Cross Suckling calves

[Whisper64]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop calves cross suckling? Rearing channel island breed calves in group hutches (as required by milk buyer) on milk bar teats. Calves fed mothers milk for first 4 days on bottle then transition onto feeder with milk powder. I’m feeding 3.5L morning and night mixed at 150g/L. Straw and nuts ab lib. Experiencing cross suckling in calves and right through to calving down. Causing major cell count and mastitis issues once calved down.

 

[LTH]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop calves cross suckling? Rearing channel island breed calves in group hutches (as required by milk buyer) on milk bar teats. Calves fed mothers milk for first 4 days on bottle then transition onto feeder with milk powder. I’m feeding 3.5L morning and night mixed at 150g/L. Straw and nuts ab lib. Experiencing cross suckling in calves and right through to calving down. Causing major cell count and mastitis issues once calved down.

You mean they are sucking each other as calves then when they calve they have high cell counts? Is it a lot of them, if it’s only odd ones that keep doing it you can get rings that screw into their noses wi spikes on that stop them

 

[LTH]

Like these

 

[Whisper64]

You mean they are sucking each other as calves then when they calve they have high cell counts? Is it a lot of them, if it’s only odd ones that keep doing it you can get rings that screw into their noses wi spikes on that stop them

Yes. We have tried those and they do work just seem to be using a lot of them. Ideally looking by at stopping the problem happening in the first place!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

We get a few but I think since we started moving them onto the trailer feeder outside at a younger age we're not seeing so many.

I think @jerseycowsman used to put a small small calf nose ring in everything at weaning?