# New Calf,how to tell if it's nursing?



## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

My Highland cow had her calf today. It was there when I went out late this morning. Everything seems fine except I have not seen it actually nurse.
I have seen it try a few times but giving up. He does seem strong,even hops and plays a bit when he gets up . I did see a little foam at his mouth when I first got out there but like I said I caught him trying a few times without getting any. I'm not watching constantly ,but I would think that one he knows how to 'do it' he would nurse if he tries?
I'm trying to remember how it was last time....
I have some frozen colostrum but am hesitant to feed it because I don't want him to get used to the bottle and quit trying on her? Or would that not happen?
It's been a few hours now anyways, he should have had some col. by now ,but like I said I thought he had nursed judging by the foam but have to seen him actually nurse.
Thanks for any comments,
Chris


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Look for a clean waxy teat. It may not have nursed long the first time. I would say if there was foam, that will support success too.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks Bret.
But should it not be nursing more often?
Or do they drink more at a time but not as often and I just see the instinct of always looking for a teat?
I guess that would support why you only feed a bottle calf 2x (or 3 max) a day.
Will look for the 'waxy teat' . At first I didn't know what you meant by that ,but I'm thinking it means sorta a wet look from the fat in the milk ,right?
They are all clean.
Last time she had twins and I had to bottle feed the second one it was too weak so I didn't pay that much attention to the first one after I seen it nurse once so don't remember how often it actually nursed.
Thanks so much,
Chris


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Stick your fingers in his mouth. If he has nursed his mouth will be warm. If not it will be cold.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

tinknal said:


> Stick your fingers in his mouth. If he has nursed his mouth will be warm. If not it will be cold.


You mean it stays warm even if it was hours ago???
Wish I would have read that earlier.
I didn't see a waxy teat ,but I can only get so close,so I deceided to just give him 1 quart just in case ,but figure it will keep him hungry enough to still nurse or try on her. 
I figure (hope I'm right) that if he already nursed on her he won't get 'imprinted' on the bottle. And if he didn't then he needed something....
Nobody answered that part .
He does seem nice and strong, runs alongside her,does not just stay by himself.
Thanks,Chris


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Forgot to say...
He took to the bottle right away,didn't take him long to drink the 1 quart.
I'm hoping that means he already knew how to drink.
Or....he was awfully hungry?
He did try to follow me and his Mom wasn't all too happy about that but after I made a quick getaway he stayed with her.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Feeding him a couple times will not make him forget how to nurse. That babies stomach will absorb the maximum amount of antibodies for only 7-8 hours. If you aren't 100% sure nursing has occurred, get as much colostrum in that baby as you can as fast as you can. He will act frisky for the first day or day and a half, and if he hasn't nursed, he will suddenly just go down and be dead by day three. This is our experience.

If we don't actually witness nursing in the first 6 hours, we put a tube in their stomach. Better safe than sorry. We have lost way to many calves in the past to take that risk anymore.
I would say for a highland, 2 quarts to start. For a standard beef calf, a gallon.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Ok,I fed him some more.
Now I'm wondering,I have another gallon of Colostrum that I could give him tomorrow or will that just be wasted then. Should I just give him MR then if I still don't see him nurse? Or is it still better to give it to him even though it's really too late to absorb much from it?
Thanks,Chris


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

If he hasn't nursed, her bag should be really tight and looking about ready to bust. Can you get her into a pen and hold him up to the udder? I would think that if he's taking a bottle, he's nursing.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Just my opinion....I think you are interfering too much with what is natural for the cow/calf. You can create problems that can kill a calf with kindness.

With the volumes lonelyfarmgirl stated above she failed to mention the number of feedings. If those quantities are for a single tubing I totally disagree with the amounts.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

copperhead46 said:


> If he hasn't nursed, her bag should be really tight and looking about ready to bust. Can you get her into a pen and hold him up to the udder? I would think that if he's taking a bottle, he's nursing.


Well I was thinking about doing something like that earlier but he is 'searching ' on her(just not for long when I see it) and apparently knows how to suck ,so I'm thinking it would not help.
She is not tame ,especially now with the calf, where I can squeeze some in his mouth and see if he sucks then. 
Her udder is full but does not look fuller than last time she had a nursing baby.
I figure if he is nursing I will see it sooner or later,till then I will feed him some.
Thanks,
Chris


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

If he has had colostrum twice, and you are a day or 2 in, I would save it and move to MR if it comes down to that. hopefully not.

As far as the tube amounts, not a gallon at once, too much! we tube twice about 4-5 hours apart, a gallon total in a standard beef calf. depending on the length of time since birth, and size of the calf, I have split into 3 tubings. 2 tubings for a highland, a quart each time. sorry for not clarifying before.
Really it depends on the situation. We have only ever lost one calf to not nursing in the summer months. We made the mistake of thinking he might have nursed, why wouldn't he when there was no stress and the weather was perfect? Stupid us!
Otherwise it had always been due to nasty weather. So when we are calving in the winter, or early spring, we watch them very close. If that calf isn't trying to get up within 15 minutes and nursing within the hour, we step in. In nasty weather, if you dont, you'll lose it.

It is so hard to tell on a highland, because their hair covers the udder.
We had a cow have twin heifers this summer, and we ended up tubing one of them, because we thought she was nursing, but it turns out she was sucking on a dried ball of poo stuck to mom's belly right in front of the udder. Chris got her shut in our one holding gate and cut it off with scissors. We tubed the calf, and she was nursing and fine by nightfall.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Lonelyfarmgirl
Don't worry, I knew the amounts, I bottle fed one twin last year.
Still don't see him nursing, he searches and licks a bit but never gets it all the way in his mouth. Would they do that inbetween if they have been nursing?
This morning he was laying outside my 5 strand high tensile with a real strong charge on it! I guess it's that highland fur!
I watched him when I put him back in ,just the searching stuff ,so I fed him again.
Would he still look on her if he never got any?
Thanks,Chris


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

yes, he will keep trying as long as she doesnt push him away. If he is getting nothing, he will eventually remember you as the food source.
The one cow we had with the poo ball on her belly, Chris had to actually put the teat in the calfs mouth because her teats were so big and tight, she just couldn't get ahold. Now this cow is not tame, we had her shut in between two steel gates with the calf behind her.


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