Post by nina on Jan 1, 2019 19:29:56 GMT -5
Today when I went out to check on the new embryo transfer Wagyu baby, (Dagwood) he was nowhere in sight. His mom was doing the where's my calf bellow and her udder was completely engorged and strutted. I thought, Oh no coyotes or something got the calf, but decided to do a crisscross search of their very rugged 60 acre pasture. Finally I found him shortly before dark, his mom seem to know I was looking too and was following me around bugling her head off. At first I followed her lead she had head up bellowing and listening, but she obviously didn't have a clue and kept going in the wrong direction. Anyway he was in a ditch under some brambles. The calf was very weak and dehydrated when I found him but could still walk. When Dum Dum mom finally arrived, the calf tried but couldn't seem to latch on to a teat. He would lick and sniff. The teats are long and not that fat, but the calf's sucking reflex seems faulty. So I caught the calf and tried to give him the bottle but didn't get a lot into to him as he only weakly sucked and decided to confine him in a much smaller pasture with mom. Dagwood actually drunk water from a mud puddle, and fiddled with mom quite some time but never nursed. It seems like he is getting a little milk just licking the tips of his mother's teats and the little I got him picked him up some, but he is going to fail fast. The vet was closed today. I tried putting the calf and mom in a 20 by 10 stall but quickly could see she was going to hurt him trying to get out. They are now in a 5 or 6 acre pen that is flat and mostly grass, so I doubt she'll loose him again. I put another mother and newborn with her and a first time heifer that is going to calf any day. I live about an hour away from the pasture they are in. I'm just baffled why the calf is strong enough to drink muddy water but won't nurse. I dimly remember some other posts where the nursing reflex didn't kick in right but forgot what to do. I really hope I don't have to bottle feed as the only cows I have in milk right now are not going to be fun to try to milk. Sophia is due soon but could still be a month out so I will have to milk replacer. What do you think, does he look dehydrated?