Calf wont suck

telemetry

Well-Known Member
A heifer calved yesterday, no problems with that but the calf just wont take to the cow and suck, no real sucking reflex there at all, I have milked the cow and bottled it into the calf 3 times at this stage and loosing patience with the time it takes.
Any words of wisdom or tricks to get the bugger to take to the cow as I dont want to end up putting it on replacer:thumbdown:
TIA:thumbup1:
 
it can test your patience but the only way really is hold the calf in about to the cow and stick the teat in its mouth ,all of a sudden at some point when you are ready to give up it will get the picture ,well hopefully it will
 
Is there not a vitamin deficenantcy that afects the suck reflex but not sure which 1?. Quite often i find the real sods 2 get 2 suck a cow r the 1s that r doin it 4 them selfs already?
 
it can test your patience but the only way really is hold the calf in about to the cow and stick the teat in its mouth ,all of a sudden at some point when you are ready to give up it will get the picture ,well hopefully it will

It hasnt seen the picture yet thats when I result to the bottle:lol:

Is there not a vitamin deficenantcy that afects the suck reflex but not sure which 1?. Quite often i find the real sods 2 get 2 suck a cow r the 1s that r doin it 4 them selfs already?

Il get on to the vet in the morn about that, the calf is hollow enough to be honest, perhaps im just minding it too much being the first calf of the year:blushing:
 
Have you tried the bottle beside the cow? Get it going on the bottle and slip it onto the cow?
 
There is an injection you can get to increase their appetite, not sure of the name of it, but our vet used it on a calf here to get it to start sucking. We always have one or two each year that wont suck at all. Some will get going after 24 hrs and it has happened that some will go a week before starting, stomach tubing twice a day. We find putting some salt on their tongue, leaving them about 10 mins, then trying them with the teat can get some of them going. Would be interested to hear which mineral it is that a deficiency can cause this problem. I know our soil is very high in molyebdyeum, this mineral locks up copper in the rumen and if it doesnt find enough copper there, it moves into the blood stream to eat up other minerals too, we have to constantly supplement copper here to prevent this from happening, its knocks the hell outta animals when it does.
 
I tried vanilla essence on the teats and on the tongue this eve, its added to some powdered colostrum to aid sucking, it was a shot in the dark that didnt work:lol:

We used glycerine mixed with warm water to create a solution, worked once, might be worth a try.
 
Other thought would b as Tis a heifers calf r u stressin her enough by handlein her so shes not lettin her milk down? Have b4 now put mix up ram raddle on the calves head when not sure and bein so CONTARY the calves almost indangerin its will 2 surive:angry: and 4 times outa 5 cows udder covered wi raddle next mornin. Bleady limo's pefer doin it 4 emselfs but a chas or hereford would rather die!
 
No, didnt even need the jack, small calf, just popped out
times if its a hard calving they wont suck for a bit.
tbh id be surprised if it sucked the bottle and not the cow, usually they wont suck at all,
would it of been chewing the teat on the bottle rather than sucking it?

it can be a mineral deficiency in the cow at times, there is an injection you can get, whats in it i cant rem, or the name of it either, but its kinda designed to make the calf hungry if you get me.
 
Coffee can increase appetite. Dose the beggar with about 50 grms in a small bit of water, give him an hour, then try again. Instant will do!!!! If its a limousin, you might be advised to opt for decaf!!!!
 
Il try coffee in the morn, the cow is fairly civil, its a blonde charolais cross, will never have a lm in the place again!
she is ok for copper i would think between licks and minerals in the feed, no browning on her back either will look into the appetite and mineral deficiency though thanks folks:thumbup1:
 
Thanks, I should have said the calf has no problem with taking it from the bottle teat just wont suck the cow.

Oh sorry, can't help there. I do know that coffee is used for a twisted abomasum so maybe it's to sort the stomach out? If it's drinking off the teat then maybe it's the heifer herself?
 
Coffee being diuretic though mightn't be the best if he isn't drinking much:confused1:

yea, maybe so, but irrespective of the coffee, you do need to be certain that he gets fluids into him. Heifers can be slow to let milk down for a while, a shot of oxytocin mightnt do any harm, id say if the calf is sucking at all, it wont take a lot to tweak him onto the cow.
 
try a jab of selenium for the calf,
worked for me on blonde heifer with first calf.
good luck

+1

Vitesel is what we use. Not sure whether it's the vitimin E or the seleneum that does the trick. Like Will says I think it's the seleneum.
 
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