Calf help please.

[Chunky]

Hello,
Can I please get a little cow advice. You guys have always given great help.

I have a calf, he is now about 12 days old.

he seemed really strong at birth and she moved him all around the pasture day one.

We never saw him nurse, day two he seemed weaker, so we gave him colostrum via feeding tube.

Since then we have been force feeding twice a day. He is getting stronger each day.

Unlike the others we have saved like this, this calf is showing no interest in nursing. It’s like he has no appetite. We can put the bottle in his mouth and he will chew the nipple, but doesn’t take the milk.

We tried a little molasses on fingers yesterday, he licked a little but not really going for it.

We have given a couple of shots of antibiotics thinking that might help.

We have forced the cow into the chute a couple of times to milk her down a little and make sure she is open, but that is not an easy task.

Had anyone experienced something similar?

Any ideas on something to try besides just running the tube down him twice a day?

thanks

[Texas452]

Try a feeding tube that goes in the stomach, it might help until it’s bigger and gets an appetite.
I have had retarded calves before, their forehead is usually bubbled out quite a bit, I never had good luck with those types.

[ThisLadyHunts]

We’ve had this happen once before. The calf had little interest in nursing. We tried to bottle feed colostrum with little luck. There was something wrong with the calf from the get-go. All four of its knees were swollen with fluid for some reason. Antibiotics were no help for us either.

[Farmdog]

I dont try and save special calves anymore. I beg my wife to do it good luck.

[Not the first]

Some calves are either weaker or don't have a good instinct to suck. We usually try a really small bottle, like putting a small nipple on a coke bottle, where the milk flow comes out really fast. That gives him instant reward for any chewing and hopefully gets him to learn to suck harder and better. You can then upgrade to a larger bottle. I would keep using the cow's milk if at all possible in hopes that he figures it out eventually. Otherwise, you have an expensive pet; might be time to call the Govenor of South Dakota!

Also there are aluminum tubes you can stick into a cows udder in a chute that will flow the milk into a bottle to make things quicker. Not sure where my parents got them but they are a big step up from hand milking her.
Good luck.

[M16]

My calves either make it on their own or die. Let nature take its course.

[Chunky]

Thank you for the responses.

[Coyote Canyon]

After 12 days! I would take it to the sell barn.

[eradicator]

We’ve had this happen once before. The calf had little interest in nursing. We tried to bottle feed colostrum with little luck. There was something wrong with the calf from the get-go. All four of its knees were swollen with fluid for some reason. Antibiotics were no help for us either.

This turned into a 'veal parmigiana-it's what's for dinner' thread didn't it?

[doghouse]

Has the calf ever had a BM? I had a calf one time that didn't have an opening at the end of the colon. Sometimes a vet can make one butt most times they can't.

[ThisLadyHunts]

Has the calf ever had a BM? I had a calf one time that didn't have an opening at the end of the colon. Sometimes a vet can make one butt most times they can't.

I see what you did there!

[ThisLadyHunts]

This turned into a 'veal parmigiana-it's what's for dinner' thread didn't it?

Hah! It surely did.

[STXBOWHUNTER73]

Sending a PM

[brokeno]

Take her to the sale barn before it gets worse. Little calves are bringing $400 - $500 right now.

[KY2TX]

Might check it for navel infection. Can show same symptoms