# Calf won't suck



## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I have a calf that will not suck the cow. He will suck my finger, but can't get him to suck the tit. Finally had to started drenching him twice a day. Are they any tricks that I can do to get him back on the mom. He really started to pick up after we started drenching him Saturday evening.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

We don't have that many cattle, 16 cows this year, have just had a few freshen and more coming soon. I always try to get the calf eating in a few hours. If I have to I will bring the cow and calf in a box stall by themselves. I will feed the cow and get her tied up but I know that may be asking alot if you have wild cows, then we hand milk just a little bit anywhere between a cup and a quart, then bottle feed the calf enough to get the taste and idea. The hard part as the calf gets older is getting its head down in position under the cow. We have had some we had to bottle feed awhile and they eventually went to sucking just like last year we had one the first calf heifer wasn't milking enough and we were bottle feeding the calf then we saw one day he was helping himself on another cow. Hard work to save them all but we try. Good luck.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

This is not easy or fun, but it eventually works if you have a squeeze chute with removable bottoms.

Remove a bottom from one side. Catch the cow by the neck in the head gate. Feed her something she will eat to distract her attention. Milk her to get a sufficient amount into a calf bottle and, after letting the calf suckle your fingers, transfer the nipple into its mouth. Once it learns to suckle the bottle nipple, take the calf and bottle to the cow's udders and let it continue to suckle the bottle nipple a minute or two, and then quickly remove the bottle and attempt to open the calf's mouth and insert a teat into it's mouth. This takes persistence, but eventually it will work. If at first it doesn't work, leave the cow and calf penned together and continue the above twice a day. If the calf doesn't nurse the cow in the squeeze chute, one morning it will surprise you by having nursed its mother in the pen.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Dealing with a heifer calf born to an old cow this morning, not sure it is sucking it was up and walking, doesn't seem hungry tried to give it a bottle tonight and it wouldn't suck. This one is up to mother nature now we did all we could.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

The heifer calf from yesterday was up and sucking this morning. Hopefully it is on its way in a couple of days.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

danwi said:


> The heifer calf from yesterday was up and sucking this morning. Hopefully it is on its way in a couple of days.


Glad to here that she is sucking. If you have one that is not sucking you can use a drench bottle. https://www.circlecsupply.com/springer-magrath-crimp-valve-2-quart-fluid-feeder-with-plastic-probe-nipple.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwp86EBhD7ARIsAFkgakiKJGUjXvUDcnP4h7EbQJ9uWu4hz42kDJbvB6980cOKtA5C3GZT8KQaAsK9EALw_wcB

All you have to do it follow the roof of their mouth and stick that tube all the way in.

That is what I had to do to my calf. I just switched him to the nipple this morning. Going to see if I can get him on the cow this afternoon.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I had my calf sucking on the mom, but I have to put the tit in his mouth. Going to work on him some more tomorrow. At some point he had got to figure it out.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Have a few more animals here this year and a couple are being a little more challenging. Had a first calf heifer in a box stall with a calf and was doing good, put her out on the yard and she kicks at the calf so she is back in the barn. Keeping an eye on a few others just to make sure they are eating. I think this is a sign from God to cut back a few animals on our small operation. Like a neighbor said with his steers, he could get to the size where he could put enough feed in the bunk for 2 days then it would be easier to find someone to do chores, as the people that do chores for him now are getting up in age.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

On Friday my vet gave me some Vitamin B and something else, I can't remember what it was. I gave them to the calf, by Sunday it started to suck the mom.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

B with selenium maybe? Things around here were doing better at last evening chores. 2 new calves today. The shot wont help if the cow doesn't stand still for the calf to eat, they might get a different shot. ^_^


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

danwi said:


> B with selenium maybe? Things around here were doing better at last evening chores. 2 new calves today. The shot wont help if the cow doesn't stand still for the calf to eat, they might get a different shot. ^_^


Fortunately this cow stands nice and still for the calf. I think I am out of the woods with this calf. I have six more to calve and I am all done. Going to brand about 50 head tomorrow.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Went back out a cow that was calving not making much progress, Saw 2 feet and a big swollen nose so helped deliver a big white-faced heifer calf. If this one does ok I will be amazed


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Only made one mistake today it was a bull calf, Wobbly on his legs so we milked the cow and he drank a whole bottle of milk then we stood him up to strengthen his legs. Tomorrow is another day. Oh and I made another mistake ran a water tank over in the barn doing evening chores.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

The big bull calf is getting bottle fed for right now at least he is eating good. Had him aside the cow tonight and had a teat in his mouth but it is going to take a little practice. Had a little heifer come squirting out of its mother this morning and then went right to eating.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Lucky no13 was born to a first calf heifer backward. Got the cow in the barn to pull the calf and it was going OK. Then got a rope halter on her OK. When I went to tie her up she flipped a switch and turned into a crazy psycho witch. We got the calf pulled out alive, but at this point it is up to God and Mother nature because until she settles down we can't help this one. I'm getting to old for this crap.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Cow settled down we milked a bottle of fresh milk from her, calf is on a bedding pack, he tried to stand but his back legs were a little weak from pulling on them. He drank the bottle of milk like a champ. Hopefully he will be good in a day or 2.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

You are having some tuff luck I hope it gets better for you.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Hasn't been all that bad I just figure thats normal farming. We have been able to tie this cow up now after she had the calf and hand milk bottles full to feed the calf. He eats like a champ but he has a bad back hip either from pulling him out or his mother running around in the pen at first when she should have been licking him clean. Like the neighbor who helped me pull this one said, we could have had a dead calf and a crippled cow, so we are doing good. We are seeing some good sized calves from this bull, problem is some of our cows run a little on the smaller side.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Always helps to look at the healthy ones out on pasture. Funny to see a little calf chase a bird, or see them running circles around the pasture or 3 or 4 hauling butt up the lane.


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## Rrueda (Jan 10, 2019)

Sometimes the nipples are just too big. That is exactly the reason why they are considered a conformation defect.


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