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New calf

13507 Views 12 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Markwright
Hi i bought a suckler bred limousine heifer calf. 1 month old and she is as wild as could be. Shes not eating or drinking. Any tips on how i can get her to eat and drink
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Sit in the pen with her let her smell u and get used to u she should calm down just let her know ur not a danger
What is suckler bred?
Was she being bottle fed (which I doubt if she's wild) or fresh off a cow?
At a month old if she's off a cow your going to have quite the battle on your hands. I've seen it go both ways.
We've had luck several ways before. Got a halter on them, safely tie them up so they get used to being restrained, wait until they are extremely hungry then pin them into a corner and stick a bottle in their mouth. Must wait until they are very hungry or your waisting your time. Sometimes once the milk runs in (usually after a tantrum and them ending up on the ground) they realize they want it due to extreme hunger. Others are so worked up they would rather starve.
In which case either find a nurse cow who will take it and graft it or provide smaller stem hay and a calf starter grain (and fresh water) and hope nature kicks in and it gets the idea. They usually end up quite a bit behind but they do survive.
Be careful. You can get the snot knocked out of you by a 1 month old. Instinct tells them to fight for their life and they do. Have her in a very sturdy pen or panels.
Good luck!
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@DoubleR hi yes shes off a cow, the farming slang might be a bit different here in Ireland sorry for any misunderstandings. The day after i got her she broke out of her pen and into another field full of bullocks (steers). We were looking for her for two days before we found her. Shes a super calf though
Here she is. Very strong calf

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Lol! That's why I asked :D Different terms all over the world :)
They are crafty! Especially the wild ones!
That's a darn nice calf! Id have snagged her up too :D
Do you have anyone small and calm who's used to being fed by you that you can stick with her? Another bottle calf maybe?
I was thinking of that. The closest we have at the minute would be some heifers that are about 7 or 8 months. I could keep them together in a shed with a gate dividing them and maybe the calf would see the older heifer eating hay,meal etc.
Sure wouldn't hurt and would help her not feel so alone and scared. They don't feel comfortable alone after being with a herd.
@cowfarmer yes im doing that and she seems to be gradually getting used to me but she still wont eat or drink
@DoubleR yep that makes sense
She looks pretty darn Good,

2 me.
............

Here she is. Very strong calf
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