Had a calf born yesterday afternoon. I watched him til dark and he had yet to figure out how to nurse. Moms tears are blown up huge and she is full of milk. I'm going now to pick up milk replacer and anything else that will be helpful. Any recommendations?
Vaccines for newborn calf
- Thread starter jallen
- Start date
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If you can, milk the cow and feed the calf colostrum from the cow. If you can;t milk her get some of the replacement colsotrum for calves. You might want to get a dose of the calf gaurd vaccine that you squirt in their mouth before the nurse.
I tried milking her late yesterday but never had any luck getting any. I've never done it before so I'm sure I did it wrong. I can't get her to cooperate now. I'm going to get the colostrum replacer and keep an eye on him. Hopefully tractor supply has what I need.
aprille218
Well-known member
Make sure you give the colostrum supplement a couple times and see if you can get any local help to get the calf on the cow. Bottle calves never turn out as good as mom raised.
AussieLim
Well-known member
Put the cow in the Shute tie a leg back & milk her. Once calf has had colostrum & is up & going do the same except push the calf on the teat.
It will take some effort for a few feeds but once the calf works it out your work is done. If you opt to bottle rare the calf your work will be ongoing for that calf for months & at the end ul have a poor doing potty calf that won't finish until the age of 15-24mths
It will take some effort for a few feeds but once the calf works it out your work is done. If you opt to bottle rare the calf your work will be ongoing for that calf for months & at the end ul have a poor doing potty calf that won't finish until the age of 15-24mths
Her teats might be plugged up. Don't be afraid to use a little (or lot!) pressure. Grab the teat with your thumb and forefinger at the top, *clamp the teat closed*, and squeeze with the rest of your hand. Hard, if you have to. Nothing to it. If there is any junk glued to the opening just scrape it off and maybe use a wet cloth to soften them up a bit. Clogged teats can really be a headache! But once you get them going and get the calf on there they should be good to go.
As soon as I got the colostrum mix ready and got out there he was sucking away. Hopefully he nursed yesterday and I didn't see it. He was very active this afternoon and nurses for some time. One of the years is down in size big time. The other three are still very blown up. I'm going to try and milk her tomorrow if they aren't down in size. I'm at least feeling better about it now.
John SD
Well-known member
It's good to hear the calf nursed.
The thing is, this cow's udder will not improve with age. If she were my cow, I would send her down the road after she gets done raising this calf. If the calf is a heifer, I would not keep her as a replacement either.
Bad udders are highly heritable trait. Life is just too short to mess with stuff like that.
As to vaccines this newborn calf should have. The calf should get a 7-way clostridial shot, and a booster shot in 6-8. If weeks.
If there are horns, now would be a good time to take them off with a small scoop, dehorning paste, or hot iron.
If the calf is a bull that needs to be castrated, now is the time when rubber bands work the best, or simply knife cut.
Be sure to watch out for flies this time of year. An aerosol wound spray around the horn and scrotal area might be beneficial.
The blackleg vaccine can be given at any time. I'd wait a week or two until the calf is nursing well before doing the stressful horn and castration jobs.
The thing is, this cow's udder will not improve with age. If she were my cow, I would send her down the road after she gets done raising this calf. If the calf is a heifer, I would not keep her as a replacement either.
Bad udders are highly heritable trait. Life is just too short to mess with stuff like that.
As to vaccines this newborn calf should have. The calf should get a 7-way clostridial shot, and a booster shot in 6-8. If weeks.
If there are horns, now would be a good time to take them off with a small scoop, dehorning paste, or hot iron.
If the calf is a bull that needs to be castrated, now is the time when rubber bands work the best, or simply knife cut.
Be sure to watch out for flies this time of year. An aerosol wound spray around the horn and scrotal area might be beneficial.
The blackleg vaccine can be given at any time. I'd wait a week or two until the calf is nursing well before doing the stressful horn and castration jobs.
