Stupid Calf

pakalasa

I have a bull calf that a heifer had about a week ago. It was a heavy pull and I had to resuscitate him. I'm convinced he was actually dead, but I got a heartbeat and I kept him breathing. The problem is, he is completly stupid now and wont drink the cow on his own. As soon as he looses the teat he heads out under the cow and heads for the far wall. He'll hit a corner then and will keep sucking air.
He's fine and strong and will drink the heifer dry. Am I wasting my time with him? Anybody ever come across this before?. You'd swear he was blind if you saw him, but he blinks when you flick you hand across his eye.
My own feeling is that he got brain damaged from lack oxygen at birth.

kevthegaff

a shot of a steroid(colvasone) and skip a feeding. 9/10 theyl drink perfectly. id say tho it mightnt work from the sounds of ur lad tho:(

vanderbadger

pakalasa wrote: »

I have a bull calf that a heifer had about a week ago. It was a heavy pull and I had to resuscitate him. I'm convinced he was actually dead, but I got a heartbeat and I kept him breathing. The prolem is he is complete stupid now and wont drink the cow on his own. As soon as he looses the teat he heads out under the cow and heads for the far wall. He'll hit a corner then and will keep sucking air.
He's fine and strong and will drink the heifer dry. Am I wasting my time with him? Anybody ever come across this before?. You'd swear he was blind if you saw him, but he blinks when you flick you hand across his eye.
My own feeling is that he got brain damaged from lack oxygen at birth.

had a big old monster there about a month ago, severe pull. i often wondered was the hoor brain damaged as well :rolleyes: jesus he broke my heart trying to get him to drink, if you try and move him one way he goes the other, if you try and put teat in his mouth he wouldnt take it and yet he could go to the corner of the pen and be looking for the teat against the wall or against anything except the cow and when you would bag him you would swear you were poisoning him the way he would wriggle around and try and get away although even when he started sucking you would still have to start him off again at next feeding time..he came round anyway, then he got scour, had a desperate job to get thim out of that..then when he was dehorned he bled, jeez used alu spray, black powder and the dehorning iron again before it stopped..talk about a problem child..he seems fine now and he should turn out to be a good calf, just keep feeding him, he will come round eventually, he sounds like he is exactly like my chap only a bit worse

foundation10

Had one of these a few months ago even though your one seems worse. He was only sucking the mother under her chin and chest. would suck there all day long. Would never suck teats. Ended up having to give him feed by bottle even though was afraid this would destroy him. Used to put him on the teat and.........no go. Got some injection from vet I may as well have given him a shot of water. Milked mother to prevent mastitis regularly. After about a month he eventually decided that sucking the teat was the way to go. He then got the scour as he couldn't cope with all the milk .....This is where the work is in sucklers.

6600

We had a few like that this year as well, it would wear you out but if you keep at him he'll eventually drink himself. I think some big calves are in pain for a few days after calving and probably a bit on the stupid side as well. Persisting with trying to get him to suck when its not going to happen will kill you. I gave up that and just milk the mother and bottle him. Far quicker. All you want is to keep him alive for those few days. No teat just pour it down him. At least then you know he's fed. After three or four days they will drink themselves. A shot of Dex (painkiller) helps if you think the calve is sore. It doesn't seem it at the time but its well worth it!

pakalasa

Thanks guys,
I'll keep at it. Not easy when you have to be at work at 8.00am.
I have more trouble with this one fella than all the rest put together. Cow keeps kicking too which don't help.

Bizzum

I have seen this. Not too often thankfully. Where the calf would appear blind. You might not be too far off with your lack of oxygen at birth theory. We had one that went on a bit like that, but the penny did drop with him after about ten days. Keep at him and hopefully it works out!

heineken1

How do ye get milk for the calve from the sucklers safely lads

Bizzum

heineken1 wrote: »

How do ye get milk for the calve from the sucklers safely lads

Some give willingly and gladly. Others reluctantly and begrudgingly. If you need to strip out milk it may come to tying up the leg. If you just need a liter or so to freeze you might get it with the cow caught in the calving gate eating a few nuts and her calf is sucking.
Sometimes it aint simple no matter how you go about it!

