well after 28yrs of dairing an bottling calves.i went to raising beef cows again.now 5yrs later a cow valves lets it suck a time or 2 an walks off.so now im back to bottling a calf again.oh what fun ill be having for the next 3 months.less i can make the cow take her calf back.
bottle feeding a calf
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Ranch Mom
Well-known member
lol us too, we just inherited a mess from one of our "one more year" cows. She looked like she had been sucked out in 3 teats, but turned out those 3 never made milk. lol I have tubed her, bottled her, she will probably die because I don't think we got her cholostrum on time.... 
she alternates, one time she sucks the bottle good and hope is renewed... next time I have to put her back on the too stupid to live list and tube her. She was born without a tail. I am wondering if other things aren't quite where they should be either. :yeah: :shock:
I will think of you as I am fighting with her.
Good Luck with your calf... 8)
she alternates, one time she sucks the bottle good and hope is renewed... next time I have to put her back on the too stupid to live list and tube her. She was born without a tail. I am wondering if other things aren't quite where they should be either.
:yeah: :shock: I will think of you as I am fighting with her.
Good Luck with your calf... 8)
Ranchy
Well-known member
Aw Poor baby, and poor you! It's such a pain to have to bottle one. Hope everything comes out ok for ya'll!
:cboy:
Poor baby, and poor you! It's such a pain to have to bottle one. Hope everything comes out ok for ya'll!:cboy:
ma says quit you're complaining, shes got 6 of those bottle babies. Ranch Mom many years ago we tubed several babies and none of them lived. You might try giving 5cc of Vit b complex to boost his appetite. Just a suggestion.
Ranch Mom many years ago we tubed several babies and none of them lived. You might try giving 5cc of Vit b complex to boost his appetite. Just a suggestion.IL Rancher
Well-known member
I used to call my tubing a calf "giving the calf the death penalty" as it seamed every calf I tubed basically would die... not right away but 3 hours or 3 days and the calf would be a gonner. This year has been different... I think I have gotten on it faster or something and I have saved a few calves with the tuber.. God knows I pulled enough of that first batch that ended up getting tubbed and they, for the most part, did okay... Them, and the frozen to the ground lazerus calves made me believe in tubing again.
Ranch Mom
Well-known member
Thanks for the tip Raven. but unfortunately the thing I also knew was coming did. I tubed her 3 times yesterday, it sucked like crazy this am, it wouldn't eat at noon and I had an interview... came back this evening and it wouldn't suck. It had cleaned itself up in the backend where the tail was missing eeeewwww. it had some backbone-ish area showing and it was full of maggots. Wouldn't/couldnt fight that for a calf that was dying like that anyway and so we put her down. :cry2: I knew it would come to this, being she ate the first time but not the second...
We always have good luck tubing a calf when we are checking a lot and know when they are born, but this one was late, and we thought it had...
anyway, when they haven't had clostrum, and suck one bottle but won't others, I know the end result... but I still have to try. All I did was get myself & kids in love with another gonner. oh well, guess they know the facts of life. Tomorrow will be better right? :lol:
I knew it would come to this, being she ate the first time but not the second...We always have good luck tubing a calf when we are checking a lot and know when they are born, but this one was late, and we thought it had...
anyway, when they haven't had clostrum, and suck one bottle but won't others, I know the end result... but I still have to try. All I did was get myself & kids in love with another gonner. oh well, guess they know the facts of life. Tomorrow will be better right? :lol:
sorry to hear of your lost ranch mom makes me sick when i lose one (even one more time cows) was he/she born without a tail or did maybe something nibble it off? we had a bull calf this spring that had a testicle that was 8" long x 5" circ. vet removed calf died :!: to much for a couple hour old calf.
makes me sick when i lose one (even one more time cows) was he/she born without a tail or did maybe something nibble it off? we had a bull calf this spring that had a testicle that was 8" long x 5" circ. vet removed calf died :!: to much for a couple hour old calf.Ranch Mom
Well-known member
That would be one heck of a nut fry :shock: just kidding... probably wouldve been nasty.
I hate losing them too, knew it was coming but had to try. She was misformed, she was definately born without it. Her openings were up above the pelvis on the top of where the end of the backbone / top of tailhead should be and it looked like maybe some of the spine was exposed. It was covered in that sticky myconium (sp) potty when we first started trying to help her so you couldn't see. She was just not going to make it.
I hate losing them too, knew it was coming but had to try. She was misformed, she was definately born without it. Her openings were up above the pelvis on the top of where the end of the backbone / top of tailhead should be and it looked like maybe some of the spine was exposed. It was covered in that sticky myconium (sp) potty when we first started trying to help her so you couldn't see. She was just not going to make it.