help cow not letting down milk..

gwithrow · #1 10/17/05, 08:43 AM

one of our first time moms, had her baby yesterday...did a good job and thebaby is good, trying to nurse...but the cow's milk is not coming down..the bag looks good, and full but the teats are not doing it....the calf is trying his best but getting weaker...by evening we got some colostrum( from our frozen supply) in him...but he is not as lively as he was...we put them up together and he made it through the night..the vet has said he can't give us hormones since they aren't approved for cows...so any other thoughts are welcome...thanks genna

ozark_jewels · #2 10/17/05, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwithrow

one of our first time moms, had her baby yesterday...did a good job and thebaby is good, trying to nurse...but the cow's milk is not coming down..the bag looks good, and full but the teats are not doing it....the calf is trying his best but getting weaker...by evening we got some colostrum( from our frozen supply) in him...but he is not as lively as he was...we put them up together and he made it through the night..the vet has said he can't give us hormones since they aren't approved for cows...so any other thoughts are welcome...thanks genna

We always used Oxytocin on cows who had milk but wouldn't let it down when I was working at the dairies. The vet should be able to give you that.........It usually works very quickly.

Are you sure she doesn't have mastitis?? Is the udder warmer than usual??

Do you have any more frozen colostrum and milk?? I would feed that calf, but don't feed him enough to satisfy him, just feed him enough to keep him from shutting down. Keep him hungry so he can work on that udder.

Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Boers, Nubians, Lamanchas and Alpines

jerzeygurl · #3 10/17/05, 12:23 PM

try massaging with warm wash cloth while she is eating grain,in stainchion or head gate,

unioncreek · #4 10/17/05, 12:33 PM

Have you tried milking her to check if he can get anything?

Bobg

milkinpigs · #5 10/17/05, 05:09 PM

Oxytocin ,at about 1.5 / 2cc 5 to 10 minutes will work but she'll get to where she won't want to be miled or anything else. The washing with soft rags and very hot water can work just as well and she won't associate it with anything negative will feel good to her. Need to do it 3 or 4 times daily and strip her out the more you milk out the more she will produce.

gwithrow · #6 10/17/05, 08:39 PM

update, as of tonight the calf is doing OK not great but he will take a bottle, and the cow is being milked...very bloody milk...lots of pressure in there....he will still try nursing and we have hopes as long as he hangs in there...I personally wouldn't hesitate on the oxytocin but the vet was reluctant....go figure...if it was his cow ...oh well..we will see what the morning brings...thanks for the suggestions...Genna

JeffNY · #7 10/17/05, 08:46 PM

Tie the calf in front of the mother while milking, it should help. Oxytocin should be used sparingly, and only in case of an emergency, and nothing more. Some cows let theirs down properly, some dont. But there are ways to accomplish this without drugs, with drugs being the last resort.

Jeff

evermoor · #8 10/18/05, 09:25 PM

Is this just due to the swelling and edema in the teats. Are they so swollen that it is hard to squeeze? Sometimes Heifers have actually blind quarters for various reasons generally mastitis or other calves sucking each other. We had an awesome heifer that was getting ready to calve. Finally decided to pre milk her since there wass a increase in edema and was worried. Come to find out the right front was totally blind and left rear was very light, so it goes. It seems to happen with overage animals in our case ( she was almost three with first calf). My wife was a herdsman for a very big dairy where this was extremely rampent to the piont that some were actually no good but nobody knew or cared. As for oxytoxin its actually very beneficial for many cows, but not novice cow owners . just be prepared do give a shot in the vein every time, most of the big time show cows are on oxy for a host of reasons.

gwithrow · #9 10/19/05, 02:12 PM

as of this afternoon, the cow and calf look great..they are in a stall to th emselves..and the calf is bopping and nursing, don't know on how many or how much he is getting but he is happy and the cow is taking great care of him...I think the oxy would have been a quicker solution, but this worked and I will always keep colostrum on hand...don't think the outcome would have been as good with out it...thanks..gw

Goat Freak · #10 10/19/05, 02:37 PM

glad to see that everything is going good with your cows now, we have had SEVERAL goats born this year that did not know how to nurse, fo various teat problems, and we ended up spending a LOT of time worrying, all of them are fine now. Glad to see that everything is fine now. see ya, bye.

ozark_jewels · #11 10/19/05, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwithrow

as of this afternoon, the cow and calf look great..they are in a stall to th emselves..and the calf is bopping and nursing, don't know on how many or how much he is getting but he is happy and the cow is taking great care of him...I think the oxy would have been a quicker solution, but this worked and I will always keep colostrum on hand...don't think the outcome would have been as good with out it...thanks..gw

Glad to hear they are both doing well. And glad to hear you did not need to use the Oxytocin. I would only use it as a last resort on my own cows, though it was the 1st thing that was reached for at the dairies. If the calf is acting frisky then he must be getting enough milk to keep him going. And yes, we always keep colostrum in our freezers for emergencies. It has been a real lifesaver for some of our goat kids though we have never had to use it on calves. Even used Jersey colostrum on goat kids and they do great. What type of cow is yours?? Dairy or beef??

Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Boers, Nubians, Lamanchas and Alpines