Calf wont suck ???

zetorman

Small dairy herd here. First 2 cows calved fine. Milked cow immediately and bottle fed the calf. Drank 3 litres without any bother. However at their next feed they refused to suck !!!!!. They seem to have lost their ability to suck. They will lick the teat ok but that's all. Pure hardship for next few feeds before they re-discover how to suck. Any ideas ??

biddy2013

are the cows on precalving minerals? i got an injection from vet that works as an appetite stimulant for them

bbam

Like biddy says.
Get the injection from the vet and keep them hydrated in the meantime.

Wash cows teats if you can and then strip them a bit and smear teats with fresh milk.

onyerbikepat

How many hours after the 3 litres, would the next feed be typically. They just may not be hungry enough. When they have that initial feed, it's snooze time for long time.

Mulumpy

biddy2013 wrote: »

are the cows on precalving minerals? i got an injection from vet that works as an appetite stimulant for them

Nuflor is your best bet. It clears any fluid on their lungs.

Blue Holland

onyerbikepat wrote: »

How many hours after the 3 litres, would the next feed be typically. They just may not be hungry enough. When they have that initial feed, it's snooze time for long time.

+1 on that
Prob not many would agree but i'd bet if you cut first feed back to 2-2.5 litres you would'nt have a problem. Have you always fed 3 litres and got on ok?

Deepsouthwest

Mulumpy wrote: »

Nuflor is your best bet. It clears any fluid on their lungs.

Nuflor is a super antibiotic, and a v expensive one at that. It will bring a calf who's at deaths door back from the brink. Which is def not the case here. I'd agree with checking mineral decencies, but most likely it's probably that calves are getting too much for their feed. Often have seen calves here who drink 3Ls or more for there first feed may not drink right again for 24 hrs

mf2909

i had this with suckler herd. When cow calved calf couldnt and wouldnt suck. Stomach tubed for two to three days and used drencher gun to feed him. Its a deficency that's in the calf and i used vitamin e and selinium to get calf going again. Calf will be good in few days and suck perfect like you would flick a switch. But be carefu with the vitamin e and selinium, need vets approval to use it as if calf doesn't need it you can send him the other way....

Farrell

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Nuflor is a super antibiotic, and a v expensive one at that. It will bring a calf who's at deaths door back from the brink. Which is def not the case here. I'd agree with checking mineral decencies, but most likely it's probably that calves are getting too much for their feed. Often have seen calves here who drink 3Ls or more for there first feed may not drink right again for 24 hrs

True, handful of sugar on the hand was a trick used here years ago

farmingmad10

How much do you guys feed the calf 2 or 3 litres at birth? Use 3 here

Genghis Cant

farmingmad10 wrote: »

How much do you guys feed the calf 2 or 3 litres at birth? Use 3 here

If I got 2l of beastings into a calf I'd be delighted. That's a woeful great feed. I often had to nurse a pint or so with a struggle, so 2l would be great. Suckler calves I'm talking about, and I'd be hoping they'd get at the spin themselves.

TITANIUM.

Genghis Cant wrote: »

If I got 2l of beastings into a calf I'd be delighted. That's a woeful great feed. I often had to nurse a pint or so with a struggle, so 2l would be great. Suckler calves I'm talking about, and I'd be hoping they'd get at the spin themselves.

Ya two litres of beastings here. Tis a plenty for um

biddy2013

Farrell wrote: »

True, handful of sugar on the hand was a trick used here years ago

glucose or honey or chocolate

Base price

biddy2013 wrote: »

glucose or honey or chocolate

Use to use honey or bit of sugar syrup with ones that were reluctant to suck. Once you get them sucking your fingers vigorously they normally will latch onto the teat be it the real one or on a feeder.

zetorman

Thanks folks !! Calves sucking away now. Gave them 2ml of Vitesell. Cant understand it and hope ones to be born yet do not get up to same crack ??????