3 month old heifer refusing a bottle

babsbag said:

I don't believe @hailey sullenberger WANTS to wean at 3 months, the calf appears to be doing it herself. Or else something else is wrong. Hopefully one of our "cattle" members will check in soon. In the meantime...have you taken her temperature?

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WildRoseBeef said:

Thanks for the PM @hailey sullenberger as I mentioned to you I have a strong suspicion that she is weaning herself and is letting you know about it by refusing the bottle. At three months old a calf's rumen system has reached maturity and is ready to take on a full-feed diet minus the milk replacer. And IMHO it's pretty hard to slowly wean her off the bottle when she's already outright refused it and won't suckle from it again.

What is her breed? How much does she weigh, and what kind of hay are you giving her? Any additional supplements?

And because @babsbag might be wondering: Is she showing any abnormal symptoms: dry nose, listless, eyes dull, coughing, etc.? Or is she her happy, bouncy, normal self you see every day? And, can you share a picture with us?

If she's not getting the nutrition she needs, she will end up stunted, as with any calf who is not getting adequate protein, energy, and other nutrients, this in terms of how much they are getting versus what they need. @Goatgirl47 You might be interested in this link that claims the old rules of thumb of feeding calves may have been the wrong way after all, so, possibly, it may not be the length of time to keep them on the bottle, but actually how much you give them: http://sciencenordic.com/calves-aren’t-being-given-enough-milk

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greybeard said:

I've raised lots and lots of calves on momma and very few on a bottle, but any time a sudden change takes place in a young calf's feeding routine, it's reason for concern. I've never had one volunteer to wean itself at 90 days, tho some producers do force weaning at that age. Mine would still be nursing at 8-12 months if I and momma allowed it.
Age is not the only factor where weaning is concerned. Maturity and physical condition, daily weight gain and gain since birth IMO, more important aspects.
What breed is it and how much do you estimate it weighs now?
Have you looked in it's mouth to see if there is anything that might make sucking difficult or painful?
(the process of eating hay is completely different from sucking on a bottle.
Body condition?
What formula milk substitute have you been feeding, and did it just suddenly stop or begin drinking less and less over a period of time? (Brand of milk substitute if you can please)
Have you changed anything at all in how you mix the formula?
Describe it's poop appearance.
Have you taken it's temp?
(I see wildrosebeef replied just before I did)

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farmerjan said:

I have several jersey, guernsey and holstein cross cows that I use as nurse cows and have raised hundreds of bottle calves over the past 40 plus years. If the heifer is refusing the bottle you will have to supplement her hay with a calf grower feed of some type that is in the 14-16% protein range. She sounds small for that age. She could have been a twin but it sounds more like she is older than you think and may have been stunted . We have an angus heifer that was orphaned and only weighs 400 at a year, she had to forage for whatever she could until she could be caught, and just didn't grow. She will never amount to much and will never be bred but put in the freezer by 2 no matter her size. Did you buy these calves from someone you know or at the local stockyard? Do not feed her much, if any, alfalfa hay as it will cause some scours even though the protein is higher. Grain will help keep her from getting the typical "hay gut or hay belly" that is common in calves that don't get enough decent protein when they are young and growing. Milk replacer is in the 20% range so you have to compensate for the grass hay that will run in the 8-12% range normally. Do not keep this one for breeding, she will most likely have major trouble and it could easily kill her to try to calve. Even with an easy calving bull, the calf would weigh in the 50-70 lb range. She is a freezer candidate and you may wind up putting alot more into her than would be practical. Sad but a fact of life. You said that you have to watch your expenses so don't let her be a millstone. We have some red poll beef cattle and they are not much on eating grain but prefer to graze; but the calves stay on the cows until about 7 months. We wean most of the beef calves in the 7 month age range,and I wean the calves off the dairy cows when it suits and they are bred back etc. Hope this helps.

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Latestarter said:

Greetings @farmerjan and welcome to BYH! Your knowledge and experience will be welcomed on the boards! Thanks for taking the time for a detailed response to another new member! I hope you won't mind me "tagging" you in future posts where folks are looking for help with cow issues. I hope you'll stick around with the herd. Make your self at home, and glad you joined.

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farmerjan said:

Can't figure out how to post information about myself so that people aren't just looking at nothing!! I am female, not male, don't even know how that got all messed up.

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