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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

O/T Milk replacement

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Michael Soldan

08-24-2005 16:22:58




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Well, I had a heifer calve her first and she wants nothing to do with the calf. I found her on the ground with the calf's legs out and had to pull the calf. She didn't or couldn't get up for over half an hour and never licked the calf. I have her in a pen and she only lets it suck if I tie her and rope her hind leg so she can't kick. I decided I would get milk replacemnet to make sure the calf was getting enough...wouldn't you know it I got home from the Coop with the bag and when I went to read directions discovered that the tag on the bag had been ripped off. My experience tells me she will get over this but in meantime I will feed him( huge Angus calf, the size of some three week olds)untill they bond. That darn bag of milk replacement was $51 for a 20 kg bag(40lbs)...so how do you mix it..approximately....Mike in Exeter Ontario

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MonteMN

08-25-2005 14:49:11




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
I had the same thing happen to me. I got a couple of syringes of oxytocin from my vet. I tied up the heifer and gave her a shot and then waited few minutes before putting the calf on her. The first shot did the trick, she took to the calf and raised it just fine.



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bigJ

08-25-2005 03:59:38




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
If the calf is nursing, don't worry about giving him more. He will live a long time on too little milk, but you can kill him over night by giving him too much. If he is a little hungry he will be more apt to fight to nurse the cow, if you feed a bottle he will go the easy route and wait for you to bring the bottle. Also, don't be surprised if you hide and watch, the cow may let him nurse when you are not around. This is not hear say, it is from experience.

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paul

08-25-2005 07:21:57




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to bigJ, 08-25-2005 03:59:38  
I would agree with this, keep the fight up, or you will lose the battle.

There is typically a cup in the bag of replacer, one cup in 2 quarts of warm water, 2x a day is typically what works for replacer - typically, but I'd work with the cow a lot first before going to replacer. Do not overfeed, if it gets cow milk I'd do a can of Mountain Dew or a pouch of electrolites now & then rather than too much milk replacer. Keep the fluids up, but not too much milk.

--->Paul

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Don in TX

08-24-2005 20:14:35




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
Since the cow is still alive, I think you should continue to either tie her so the calf can suck or else milk her and then bottle feed her milk to the calf. That way, the calf's rear end will smell like her milk and she'll be more likely to accept it. Also, calves usually don't do that well on milk replacer cause it just doesn't have all the antibodies and good stuff fresh milk has. If the cow still won't accept it after a week or so, then you might try to find someone with a jersey nurse cow. We keep one around for just this sort of thing. Then start looking for a new bull.

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MNfarmer

08-24-2005 19:22:36




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
I"ve had the best luck with the Land o lakes maxi care milk replacer. Bout 44 dollars a bag. I use the cup that comes in the bag and mix a little under a gallon of water. Good luck!!



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MNfarmer

08-24-2005 19:21:42




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
I"ve had the best luck with the Land o lakes maxi care milk replacer. Bout 44 dollars a bag. I use the cup that comes in the bag and mix a little under a gallon of water. Good luck!!



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JMS/MN

08-24-2005 16:41:16




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Michael Soldan, 08-24-2005 16:22:58  
Logic would tell you to call the co-op you bought it from. Do you have any idea how many companies make a milk replacer, and everyone on www should know the mix ratio? First of all- you need to get the mother's milk into that calf- at least a quart or more within the first 12 hours. Otherwise the calf will not absorb the colostrum from the mother, which is most important! Colostrum provides antibodies to protect the calf from infection in the real world. That is simply the structure of the calf's stomach. Within a day or so, colostrum fed to the calf will not be absorbed, no matter how much you feed it. Tie up that heifer with whatever it takes and get some colostrum stripped from her and feed it to the calf. Even if it takes a stomach tube. There is nothing that replaces mother's milk. Otherwise the calf will die.

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Mike Soldan

08-24-2005 18:13:33




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to JMS/MN, 08-24-2005 16:41:16  
I didn't go into all the details in my first post. I did milk the heifer and feed the calf accordingly, twice in the first day. The milk was a thick yellow which would provide the calf with colostrum. I have repeated the process again in day two and as I stated in my post I have had the calf sucking although it takes ropes and time, the calf is doing just fine, also in my first post I stated clearly that the milk replacement was only to ensure he is getting enough, I have not nor will I rule out nursing from the cow. Thanks for you assistance...Mike in Exeter Ontario

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mike brown

08-24-2005 18:04:47




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to JMS/MN, 08-24-2005 16:41:16  
I agree. Make the heifer do her job if at all possible. I have never had much luck feeding milk replacer. The calves always seem to scour and do poorly. More than half die. I've had older cows that would let a bummer calf suck on one side while her calf was on the other.
If you must use replacer buy the best. The others use stuff that is not very digestable which leads to scours.



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Allan in NE

08-25-2005 05:06:04




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to mike brown, 08-24-2005 18:04:47  
Mornin' Mike,

It isn't the milk replacer causing the scours; it is cold, wet, damp conditions and lying outside on that dirt that causes 'em. Scours to calves is like the cold/flu is to us humans.

Dairy calves are always pulled from the cow after the first feeding and put directly on milk replacer.

If they are kept inside in a nice clean, well-ventilated environment with regular bedding changes during nasty weather, very few are ever lost.

However, it's always a good idea to keep the syringe/antibiotics, the Theramycin boluses and the balling gun at the ready too. :>)

Just my view,

Allan

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Scott in NNY

08-25-2005 13:08:27




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Allan in NE, 08-25-2005 05:06:04  
Not all dairy heifers are fed replacer.And I can say from years of experiance dealing with calves that milk is WAY!!! better than replacer. Our dairy is organic now so all hiefer calves,we raise all the hiefers,get milk after the colostrum is gone. Our calves never looked as good...



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mike brown

08-25-2005 18:28:19




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 Re: O/T Milk replacement in reply to Scott in NNY, 08-25-2005 13:08:27  
I think most of the dairy people here milk the fresh cows and the colostrum from the first few days go into barrels where it sours. It is cut in half with water and fed to the calves until they are weaned. It smells awful but the calves will knock you down for it. Dairy cows produce way more colostrum than a calf can use so there is a surplus.



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