Calf won’t suck- any tips

[twizzel]

Calf born 2 days ago, had to snatch from mother so it never sucked her. Cannot for the life of us get it to suck. Had 6 litres of colostrum from another farmer in the first 12 hours spread over 3 feeds, tried several teats, bucket, chocolate in its mouth but it doesn’t have any suck reflex. Having to tube it each morning as it needs halocur which can’t be given on empty stomach. Lively little heifer calf and stubborn as an ox. Any tips ?

 

[gatepost]

Honey, on your fingers. I have got some real b'tards going, good luck very frustrating.

 

[JackoTS90]

Probably already know this but try and force feed it. Stand over it and hold its head firm with your legs behind it’s ears. Move it’s jaw up and down in a suckling motion and make sure milk is coming out of the teat while doing so.
will take some perseverance and maybe a couple of tries but we can usually get them to drink within 3 tries. They go hungry for a feed if they don’t drink within 3 tries. Too much time taken up other wise.
how many do you have to feed? Can teach them to drink out of a bucket, but that can often take longer and be a pain later on when the calf gets older.

 

[twizzel]

Probably already know this but try and force feed it. Stand over it and hold its head firm with your legs behind it’s ears. Move it’s jaw up and down in a suckling motion and make sure milk is coming out of the teat while doing so.
will take some perseverance and maybe a couple of tries but we can usually get them to drink within 3 tries. They go hungry for a feed if they don’t drink within 3 tries. Too much time taken up other wise.
how many do you have to feed? Can teach them to drink out of a bucket, but that can often take longer and be a pain later on when the calf gets older.

Do you want to come over just 1 calf, out of a Tb reactor. Tried a bucket tonight but it won’t suck our fingers so just throws it’s head around. Tried to force feed too, that didn’t go well either I’ll give honey a go in the morning.

 

[dave6470]

Calf born 2 days ago, had to snatch from mother so it never sucked her. Cannot for the life of us get it to suck. Had 6 litres of colostrum from another farmer in the first 12 hours spread over 3 feeds, tried several teats, bucket, chocolate in its mouth but it doesn’t have any suck reflex. Having to tube it each morning as it needs halocur which can’t be given on empty stomach. Lively little heifer calf and stubborn as an ox. Any tips ?

I'd one two months ago that wouldn't suck for over a week just struggled with you when you tryed to get it on a tit. it had no interest in the cow
spent hours trying [emoji35]
at the last i just didn't tube for two days
I was nearly for giving up on it
tryed it one last time and finally got it on a tit
it hardly took a breath for 2 minutes and never looked back
just have to keep trying

 

[JSmith]

Patience and perseverance!! Tubed one for 21 days once and then one day it just sucked!!! Heifer calf as well, usually find its a dull bull calf here!

 

[twizzel]

Patience and perseverance!! Tubed one for 21 days once and then one day it just sucked!!! Heifer calf as well, usually find its a dull bull calf here!

The limmy bull calves are dopey but the heifers are just stubborn and strong willed shes a sweet calf bright as a button but god she’s stubborn.

 

[Headless chicken]

Have you a lamb teat floating about? Give it a go if you have we’ve found it works wonders as they don’t really have to make any effort to suck and still drink it.

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

Don't keep tubing it it will become lazy. Make sure it's hungry and then try with a bottle, make sure hole in end of teat is big enough the milk just flows out and then stick it in its mouth with head held and hold its mouth shut so milk just pours down its neck

 

[JSmith]

Don’t you find it’s better to tube it a few times so as when you miss it a feed it knows what it is to be hungry?! Also how long will it live if it doesn’t drink at all?? At least if you tube it it should live and suck eventually, have you not got another cow to try it on, might find it sucks that straight away!!

 

[twizzel]

Have you a lamb teat floating about? Give it a go if you have we’ve found it works wonders as they don’t really have to make any effort to suck and still drink it.

Yep been trying it with a lamb teat, and a milk bar teat on a bucket, they seem the softest least bulky teats.

We tubed it then first day just to get colostrum into it.Since then have been trying twice a day, but it has to have milk in the morning with its halocur, hence still tubing if we have no luck on the bottle.

Had hoped to foster it onto another cow that calved a couple weeks ago with bags of milk... but she’s turned into the antichrist so not even going there

 

[Gedd]

Run cows tits with butter and sugar put some on your fingers let it suck fingers and swap over

 

[yorkshire8]

Try putting it back on cow !

 

[twizzel]

Try putting it back on cow !

Can’t- cows a Tb reactor and going this week.

 

[yorkshire8]

Do you have an other cow you could try sometimes they sulk! I had a calf for a week that wouldn’t drink off a bucket , put it with a cow and it went straight on to drink.

 

[Charolais cattle]

Leave it till after 2 or 3 morrow,,, hungry it is the better,,

 

[beaconsboy]

Wet cloth over its face.

 

[Woolless]

Usually found with lambs that were slow to suck that they were mildly hypothermic. Keep them warm and keep tubing and they get there in the end.

 

[Gulli]

Chocolate

 

[twizzel]

Usually found with lambs that were slow to suck that they were mildly hypothermic. Keep them warm and keep tubing and they get there in the end.

Just checked it on the cctv, sat happy as a pig in sh!t in its calf jacket sunning itself under the heat lamp I’ll persevere again in the morning.