Heifer with litle milk

charolais0153

Have a 3 yr old heifer calved down a fortnight ago. She has a very small bag and the calf is constantly under her.gave her a week or two to see if she would fill out but alas she didnt.
What are the options. Rear him on milk replacer or keep him on the cow and let him take a bit from the rest of them?

Never wrestle with pigs

Have you many left to calve? Usually we all loose one calf at calving so maybe keep it going on the cow and let rob a bit elsewhere and use it as a foster calf if you loose one.

charolais0153

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

Have you many left to calve? Usually we all loose one calf at calving so maybe keep it going on the cow and let rob a bit elsewhere and use it as a foster calf if you loose one.

8 left.....it d be typical that none would die though :rolleyes:

whelan2

A suckler farmer bought two high cell count cows off me last year to put calves on as his heifers had no milk. Would this be an option?

patsy_mccabe

Give the cow dairy nuts. If that doesn't drive on the milk, nothing will. What breeding is she?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Like Patsy said above, a few kgs of dairy nuts.

If she's in good condition use 18-20% protein nuts as she will milk off her back.

If she's in averag-poor condition, use the 14-16% protein nuts. Start off at 2kgs and slowly build her up to maybe 4kgs over the next 2 weeks.

That's about E1.20 a day so it is worth it, I'd say.

charolais0153

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Give the cow dairy nuts. If that doesn't drive on the milk, nothing will. What breeding is she?

By Rocky out of charolais.so zero milk id say .4 star heifer and all:rolleyes:

charolais0153

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Like Patsy said above, a few kgs of dairy nuts.

If she's in good condition use 18-20% protein nuts as she will milk off her back.

If she's in averag-poor condition, use the 14-16% protein nuts. Start off at 2kgs and slowly build her up to maybe 4kgs over the next 2 weeks.

That's about E1.20 a day so it is worth it, I'd say.

Shes getting 3 or 4 kgs of dairy nuts and soya aswell. Just a terminal type heifer that will never have enough id say

Buford T. Justice XIX

McDonalds so:(

patsy_mccabe

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

McDonalds so:(

Would a McDonalds bring on the milk? :rolleyes:

Buford T. Justice XIX

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Would a McDonalds bring on the milk? :rolleyes:

How much use is she with no milk? Her calf will have great confirmation but poor weight for age unless creep fed early and often.

I wouldn't be inclined to keep her but each to their own, I suppose.

charolais0153

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

How much use is she with no milk? Her calf will have great confirmation but poor weight for age unless creep fed early and often.

I wouldn't be inclined to keep her but each to their own, I suppose.

Thats why i was hoping to rear him with milk replacer. Shes quite contrary also

grassroot1

Wean fatten kill. what use will she ever be?
Feeding the calf on the bucket would be a pain would you not try and foster him onto a cow with extra milk?

Donegalforever

It would be worth trying the injection "Oxytocin" obtainable from your Vet on Prescription. (Not very expensive).
It could help to let more milk down.

If you decide to try it take advice from your Vet on the amount to inject because I recall being told by my Vet some years ago that if too much is used then it has the opposite effect to what you intend.

charolais0153

Donegalforever wrote: »

It would be worth trying the injection "Oxytocin" obtainable from your Vet on Prescription. (Not very expensive).
It could help to let more milk down.

If you decide to try it take advice from your Vet on the amount to inject because I recall being told by my Vet some years ago that if too much is used then it has the opposite effect to what you intend.

Thats to let it down i think. She had nothing to let down

49801

Does calf look starved aside from behaviour of frequent sucking?
If not I'd leave them at it and give her a chance.

If temperament poor it's time for road!

charolais0153

49801 wrote: »

Does calf look starved aside from behaviour of frequent sucking?
If not I'd leave them at it and give her a chance.

If temperament poor it's time for road!

Hes not empty. We have him on another cow once a day to fill him up also

Floki

Perhaps you've been posting about other breeders having dairy wet nurses and looking down at them.

But I think it's time for a jersey or half jersey foster mother.
All the top breeders have one or two.

Maybe I'm joking about the top breeders but it'll be better and less work than milk replacer if you're considering that.

charolais0153

Floki wrote: »

Perhaps you've been posting about other breeders having dairy wet nurses and looking down at them.

When? Funny you should say that though our pesigree cows have ample milk compared to some of the other crossbreds.

Floki

charolais0153 wrote: »

When? Funny you should say that though our pesigree cows have ample milk compared to some of the other crossbreds.

Ah I think it was patsy who remarked on a film crew picking up a dairy cow at a lim breeders place. It has been remarked numerous times though.
I don't see the problem though as long as the buyer knows the animal is bred for terminal/muscle and not for milk.
It's just a different way of doing it like Belgian blues embryos calving from lim x fr cows and gaining from the milk.
There's even freisain bull sellers rearing bulls on jerseys and je x breds for show and sale.

Donegalforever

charolais0153 wrote: »

Thats to let it down i think. She had nothing to let down

I had a cow once who had no milk when she calved and Oxytocin worked.
You would have very little to loose by trying it.

(It is always better to light a candle than curse the dark).

grassroot1

Donegalforever wrote: »

I had a cow once who had no milk when she calved and Oxytocin worked.
You would have very little to loose by trying it.

(It is always better to light a candle than curse the dark).

Oxytocin is the hormone for milk let down. (relaxes the animal and lets her milk flow)
The problem with this animal is that her genetic make up wont allow her to produce milk.