Post by chuckie on Sept 30, 2020 18:57:29 GMT -6
Here we go again with the calves. First time heifer had a calf this morning, and she left it and came back by it a few hours later to look at it, then left to join the herd. And the buzzards were flying around as the placenta was still out there. I could tell it had not nursed, and the heifers bag is not full either.
I tried to get it to take a bottle, but it has absolutely no sucking reflex. I took the stomach tube and bag out there with me so I would not have to make an extra trip to the house. Poured the bottle in the bag and tubed it.
Then I carried it to the herd on the other side of the property, and she joined them there. The first time heifer smelled of her and hung around a minute, then took off.
I stuck around a while and started restringing some electric wire on the fence, and got a good piece away from the calf and heard it crying and looked back and saw the horse biting the calf. Not good!
I put the horses in the back lot behind the barn until I could get things straightened out. Then went back out late this afternoon, and the calf had moved, but the heifer was no where close.
Carried the calf to the area where we get them up, then drove the heifer in the pen with her. She was concerned about the little calf for a few minutes and then lost interest again. I tried to feed it a bottle again and would just fight me and let the colostrum run out of her mouth. Poured the contents of the bottle in the stomach tubing bag, and tube fed her again.
Now, I have one more bag of colostrum I will feed her in the morning. Seems the calves I have messed with will get the sucking reflex at least the day after they are born if not sooner.
How long has anyone had to tube feed a baby before it developed a sucking reflex? Has anyone ever had a calf that never did learn to suck the bottle? If I can get her to suck a bottle, then I am going to force the heifer to allow her to nurse.
Funny how some first time heifers are all over their babies and will not leave them, then you have the ones that seem to think they had a bad bowel movement.
I tried to get it to take a bottle, but it has absolutely no sucking reflex. I took the stomach tube and bag out there with me so I would not have to make an extra trip to the house. Poured the bottle in the bag and tubed it.
Then I carried it to the herd on the other side of the property, and she joined them there. The first time heifer smelled of her and hung around a minute, then took off.
I stuck around a while and started restringing some electric wire on the fence, and got a good piece away from the calf and heard it crying and looked back and saw the horse biting the calf. Not good!
I put the horses in the back lot behind the barn until I could get things straightened out. Then went back out late this afternoon, and the calf had moved, but the heifer was no where close.
Carried the calf to the area where we get them up, then drove the heifer in the pen with her. She was concerned about the little calf for a few minutes and then lost interest again. I tried to feed it a bottle again and would just fight me and let the colostrum run out of her mouth. Poured the contents of the bottle in the stomach tubing bag, and tube fed her again.
Now, I have one more bag of colostrum I will feed her in the morning. Seems the calves I have messed with will get the sucking reflex at least the day after they are born if not sooner.
How long has anyone had to tube feed a baby before it developed a sucking reflex? Has anyone ever had a calf that never did learn to suck the bottle? If I can get her to suck a bottle, then I am going to force the heifer to allow her to nurse.
Funny how some first time heifers are all over their babies and will not leave them, then you have the ones that seem to think they had a bad bowel movement.
