Calf wont drink back teats

onyerbikepat

Cow calved 4 days now and calf wont go hear the back teats. He keeps going back and forth on the front teats, but won't go near the back ones, no matter what I try. Cow isn't the milkiest, so he could do with the back ones too. A big dopey LGL charolais bull. Any tips?

Kovu

Often seen this in dopey calves & we've had two different outcomes.

First one was also a dopey ch bull, he didn't suck the back spins at all for at least a month but when he got hungrier he did and the milk came back into them then. Then again, same thing happened a different cow another year and one back spin sealed up completely.

Second one took a bit of graft as it was my own and the cow had lost one spin on the front. I used to put her into the crush and cover the front spin and lift if upwards so the back spin was more prominent. Then when calf was sucking that, drop the front and it gets used of the weight of the elder & reaching further for milk. Helps if you can have the calf hungry by splitting them.

Genghis Cant

Are the back spins too big or small? Did you strig them out a bit to make sure they were ok? Is there a lot of flagging in them?
The odd calf can be dopey alright, when he's sucking well I'd put my hand over the front spin and try encourage him onto the back one.

onyerbikepat

I milked the back teats out a bit and they seemed fine. They are a bit small alright. I'll try her in the crush and hold the front ones out of the way. Thanks.

Connemara Farmer

Would a bit of honey or something like that help?

whelan2

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Would a bit of honey or something like that help?

we had no honey the other day and used icing sugar, worked anyway

farawaygrass

Often noticed it here. Was told not to milk the back ones, to leave them and as the calf for older he might start and milk would come back to the back ones

Count Mondego

Spins? Thought that was a typo.

Kovu

Count Mondego wrote: »

Spins? Thought that was a typo.

A quarter. Think it's a midlands thing.

whelan2

what about putting washing up liquid or something not nice on the front teats and honey on the back ones?

Genghis Cant

Count Mondego wrote: »

Spins? Thought that was a typo.

Teats would be the correct term. But spins is all we ever called em.... :-)

rangler1

whelan2 wrote: »

what about putting washing up liquid or something not nice on the front teats and honey on the back ones?

Often saw late calvers that'd go straight to good grass after calving that the calf would only suck one teat for maybe a fortnight...never did any harm

onyerbikepat

The penny dropped! I pulled the front teat forward. That pulled the back one forward too and he managed to latch on. He drank all 4 dry too. Hungry feckers those charolais.

Future Farmer

We have had that before, put the stuff on that stops kids sucking their thumbs - worked....

Parishlad

Future Farmer wrote: »

We have had that before, put the stuff on that stops kids sucking their thumbs - worked....

What...mustard????:P

Future Farmer

Parishlad wrote: »

What...mustard????:P

Thum

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thum-Liquid-Stops-Sucking-Biting/dp/B0015TJPW4

whelan2

Parishlad wrote: »

What...mustard????:P

poitin:)

Charliebull

i always leave them be, they figure it out themselves after a while, as they get older and hungrier they go for all 4, just keep an eye on teet that it dont swell up