What's your guess...calf nursed?

[LB2727]

Found a new heifer calf Friday at 4am. Was drived off, laying down and all seemed good. Couldn't get real close to it at all that day cause mom would trot off with her when I got close. Saturday morning calf and mom when way back in the pasture with the herd and calf looked nice and spunky so no concerns. Also saw baby poop once...it wasn't the real dark poop that I thought is normal for a first poop but more like the color if a brown crayon...was firm but not too firm. Then come Saturday afternoon I finally got to see calf "nurse" but she didn't actually nurse...she acted like she new what she was doing but only would kinda suck/kinda lick the bottom of the teats (which started dripping). So she never actually latched on fully and got a good meal. Teats were quite swollen but I've seen bigger. This is cows 3rd calf and no previous issues. So that night we started bottle feeding the calf and she drinks it easily and wants more. Our goal has been to feed her enough to keep her going good but not a full meal so she hopefully still tries on mom. Now tonight, Sunday night we tried to contain the cow so we could help get the teat fully in the calfs mouth but had no luck...cow isn't mean but is very fidgety and we don't have a good setup at the moment.

So my thought (and hope) is that the calf drank colostrum that first morning. Between her peppy-ness, poop, and acting like she knew where the milk was that first day/two I feel like she almost had to have had colostrum. And mom barely bagged up prior to calving and then really started to bag after calving so I thinking maybe her teats weren't so big when baby would have first drank.

What would your guesses be here?

 

[Hpacres440p]

Found a new heifer calf Friday at 4am. Was drived off, laying down and all seemed good. Couldn't get real close to it at all that day cause mom would trot off with her when I got close. Saturday morning calf and mom when way back in the pasture with the herd and calf looked nice and spunky so no concerns. Also saw baby poop once...it wasn't the real dark poop that I thought is normal for a first poop but more like the color if a brown crayon...was firm but not too firm. Then come Saturday afternoon I finally got to see calf "nurse" but she didn't actually nurse...she acted like she new what she was doing but only would kinda suck/kinda lick the bottom of the teats (which started dripping). So she never actually latched on fully and got a good meal. Teats were quite swollen but I've seen bigger. This is cows 3rd calf and no previous issues. So that night we started bottle feeding the calf and she drinks it easily and wants more. Our goal has been to feed her enough to keep her going good but not a full meal so she hopefully still tries on mom. Now tonight, Sunday night we tried to contain the cow so we could help get the teat fully in the calfs mouth but had no luck...cow isn't mean but is very fidgety and we don't have a good setup at the moment.

So my thought (and hope) is that the calf drank colostrum that first morning. Between her peppy-ness, poop, and acting like she knew where the milk was that first day/two I feel like she almost had to have had colostrum. And mom barely bagged up prior to calving and then really started to bag after calving so I thinking maybe her teats weren't so big when baby would have first drank.

What would your guesses be here?

If the calf was still doing ok, why did you start bottling? You can look at dam's teats-if they look "oiled", calf has likely nursed. Dry and ashy, probably not.

 

[LB2727]

If the calf was still doing ok, why did you start bottling? You can look at dam's teats-if they look "oiled", calf has likely nursed. Dry and ashy, probably not.

Because of watching the calf try and fail to nurse come Saturday afternoon. Watched her for about 20-30mins I would guess before she quit and layed down. Teats didn't look oiled then. Didn't want to risk calf going downhill.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Yep.
And if you were able to grab a teat should've been easy to tell.
Wet your hand.
If teat is slick n slippery. Calf has nursed

Calf slobbers are excellently slick even once dried

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Then come Saturday afternoon I finally got to see calf "nurse" but she didn't actually nurse...she acted like she new what she was doing but only would kinda suck/kinda lick the bottom of the teats (which started dripping).

Maybe the calf was already full from eating.

 

[Son of Butch]

Found a new heifer calf Friday at 4am. Was dried off, laying down and all seemed good. Saturday morning calf and mom went way back in the pasture with the herd and calf looked nice and spunky so no concerns. This is cows 3rd calf and no previous issues. So that night we started bottle feeding the calf and she drinks it easily and wants more.
What would your guesses be here?

Yes, calf nursed. But a calf that readily accepts a bottle, for whatever reason, is not getting all it wants from it's mama. Calf sounds like she is strong enough to get what it needs and a 3rd calf cow has plenty to feed her calf and she hasn't rejected it.
I think at this point additional bottle feeding will probably do more harm than good, and when the calf gets hungry enough she'll fight for what she needs.

 

[LB2727]

Maybe the calf was already full from eating.

Maybe but she sure acted hungry when she was trying to nurse. And we saw that happen a few other times...calf more so just licking the bottom of the teat and not latching on and sucking.

 

[farmerjan]

Get the cow and calf into a pen/ box stall/ some sort of containment. SEPARATE the cow and calf overnight. Put together in the morning... watch and see... If the calf knows what to do then it will go on the cow... if it doesn't,, then it might have gotten enough colostrum / might not. Too late at this point to worry over that.
No offense, but too many try to get calves to eat too much the first few days... and rightly, it could not be getting enough... but being a little hungry... drinking the bottle, will also sometimes "flood" the true stomach and wind up causing scours from sheer volume of milk. You say that you don't have a good place to work with cow... maybe she has a bad quarter and calf got that and then didn't want to nurse the other ones... you are going to have to get her in somewhere to really check her udder out if the separate and then put together does not work...

 

[farmerjan]

Get the cow and calf into a pen/ box stall/ some sort of containment. SEPARATE the cow and calf overnight. Put together in the morning... watch and see... If the calf knows what to do then it will go on the cow... if it doesn't,, then it might have gotten enough colostrum / might not. Too late at this point to worry over that.
No offense, but too many try to get calves to eat too much the first few days... and rightly, it could not be getting enough... but being a little hungry... drinking the bottle, will also sometimes "flood" the true stomach and wind up causing scours from sheer volume of milk. You say that you don't have a good place to work with cow... maybe she has a bad quarter and calf got that and then didn't want to nurse the other ones... you are going to have to get her in somewhere to really check her udder out if the separate and then put together does not work...

Also, after being separate, the cow might be a little more concerned about the calf and let you do more to get the calf latched on.

 

[farmerjan]

@LB2727 how's it going with the cow/calf pair????

 

[LB2727]

We were able to restrain the cow the other day and helped calf to nurse. She sucked good but didn't get latched without assistance. They are penned up and hoping to see calf nurse today otherwise will help again later. Calf must have gotten stepped on or something the other morning because she is limping on a hind leg and has a little swelling. Hopefully that gets better soon because she wants to lay down alot. But she doesn't have scours and doesn't appear sick so thinking its from the pain in her leg.

 

[TCRanch]

Calf must have gotten stepped on or something the other morning because she is limping on a hind leg and has a little swelling. Hopefully that gets better soon because she wants to lay down alot. But she doesn't have scours and doesn't appear sick so thinking its from the pain in her leg.

Have you checked its navel, temp & joints? Naval ill can quickly segue into joint ill. Also, have you checked the cow for mastitis? Even though she's young, it happens. And might explain why the calf still wants a bottle.

 

[LB2727]

Navel and joints look good but tonight calf does have a fever of 104. Looking a little dehydrated and very lethargic. Giving up on it working with the Dam so took calf away and hoping she pulls through. Gave iv fluids and antibiotic tonight. Didn't drink much milk so might tube her later if she doesn't start drinking good when I take more out tonight. Don't have high hopes.