was only about twenty minutes old and nursing, walked all the way home, I tried to feed her she didn't want any. Two more calves born while I was in the paddock feeding the first two, one to an 11 year old cow, probably going to have to warm up more colostrum for that one.
Those three calves wouldn't get enough/any without intervention, but it's all to do with a mismatch between the size of the calf and the depth of the cow's bag.
In practice an active calf at birth seems to very quickly slow down if it doesn't feed. So a calf running around at six or seven hours old has most likely been nursing.
Fed two calves this morning, mothers with low bags one had obviously been trying to suck and got some, the other was just laying around reluctant to move anywhere. I reckon it was about lunchtime when I got back to them with colostrum and both calves had been born some time in the early morning hours, and that's on a dairy which is the standard for micro-management. Another calf born since was only about twenty minutes old and nursing, walked all the way home, I tried to feed her she didn't want any. Two more calves born while I was in the paddock feeding the first two, one to an 11 year old cow, probably going to have to warm up more colostrum for that one.
Those three calves wouldn't get enough/any without intervention, but it's all to do with a mismatch between the size of the calf and the depth of the cow's bag.
regolith
Well-known member
dun":14k3d2a8 said:
For an eleven year old dairy cow? Not really. I don't keep them when they're so low the milking cups don't hang.
Anyway, that calf has figured it out now - two of those three calves just needed a bottle to get them thinking in the right direction, the bull I'm not sure if he's really right, he's sucking like he's starving but seems to be snorting half of it into his lungs too. Saw him *looking* at his mum's udder but that was as far as he got - and that one is a poor uddered cow, and only five yr old this year.
Well, this calf in question turned out ok. Figured it out about hour 6. Two days later I had a genuine dummy calf. I intervened earlier. Somehow you can just tell those it seems. Tubed him a couple times within 24 hours. No suck response with my finger. On day 2 I let him "starve" for 24 hours and gave him a bottle. He started sucking right away. Put momma in the chute and he nursed her. Had to put momma in the chute again today. He can nurse but needs some help. Hopefully this ends tomorrow because momma has figured out the chute and I believe she's made her last trip.
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
angus9259":k5y3vkn5 said:
Does she let him nurse? Will she let him do it without the chute?
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
angus9259":2v4i7h2q said:
Ahhhh, I see. With any luck he'll have it down pat by tomorrow. Good luck with them.
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
Dang Angus9259 your having a heck of a time with your cows .
Nesikep
Well-known member
My cows are easy to handle, and I always like being certain.. so I get them sucking my finger and hook them up to a teat, usually within the first hour, and then I can go about the rest of my work with a clear mind and not have to second guess myself.. I'm certain 90 some percent of the time they'd have found it just fine on their own
Red Bull Breeder":21joek7r said:
Just started calving. 5 on the ground including the dead one. One dumb sucker who is hopefully getting the hang of it. 20 to go. Odds not in my favor so far this year. I sold a bull to a guy this year who wanted me to guarantee him he wouldn't have any calving troubles. I told him he's in the wrong business.
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
angus9259":1f8r2oei said:
:lol2: :lol2: Really!
If I can find that guarantee.......
Most years there's not a single thing that goes wrong, then there's that 1 year where nothing goes right!
I feel your pain. I hope the rest of your calving is relatively uneventful.
