Heifer won't claim her calf...need advice

[Emma]

A first calf heifer gave birth this morning in a snow storm. When we found the calf it hadn't been cleaned or claimed. I took it inside, fed it colostrum, warmed & dried it while the farmhand sorted out the heifer it belongs to.

I have both mom & her calf alone in the shed now but she won't have anything to do with it. She wants a week-old calf that belongs to another cow. I just put her in the squeeze chute and milked her and got the calf to drink about 1 cup of the milk tho it wasn't very interested.

The calf is up and walking well, even exploring the shed. So far it seems healthy.

Question: If the heifer never claims her calf, or until she does, and I have to bottle raise it, how often does it need to eat and how much should it have each mealtime? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[randiliana]

You don't give her the option. Get her back in the squeeze, tie a leg back, and get the calf sucking. If she is really miserable about it, you will need to hobble her hind legs so she cannot kick. Then let the calf have her. Should take less than a week to convince her. The odd one will go longer. Heifers are dumb, so they normally don't take too long to convince. Make sure that she cannot come in contact, with the 'other' calf.

 

[Emma]

You don't give her the option. Get her back in the squeeze, tie a leg back, and get the calf sucking. If she is really miserable about it, you will need to hobble her hind legs so she cannot kick. Then let the calf have her. Should take less than a week to convince her. The odd one will go longer. Heifers are dumb, so they normally don't take too long to convince. Make sure that she cannot come in contact, with the 'other' calf.

Thanks! I'll do that now. These 2 are in a shed by themselves now, all others are out on pasture.

How often does the calf need to nurse?

 

[Mrs.Greg]

So far you've done well,it got the colostrum,nu1 importance.Its now locked in with mom,has fed a bit. Let them get used to each other,when the calf gets hungry he'll start rooting.We find sometimes its just best to sit back {a while} and let nature take its course.Heifers can be stupid but if you push them too hard they will bok you.

If you need to supplement with a bottle,rub the calf under the throat while drinking,it will suck better.

 

[Emma]

So far you've done well,it got the colostrum,nu1 importance.Its now locked in with mom,has fed a bit. Let them get used to each other,when the calf gets hungry he'll start rooting.We find sometimes its just best to sit back {a while} and let nature take its course.Heifers can be stupid but if you push them too hard they will bok you.

If you need to supplement with a bottle,rub the calf under the throat while drinking,it will suck better.

Thanks! I just got back from the shed. The mom is now sniffing the calf tho she still won't lick it. I put some of the milk on the calf earlier hoping that would help them. When the calf walked to the end of the shed to explore the mom started mooing at it, but when the calf returned she didn't want it to rub on her. She's a blockhead, but I think she'll get there.

I fed it some warm milk from the mom and gave it a shot of BoSe. It isn't much interested in the bottle.

I worry that it's so cold here now, the calf is shivering again. It's fur is dry and they're sheltered from wind, rain & snow in the shed. I set her on some hay and packed some around behind her.

 

[randiliana]

Sounds like things are working out. If she is mooing to it, that is a GREAT sign.

Newborns, I like to feed at least 3, if not 4 times a day. Just 1 to 1.5 pints at a time.

Just watch her with the cold. If she is moving around and acting healthy, don't worry about her. One good way to know if a calf is cold, is to stick your finger in it's mouth. If the mouth is good and warm, she should be just fine. If you're really worried put a vest or some sort of a blanket on it, but unless it is extremely cold, they should be just fine in that shed.

Good luck

 

[Shortgrass]

I have a cow that calved in the pasture. The calf sucked and they stayed there about 12 hours. The cow came into feed, The calf got up and went with some other cows, and when the cow went back her calf was gone, so I brought it to her, and she rejected it (neighbor says I should wash my hands a little better!). I have them in a small pen, and aced the cow. She is letting it suck now, but we'll see when the dope wears off. Generally speaking, if you have a tough graft, you can put the cow behind a gate with the bottom bar out so that a calf has access to the bag, or your chute may suffice. You may have to do that 2 - 3 days until the milk runs thru the calf. It has been my experience that the calf will then take on the right smell, and things should get better.

 

[WyomingRancher]

You don't give her the option. Get her back in the squeeze, tie a leg back, and get the calf sucking.

:agree:

You've gotten great advice, the only thing I would add since you are keeping them in the same pen together is to make sure the heifer doesn't get nasty with the calf when it does try to nurse her on its own. Since she moos at it, this is a good sign, and she probably wouldn't get too mean with it, but I'd watch just in case... it's better not to get the calf hurt and lose confidence this early in the game, or for her to get away with a nasty trick.

