# Bottle Calf....what is happening?



## NWMO (Jul 26, 2005)

Have about a 4 week old bottle calf. When I feed it (2 quarts x daily) it has recently begun to "pass gas" while sucking......and then proceeds to "cough and wheeze" as it finishes the bucket of milk replacer.....is she getting the milk too fast?.....the coughing lasts for 3-5 minutes afterwards......then she appears normal.....but this same thing happens with each feeding. Anything to worry about? This has just developed in the last 3-5 days.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I'd take it's temp, verify if it's in the normal range...Just a guess of course, but I feel it's having a hard time breathing while nursing, thus the coughing to clear it's lungs. Take it's temp. that would be a good start...Keep in touch.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

She may be taking it too fast and strangleing on the milk, or maybe has gotten some down in her lungs. Is she coughing any other time ?? Like Topside said, take a temp, but that sounds like she's just taking it too fast.
P.J.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

NWMO, any change? Update?


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

Try using a bottle instead of a bucket. Sounds like she's having a hard time getting the milk to the right place with bucket feeding. Milk to the lungs and swallowing lots of air are not a good thing.


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## glenn amolenaar (Mar 3, 2007)

I agree with Cliff, also a calf needs the sucking like it would on mama does the mama cow look for a bucket for the calf to drink from? If people are to busy to feed with a bottle they should not raise a calf. The calf needs more attention than filling a bucket.

Glenn


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## NICC08 (Jan 2, 2007)

put it on a bottle...the calf is probably "slurping" the milk instead of drinking it. This is not only -possibly- getting milk in the lungs but IS getting milk in the wrong stomach because the esophageal grove is not opening...sucking action is needed for the groove to open. 

Put it on the bottle and supply starter and water in buckets until it figures out how to properly drink....

NICC08


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

To each his own, but the first steer I ever had was bucket fed, and I never had one moments problem with him. I had time to bottle feed him, but he did well with the bucket, so why fix what isn't broken. I think every cow is different, so you'll have to find what best suits your situation. Try the bottle and see if the situation improves.


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## NWMO (Jul 26, 2005)

Sorry for no post. Crazy weekend and wasn't even near the computer.
No temperature and the calf continued this for two more feedings. But since Sunday, she has been "normal" acting and drinking.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Calves, what a crazy bunch...Topside


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## farmmaid (Jan 13, 2003)

Calf needs to be on a bottle as others have said. Milk is going to the wrong place. Calf's head needs to be elevated as if sucking...mother nature!!!!


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

farmmaid said:


> Calf needs to be on a bottle as others have said. Milk is going to the wrong place. Calf's head needs to be elevated as if sucking...mother nature!!!!


On the contrary, I've had better luck with calves drinking from a bucket as long as the bucket is placed down on the ground. A calf is designed to drink with his head down and suck with his head up. Sometimes folks who are feeding calves with buckets hang them on the fence up at head level and they run into problems with the calf asperating milk. They are very aggresive towards feeding time and drink too hastily to get it diverted down the right pipe. Rule of thumb: Bottle at shoulder height to the calf with nipple pointed down and bucket sitting flat on the level ground.


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## NWMO (Jul 26, 2005)

and had absolutely no luck getting her to latch on feed. Vet tubed her as she was dehydrated.....tried bottles again and borrowed a bucket from a neighbor and it was like "magic." 
The nipple was much more "supple" so I am sure that was part of it.....but this seems to be working. She is much more "energetic" and hungry when I approach these days.

Is a half gallon at each feeding enough to keep her on? Or should I be upping it a bit? I have offered some calf "feeder pellets" and tried some 'sweet feed' but she is not even nibbling on it. She does eat grass in the pen.

Also, have water for her, but she doesn't go for it at all.

My hopes were to put her back in the pasture with the herd of 9 and feed her twice daily. (I tried this about two weeks ago and she came to the fence for a couple of feedings.....then wouldn't come up one morning....and she started getting dehydrated again, so pulled her and isolated her!) If I could get her to do a little grain and take in some water, I would be more apt to put her back out with the herd where she belongs!


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

I know this sounds stupid. But, Topside might agree with me on this one. I would just on the safe side treat her as if she has peunmonia. Might sound stupid but I have seen times they will just be reluctant to eat with no fever. Then after a treatment they perk up and do fine from there on out. The calves I have not treated just seem to take forever to grow then too. Just a precautionary measure that always seems to help. 
Bob


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## Kipper (Apr 10, 2009)

Madsaw said:


> I know this sounds stupid. But, Topside might agree with me on this one. I would just on the safe side treat her as if she has peunmonia. Might sound stupid but I have seen times they will just be reluctant to eat with no fever. Then after a treatment they perk up and do fine from there on out. The calves I have not treated just seem to take forever to grow then too. Just a precautionary measure that always seems to help.
> Bob



I agree, never know if any got into the lungs and as a precaution, it's a pretty easy thing to do.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

A calf needs to take its nourishment when being hand raised in the same position as it would when nursing a cow. There are a number of subtle occurrences that take place when this happens. More saliva is generated and swallowed that aids digestion. The throat is positioned to get the milk to the correct location and less air is swallowed. IMO, your calf is sucking in excess air and digestion is occurring farther down the digestive tract than it should.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

Go the the top of this forum there's a sticky: Sale barn/Bottle calves. Two pages of very good info from people that raise a lot of calves and know what they are talking about.


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