# Beef bottle calf that won't take replacer



## Hogleg (Oct 6, 2007)

We picked up a Charlais heifer calf that was an orphan because the person that had it did not have a lot of time to work with her and she was not taking the bottle.

I got her at 7 days old. Mom died first day, and she sucked on a nurse cow for days 2-4. Will not take any replacer in a bottle or pail. Is eating sweet feed, and at this point, day 10, is eating what appears to be quite a bit. Does not seem hungry at all when we try to feed. She is alert, head up, ears up. Not balling or acting hungry. We have tubed her with about 1 quart of replacer twice each day from day 7. However, when we tube her, she does not seem to have enough space to take all of the 1 quart and a lot comes back up when we remove the tube. This worries me. Don't want it to go down the windpipe. 

We tried - 

Large nipple,
Goat nipple,
karo syrup,
Bucket, 
holding finger in the mouth
egg in water
measuring temp to 100-105 degrees

... No sucking at all... 

I don't like to keep tubing her...but will if we have to.

Main question is whether she can survive on the sweet feed and water. BTW, we just tonight offered 14% creep feed. 

Should I pull the sweet feed away? Do I keep tubing her? Seems like I am stuffing milk into an already full calf. Worried that the grain will not give her enough nutrition since they are supposed to only be using 1 stomach and it is designed at this stage to take milk. 

Ideas?

Should we try real cows milk?

John
Salem, Ill


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Try another flavor/brand of MR. Just for now, try store bought milk as an experiment. If the calf drinks that milk with vigor, then your MR tastes lousy. Probably has Soy in it and tastes unhealthy...Topside


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Second the different replacer idea. First two calves we raised here refused any attempt to feed them for two days. Thought I was gonnna have to ship them. Neighbor brought over a different replacer and they got right on it.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

If you can get your hands on real cows milk, by all means get it! Even if it is just for a while until she gets the hang of the bottle. Then you may be able to switch her onto MR.


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## Hogleg (Oct 6, 2007)

She refused real milk today. Got some from a local dairy. 

Also, tried different MR, no go. Both MRs are milk based.

Just stands there and chews the nipple and pushes it away. Poured it in a clean bowl and tried her to get interested. Sniffs it and moves away. 

Will keep trying. 

Also took the grain away this morning to see if she can get hungrier. Will give it back soon if this does not work tonight.

John

PS. Dairy guy said that if it is eating grain and the poop looks normal, prob will survive fine. Thoughts?


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## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

I had the same problem about 2 years ago. I ended cutting a very large slit into one of the nipples and would squeeze the bottle to get it to squirt out (not enough of a slit to were it would "pour" out). I would hold his head up and massage the throat to kinda "make" him swallow it. It took about 4 or 5 feedings for him to "realize" that it tasted good, and he came running for it every time after. He is now almost 1k lbs and going to the butcher in april.


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## nosqrls (Jun 9, 2012)

when you mix the milk do it at 110 degrees so when it gets to him it is still warm. If it is to cool it will go in the wrong stomach.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Not trying to shake a bee's nest, but the statement in post #7 is absolutely wrong. The reason the milk needs to be a certain temperature is so the powdered milk replacer will blend with water consistently. Nothing to do with the wrong portion of the stomach. Calves have an esophagus groove that directs milk products to the correct section of the stomach. Feeding techique is also extremely important in the first few weeks of a calf's life. Temperature is not important, however drinking warm milk is much more enjoyable than drinking ice cold milk through a nipple. Yes mimic the the mama cows temperature the best you can. Even if the milk hit the lips at 80 degrees by the time it's in the stomach it's probably 100 degrees. My 2 cents.....Topside


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

I once had a blind bottle calf my neighbor gave me. His momma rejected him. I got him when he barely weighed anything and was limp (but it was warm and sunny- not like now) Took him almost two weeks to learn how to suck a bottle. It is a different tongue action than sucking on a teat. I tubed him all that time but always offered the bottle first. I about fell over when he finally took the bottle- after that there was no stopping him.... actually had to start carrying a stick to the pasture when he was bigger because he would charge me to get a bottle.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Figure out how much hot and how much cold water you need to make your mix. Put the hot in first, add the powder, mix it well and add the cold and mix again. It'll mix a lot better.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

We where given half a bummer calf once as we had a milk cow. The calfs mamma had died and he refused to take formula. As long as it was real milk in the bottle he drank no problems.

That steer tasted mighty fine the next fall.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

Will the calf suck on your fingers? If so, teach it to drink out of a bucket.
Get it sucking on your fingers and move them down into a shallow bucket with a milk in it. Spread your fingers slightly apart while down in the milk. Sometimes they will dive in a little deep at first, but will soon get the hang of it.
Make sure that it has free choice grass hay along with the grain. It is easier to digest than the grain if you can get the calf to eat it.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Leave the hay out of the pen. Calves do not need it. Make sure you are feeding a good 18% or better starter grain. At this age hay does very little for the calf and you are taking room away from the grain that helps the rumen develop large and quickly. Hay is not easier to digest than grain. 
Free choice clean fresh water is also essential.
http://extension.psu.edu/animals/da...e-importance-of-grain-in-developing-the-rumen


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

It's really hard to get one to suck, especially at this age. If it's eating grain, I would feed Calf Manna to help with the nutrition value. Milk replacer is bad stuff, if the calf isn't interested in sucking he's not going to take a bottle, so Id keep it on grain and calf manna. If it's doing well, keep doing what works.


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