Kovu

We had one like this too. Appeared blind, wandered into a ditch first day he was let out. Then wouldn't drink milk, just Lifeaid. Vet reckoned he was brain damaged as the dam had a huge water bag. He used to stand in the corner staring at the wall. Eventually put him down.:(

1chippy

have one similar at the moment. he isnt a massive calf but seems to suck the hair on the cow but not the teat. we already lost a quater on the cow due to this and have been milking and feeding to the calf the last couple of days. we have also found the front quater has blood through the milk. vet said it was a burst blood vessel and it would be ok. would this be putting off the calf sucking?
found the only way to milk sucklers is put them in the head locking gate bar behind them and rope above the hock tied back onto one of the rails.

redzerologhlen

heineken1 wrote: »

How do ye get milk for the calve from the sucklers safely lads

Wear one of these

Bizzum

[QUOTE=1chippy;77794743 we have also found the front quater has blood through the milk. vet said it was a burst blood vessel and it would be ok. would this be putting off the calf sucking?[/QUOTE]

I've seen this up and down in a milky type of suckler cow. Never saw it stopping a calf who otherwise wanted to suck. It's short-lived too.

fguinan

pakalasa wrote: »

I have a bull calf that a heifer had about a week ago. It was a heavy pull and I had to resuscitate him. I'm convinced he was actually dead, but I got a heartbeat and I kept him breathing. The problem is, he is completly stupid now and wont drink the cow on his own. As soon as he looses the teat he heads out under the cow and heads for the far wall. He'll hit a corner then and will keep sucking air.
He's fine and strong and will drink the heifer dry. Am I wasting my time with him? Anybody ever come across this before?. You'd swear he was blind if you saw him, but he blinks when you flick you hand across his eye.
My own feeling is that he got brain damaged from lack oxygen at birth.

Your describing "Dummy Calf Syndrome". It is mostly caused by a lack of oxygen at birth. Usually the calf appears normal at first but deteriorates between 24 and 36 hours.

Grecco

heineken1 wrote: »

How do ye get milk for the calve from the sucklers safely lads

Tie a rope around her back make sure its just in front of her hips and just before the udder. Tighten it well and she will not be able to kick

pakalasa

Karen112 wrote: »

We had one like this too. Appeared blind, wandered into a ditch first day he was let out. Then wouldn't drink milk, just Lifeaid. Vet reckoned he was brain damaged as the dam had a huge water bag. He used to stand in the corner staring at the wall. Eventually put him down.:(

I think I'm going to have to put this little fella down too.:(
Last night and this morning, he was just running around the shed in small circles. I'm getting weary of trying to get the teat back in his mouth. He's getting stronger and stronger and will drink the cow dry. That's the frustrating part. If I let him out though, I can see him going straight through a hedge.

whelan1

well ihad a stupid calf this morning it ran into a gate post and is now deceased

blue5000

whelan1 wrote: »

well ihad a stupid calf this morning it ran into a gate post and is now deceased

Health and safety will be out so, enjoy the hols whelan, sounds like you need a break:pac:

whelan1

ta, have a million and one things to do, going to mart and my daughter is making her confession tonight aswell... flight at 7am tomorrow so we will be up at 4, all part of the excitement for the kids

leg wax

whelan1 wrote: »

ta, have a million and one things to do, going to mart and my daughter is making her confession tonight aswell... flight at 7am tomorrow so we will be up at 4, all part of the excitement for the kids

have a good holiday and when you are opening the first bottle of wine just think of poor leg wax hopping in his landini blizzard with disc harrow in tow, ps .i will keep a eye on things for ya,since no one else has offered.:)

Figerty

Toughen it out a little longer. If he will drink the cow he will do in the long run, but won't be the brightest bulb on the christmas tree... but sure it's not brains you are after...

