Putting calf back with mom

Callieslamb · #1 08/25/10, 02:13 PM

What are the chances.....?

Calf was born June 23. He never nursed off mom- had to pull him and force feed him a couple days. He still will not drink out of a bucket without help. He keeps his tongue at the roof of his mouth and can't suck in the milk. I plan on weaning him at the end of Sept - though if he could figure it out, I would be happy to feed him extra milk for much longer. Do you think I could pen him with mom this winter after weaning? Or do you think he will figure out where the milk is? The cow will need a friend - when her current friend goes off to the butcher shop in Sept.

oneokie · #2 08/25/10, 02:57 PM

Put the cow and calf in question in the same pen for several days and watch to see if it tries to nurse. You could alter the calfs feeding schedule some to see if that would make it want to nurse the cow. If no attempts to nurse in 3-5 days, it probably won't try to nurse later.

randiliana · #3 08/25/10, 07:00 PM

I doubt that he will even try to suck her, he won't recognize her as mom, and she likely won't recognize him as hers either. But I'd keep an eye on them, stranger things have happened.

rancher1913 · #4 08/25/10, 07:35 PM

unless you are milking mom, she has probably dried up by now.

springvalley · #5 08/25/10, 09:14 PM

I doubt they will bond, but you never know. Worth a try I guess. >Thanks marc

**gone-a-milkin** · #6 08/25/10, 09:16 PM

Callieslamb, if he isnt drinking milk from the bucket 'w/o help', then he isnt drinking water either, right?
Be sure he has the bucket thing down before you wean him. He sounds extremely brilliant.

I doubt he could figure out the udder, but as randiliana says, stranger things HAVE happened. LOL.

Callieslamb · #7 08/25/10, 11:43 PM

Arg....a test period. Why didn't I think of that? I am milking momma and she gives about 4 gallons a day. He does drink water - slowly - he kind of licks at it. He isn't very smart. Maybe after I make him into a steer it will help that?

Tonight, I was hurrying through chores early to get to church. I brought milk from the house for him to get him fed before DH milked. I had a bucket with grain and with of milk. Once he started on the grain, he didn't want to stop for the milk, so I poured the milk on top of his grain. He slurped it right down with no trouble. Dang calf. I think he's been fooling with me all this time - see how long we can get that lady to keep her fingers in the bucket and bent over so the ram has his chance to upset her apple cart......dang calf.