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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:59 am
by Saffy
Our in calf heifer came in last night with a flat, empty udder.
Whilst there were several possible reasons the answer turned out to be our 8 month old bull, as I watched him make an attempt again this morning and although she kicked out he wasn't bothered.
She should calve in about a month.
We don't want to use an anti suckle guard on the little bull because she is expecting her first calf and we think it might just make her kick her own calf off when it is born, as she may associate anything coming to suckle her with sharp spiky things!
However we wondered if we got the little bulls nose ring put in, would it be enough to put him off, or make it more difficult for him to suckle her? Does anyone have any experience of this in their herd perhaps?
Stephanie
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:06 am
by Duncan MacIntyre
Putting a ring in his nose may well work, but not garaunteed. One of my farming clients used to have a few dairy cows going about with bull rings in just because of that problem, and it seemed to work for most of them.
Duncan.
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:11 am
by Saffy
Thanks Duncan ,
I already have the ring - a small one, I will ring my vet and see if he can come today or tomorrow.
Stephanie 
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:56 am
by Saffy
Our little bull now has an appointment for 10am tomorrow morning.
I can't help but smile at the thought of walkers on The Isle Of Bute looking at all those cows with nose rings and wondering if they are all bulls - hilarious!
Stephanie :D
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:16 pm
by Saffy
Having given it a teeny bit of thought we decided a bigger ring might work better, just as well because that was what the vet said when he arrived yesterday to do it!
Doesn't seem to bother the little blighter much though, just as long as he doesn't suckle the heifer!!!
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:50 pm
by Sylvia
There is something about a bull with a ring in his nose which makes him immediately more menacing, much like the humans who choose this form of adornment I suppose. ???
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:52 am
by Minnie
Hi Stephanie,
Back in November I had exactly the same problem with my heifer.
All advice was to separate the heifer from the bull calf, which I did... wasn't easy in our circumstances at the time but certainly did the trick.
For a few days I milked off a small amount of her milk to try and ensure she didn't end up with problems (advice from vet and dairy farmer).
She then bagged up normally and had a lovely bull calf, although her bag wasn't quite as good as it would have been... but did sort out.
I also keep her with her calf separated from the bigger bull calf for a few weeks so her little chap wasn't pushed away.
All has worked out well, but it's something I'll be watching for in the future that's for sure.
Regards
Vicki
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:28 am
by Saffy
Thanks Vicki,
Yes the best and most obvious answer would be to seperate them but if this little chap is to become my stock bull he will be more than ****** useless if he intends to suckle all his cows and nick the calves milk! So I would like to find out now if the ring is going to stop the little brat. If it isn't ....... 
I am glad yours worked out so well after, well done.
Stephanie
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:19 am
by Minnie
Hi Stephanie,
Good luck with the little fellow I hope all goes well, I guess he's still young at 8 months and some habits are hard to break... fingers crossed the ring will work.
Regards
Vicki
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:19 am
by Saffy
I thought you might all be interested to know that so far at least ringing our little bull seems to have stopped his unwanted suckling of our in calf heifer. He couldn't have been getting a great deal as it has taken her udder a week to re fill and it is only a very small udder at the moment.
He has had no problem with eating hay, nuts or grazing since he was ringed.
Stephanie
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:50 pm
by Saffy
Our heifers udder has now got to a reasonable size and her front teats quite visible from the sides. This has proved a problem as that highly annoying, obviously intelligent little bull was at it again this morning! 
We noticed him, spot her teat and carefully tip his head to move the ring away, to allow himself to suckle.
Before he could get too comfortable we have now separated him and the steer from the heifer and cow. However we desperately want to be able to use him as a stock bull in the future as he is from a cow that was particularly magnificent and is now dead.
So, does anyone know - what are the chances he will stop this if he is removed from udders until say September, he is 8 months old?
Apart from putting an anti suckling device in his nose, which he will probably also out manoeuvre, does anyone have any other bright ideas? We will put a device in if it can be used now he has a ring, or instead of a ring when he goes in with the cows next, probably not until we want them in calf, which will be about Septemeber time. We didn't use one now because the heifer has never had a calf and didn't want her to think all suckling was going to spike her, she may have then refused her own calf.
Stephanie
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:57 am
by wagra dexters
Stephanie, the only way to work out what is going on in their heads is to put their minds into our heads.
If I was a baby bull whose mother was taken from me, I would settle for a foster Mum. Any accepting cow would do.
On the other hand, if I had been weaned by being seperated from the adults within my own species, after the first week of diminishing grief I would settle for a human Mum. A dipper of weaner pellets, a leaf of lucerne hay & a good scratch, morning and evening, that would keep me happy.
When I am a yearling bull, if I am turned out with a cow about to go into her second post-calving cycle, tucker would be the last thing on my mind.
Margaret.
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:59 am
by Saffy
:D :D :D
Stephanie !