You would be surprised how they come along.

pakalasa wrote: »

I think I'm going to have to put this little fella down too.:(
Last night and this morning, he was just running around the shed in small circles. I'm getting weary of trying to get the teat back in his mouth. He's getting stronger and stronger and will drink the cow dry. That's the frustrating part. If I let him out though, I can see him going straight through a hedge.

pakalasa

I thought he was that bit better tonight alright. He's such a hardy devil, I don't have it in me to put him down. And no, he won't be winning any Noble prizes...

tanko

Dont forget "where there's life there's hope". I had a two year old heifer a couple of years ago who wasnt coming in heat so i gave her a shot of estrumate to bring her round. A few days later she calved a premature calf, barely alive. It was the smallest calf i ever saw. The heifer showed no interest in it and it lay on the ground with all sorts of fluids coming out its nose and mouth.

I was going to put it out of its misery but the aul fella milked the heifer and fed the calf with a big syringe. This went on for three weeks until the calf was able to suck by itself. Eight months later the calf was sold for 550 euros. Last oct the cow had a smashing fl22 bull calf and is in calf again.

you just never know.

yellow50HX

if the little fella is drinking the cow then let him. your probably right in that he has probably been brain damaged and might also be blind but they dont pay for reading ability in the factory. If you can wean him and train him to a bucket and if the cow will let another calf suck then buy a calf to put under the cow. That way you can leave him in the shed and not worry about him going through a gate. As long as he can eat and drink he'll be fine. squeeze him and keep him your your own use.

pakalasa

Calf is drinking on his own now, with no help from me....:D
It took him 2 weeks but he's nearly 100% now. I might even let him off with the cow during the day. Good old mother's milk, hard to beat....

jerdee

....hard work pays off ..plus the odd kick...

Figerty

and the dirty tail accross the face....

Kovu

jerdee wrote: »

....hard work pays off ..plus the odd kick...

Figerty wrote: »

and the dirty tail accross the face....

You're forgetting the good puck up the arse from a calf while pushing down the slats:D

Bizzum

pakalasa wrote: »

Calf is drinking on his own now, with no help from me....:D
It took him 2 weeks but he's nearly 100% now. I might even let him off with the cow during the day. Good old mother's milk, hard to beat....

Delighted to read this!

I'm often amazed how resiliant livestock can be. When they keep on sucking milk anything is possible.

Dozer1

Hi lads,
Calf born Sunday, no way inclined to suck, she calved herself and he's up and about, bottle feeding him morning and evening, took him away from the cow just to be sure he wasn't drinking.
Any tips?

vanderbadger

maybe dont feed him this evening and give him ago with the cow again in the morning, is she quiet can you kinda milk a drop into his mouth or manuver him in beside her?

Dozer1

She's a quiet as a lamb FrxLM loads of milk teats are easy to get to have the teat in his mouth squirting in milk the whole lot and no effort to stick his bloody tongue out... don't really want to leave him too long without a feed as he's a nice size CH bull, all the rest of the calves have been very lively and drank no hassle within an hour or two all from the same bull

pakalasa

Have you tried pinching in under his tongue. Worth a try anyway.
Make sure he gets at least 4 Lts per day to keep up his strength. Keeping him alive is the priority anyway, whatever about him drinking.
Patience and more patience.........

ELP

I bought a calf years ago very cheap, was sold that it wouldnt suck.
I took it home and put sugar on my fingers and she sucked them, then put the sugar on the cows teat and she sucked no problem.
You could try that it might work for you.
Best of luck with it.

whelan1

if you give it an electrolyte it will make it thirsty or as suggested sugar/glucose on his tongue to make him suck

Dozer1

Thanks all, Finally the penny dropped with the bugger last night and he got going, I'd given him a glucose/salt/bread soda mix in the morning and he was much more interested yesterday evening,

notsobusy

You're lucky! We had one that didn't and wouldn't drink from the cow at all. So we tried to bottled feed for about 2 weeks. Poor thing died. Just wouldn't suck and when you put your fingers in her mouth it was really weak. But that's a good tip about the glucose!