If you suspect she is kicking the calf, it may be helpful to separate them with panels, where they can see and smell only eachother, and let them in together after the calf gets a little hungry. That "reunion" will tell you a lot. Good luck with your project... sounds like she's starting to come around for you.

 

[Emma]

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling better about the situation having your experience & advice guiding me.

I was thinking about putting my dog's blanket (like a horse blanket kinda) on the calf but thought it might put the cow off. My dog has never worn the darn thing more than a split second as she discovered instantly that she could jump backwards and shuck it.

 

[rowel]

i use some stuff called calf claim , i keep the calf and momma together, put the granuels on the calf and the momma will be courious and sniff and start licking , i used it once this year on a calf who i pulled out of a first calf heiffer

 

[movin' on]

Emma, how cold is it? If that calf is dry and out of the weather, it can handle extremely cold temperatures. I think putting the dog blanket on may not be the best idea, even if the dog hasn't worn it much. It was mentioned earlier to check the inside of the calf's mouth, which was good advice. If it's warm in there, he's fine.

I wish you luck. I calved over 300 heifers for a gentleman last year in Dodge City, KS. I learned more than I knew there was to learn and now fully realize how much I don't know! I did have a small handful of heifers that I never really could get to take their calves, but, of those that thought they weren't going to, 99% did. Just keep after it and I'm sure you'll make a pair.

 

[Emma]

Thanks all. The calf's doing better since being on and in the hay for awhile, before that it was lying on concrete. Last peek showed mom lying down next to her calf, that has to be a good sign, right?

What are the calf granules made of? Must be something yummy.

 

[Robert]

if you are calving heifers you should have a couple bottles of O-no-more, it will really get them dumb heifers interested in licking a calf.

I have used it on older calves that are dry, like the one you are dealing with. just wet their backs close to the butt and shake some on and rub it in a little so it sticks.

here is a web site so you know what I am talking about, but the price here seems a little high, maybe shop around.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=30e07967-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

 

[movin' on]

Yeah, that's right. You could give O-No-Mo a try. My experience has been that it works about half the time, but works great when it does.

Your "local" vet ought to have some on hand.

 

[WyomingRancher]

Thanks all. The calf's doing better since being on and in the hay for awhile, before that it was lying on concrete. Last peek showed mom lying down next to her calf, that has to be a good sign, right?

Yep, very good sign. Sounds like she's calm and has acknowledged the calf.

 

[Denny]

Yeah, that's right. You could give O-No-Mo a try. My experience has been that it works about half the time, but works great when it does.

Your "local" vet ought to have some on hand.

I tried that stuff this year (Went Back to a couple ropes and a Club)

 

[Emma]

This morning the heifer still wouldn't let the calf near her. Calf started sucking on my finger when I put it in her mouth to test her body temperature, so I put the cow in the squeeze chute and milked her a little. The calf drank it so fast, it wasn't nearly enough, only about 1 cup. We put the calf to the mom but it couldn't quite figure out those slippery, elusive teats, so I milked the cow a little more and fed the calf. By this time the calf is sucking on anything she can get her mouth around. We held her to the mom again and...success. The calf had her first good meal.

We let the cow out of the squeeze chute, put both back in the shed pen and the calf was chasing that cow relentlessy. I think by tonight they'll both be happy, if not with each other at least with their symbiotic partnership.

I've been instructed to advertise the mom for sale.

Another calf was born this morning and its heifer mom has everything all figured out already. That calf is trotting this way and that, glued to her mom's side.

Thanks again to all of you for your advice. I would have been a wreck all night without your support.

 

[Emma]

I have a cow that calved in the pasture. The calf sucked and they stayed there about 12 hours. The cow came into feed, The calf got up and went with some other cows, and when the cow went back her calf was gone, so I brought it to her, and she rejected it (neighbor says I should wash my hands a little better!). I have them in a small pen, and aced the cow. She is letting it suck now, but we'll see when the dope wears off. Generally speaking, if you have a tough graft, you can put the cow behind a gate with the bottom bar out so that a calf has access to the bag, or your chute may suffice. You may have to do that 2 - 3 days until the milk runs thru the calf. It has been my experience that the calf will then take on the right smell, and things should get better.

Hi Shortgrass, I meant to ask...if you have to Ace a cow, how much do you give her (mgs)? I'm used to Aceing the horses and the dogs, but I've never done a lactating cow. Thanks.