Heifer with little milk

[Stockwell]

Hello there,
Had a lim x blue heifer calve a week ago now. She’s got very very little milk and a big calf to feed, he’s just keeping going on her at the moment but he’s not getting full. What do you think the best course of action is? She’s inside at the moment but could turn out onto some nice grass? Tia

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Supplement the calf for the time being, he’ll take it if he’s hungry...she may well milk better in another week and the grass starts to work it’s magic

 

[Wazmos]

As above, at least if your supplementing the calf you’ll know it’s full and put your mind at rest.

 

[Stockwell]

Aye that’s grand cheees. Little bugger will not suck a bottle though, keen as mustard on the actual cow. Tubed him for the first few days.

 

[Charolais cattle]

Keep ur calf away from sucking it's mother for couple of hours... then let in to suck.. and u be on standby with the bottle.. as soon as u thing its getting nothing of the mother.. u put bottle to it.. it not be long drinking it then... hungry works magic...

 

[Blaithin]

Fennel seed and milk thistle help bring milk in. Can mix it in with a bit of grain or some other high protein treat that can also help boost milk. She's probably a fair size so not like she'll need lots of grain or she'll get too fat.... but a bit shouldn't hurt.

 

[steveR]

Separate cow and calf and then only allow the calf to feed 2-3 times a day. Get heifer on grass in the day, loads of cake and fodder at night in a shed. As othgers say, you can really monitor what it's having at the same time as encouraging milk.

 

[willie waver]

if you've an older calved cow with a big bag, stick them all in together and hope he steals some of hers

 

[rhuvid]

Supplement the calf, and the heifer, if she doesn’t get more milk then pull calf off her an double suckle on another cow with milk an kill the heifer.

 

[M-J-G]

Grass and plenty of energy like cereals, creep the calf.

If a cow looses a calf lift the heifer's calf and foster it, and fatten the heifer.

If she does get to rear the calf, I wouldn't bull her again, she doesn't sound like much of a cow.

 

[livestock 1]

I just calved a cow that calved in a hurry had a massive calf and had little milk. I milked a recently calved cow to get some colostrum and gave it more colostrum when the next one calved later that day. She’s on fodderbeet cake and silage and apart from the 2 bottles of colostrum she’s keeping him going now

 

[Skintagain]

I just calved a cow that calved in a hurry had a massive calf and had little milk. I milked a recently calved cow to get some colostrum and gave it more colostrum when the next one calved later that day. She’s on fodderbeet cake and silage and apart from the 2 bottles of colostrum she’s keeping him going now

Will she see the bull again?