Cows drinking milk

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:18 am

I have one cow who I think was going around drinking the milk from her fellow calvers-to-be. So I isolated her, and hey presto, the other cows started to fill out. Now I have another one in another group of calvers-to-be doing the same (my wife saw her this morning).

Any advice? or is isolation the only answer?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:55 am

I expect she has been doing this ever since she was/wasn't weaned and it isn't going to stop on its own/ever.

You can buy an anti suckling device which you fit in her nose. It looks like it comes from a medieval torture chamber and works because when she goes to suckle it sticks in the cows udder and she gets kicked off. It will probably need to stay in her nose for a very long time possibly always.

Stephanie

helen salmon · Post by **helen salmon** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:36 pm

On the subject of weaning, we separated our first calf from her mum at the beginning of the week. Everything seems to have gone well. I am just wondering how long it must be before we can put them back together again? She has the alpacas for company at the moment, but I am sure it is not the same as bovine company.
Helen

AlisonKirk · Post by **AlisonKirk** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:01 pm

Clive - if you go to somewhere like Countrywide Farmers, they will have anti-suckling devices - they clip on each side of the inner nostril & have a plate with 3 or 4 sharp points. We used them on our commercial cattle some years ago & they do work.

Alison

moomin · Post by **moomin** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 6:50 pm

Anti suckling devices do work but can come out and cows can get a sore nose. I have seen a big bull ring used and this worked very well and was permanent. Also deters people wandering around your land!

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:24 pm

Yes we had heard that large bull rings worked in most cases and we had a problem with our young bull, he was suckling from our in calf heifer, so it seemed the ideal answer, after all he would be having a ring anyway. Also as she had never had a calf we were afraid that spikey things might deter her from suckling her own calf when it arrived and therefore didn't want to use an anti suckle device.

Unfortunately in our case it didn't work, after a couple of days he worked out that he could carefully tip his nose to the side and the ring would obligingly move away for him to suckle! At least he won't need be needing a bigger ring - ever.

Stephanie

LewisMoore · Post by **LewisMoore** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:33 pm

Clive- like you i had the same problem with my cattle, not liking the idea of a nose clip we fashioned an antisuckling device made out of a haulter and two straight end bolts worked a treat

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:30 pm

thanks for advice, I've bought two this afternoon. One plastic spiky version, which as Stephanie says, I am concerned will put the cows off suckling their calves, and one that is just a flat oval-shaped plate. I'll try the flat plate one first. I do like Di's idea of ringing cows to keep wanderers off your land, you live and learn :D.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1209157117

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:39 am

I'm fitting the anti-suckling device today (the non-spiky plate), but what do you do when she calves? She will want to clean and lick the calf (She's in a group).

Edited By Broomcroft on 1209206380

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:29 pm

First things first - wait and see if it works!

Don't be surprised if it works well for a few days and then she gets the hang of how to work around it, ours did with the over sized ring, so I would keep a close eye for a week or so.

I suppose you will have to seperate her and take it off for a while when she calves but I expect someone knows the answer, we only used one on a dairy cow, she was in a calving pen with her calf so we took it out and replaced it when she went back with the herd. Maybe she can wash her calf with it in, it is a different action to suckling.

AlisonKirk · Post by **AlisonKirk** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:32 pm

Clive - Our cows never had sore noses & the plates were a permanent fixture even after calving. If the cow caught the plate on something & pulled back that would have made the nose sore and then we would have dealt with the problem by removing the plate, but it would have been put back if she continued to suckle others.

The problem with cows suckling others in the herd is that they're taking milk which should be for the calves or even worse suckling until the other cow gives birth leaving that calf without his start in life - that very first colostrum.

There were only two or three cows with the bad habit and thankfully none of our Dexters have this trait.

Give them a try and see how the cows / calves get on.

Good luck

Alison
Boram Dexters

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:09 pm

The one I've fitted is spring-loaded so if it gets caught it'll pull off. The cow doesn't seem bothered by it at all.

ann lea · Post by **ann lea** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:40 pm

Helen Salmon- In answer to you question "How long to keep the calf away from mum at weaning" we keep them apart for at least a month. Less than that and some calves have started to suck their dams again. Ann

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:15 am

My advice is check your calcium levels.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:47 am

Calcium levels in what Penny?