Sometimes after birth, the calf eats and drinks poorly. First of all, the owner must understand and find out the reason for this behavior. Perhaps the animal is sick or was born with some kind of pathology.
newborn calf
Reasons for not eating
The first days of a newborn are considered the most dangerous. During this period, the calf should eat and drink well. If not, he is most likely sick. The following reasons will help to recognize such a problem:
- white muscle disease;
- white diarrhea (occurs with colabicillosis – an acute intestinal infection);
- pneumonia (occurs under poor conditions of detention);
- paratyphoid (causative agent – the same name stick);
- inflammation of the gastric mucosa (appears when drinking dirty or cold milk);
- hernia.
If such pathologies are detected, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. The reason may be a weak sucking reflex. This means that the animal does not understand where to get food. Then it is recommended to put him to his mother and let the colostrum lick off. After several such processes, he will learn to do it himself. Sometimes a cow does not have enough milk to fully provide for the animal. In such a situation, artificial supplementation should be given.
Features of nutrition of calves
Lack of food can cause poor development of the animal. In this state, it is difficult for the calf to accept food, and an inexperienced owner may take this as a refusal. In this situation, food should be given to the baby from a special nipple.
Artificial feeding
When he gets stronger and begins to take milk, the time will come to eat on his own. If the animal refuses food at all, then it must be taught to lick the milk from the finger. Later it can be transferred to feeding with a pacifier and a bottle. The last step is to get used to drinking from a bucket. If the calf eats and drinks little, then you need to transfer it to a frequent meal.
All these steps should be carried out slowly so as not to frighten the animal. You can add fresh eggs and fish oil in the amount of a large spoon to a mixture of milk from another cow. When the twentieth day of life comes, the baby can be taught to feed or porridge. Calves love oatmeal jelly as an addition to milk. To avoid health problems, you must:
- offer the baby colostrum in the first 10-15 days of life;
- withstand temperature conditions (37-38 degrees C);
- when using milk substitutes, monitor the high fat content;
- avoid overfeeding;
- keep animals in clean rooms with good ventilation;
- isolate sick calves.
Transfer to artificial feeding
Sometimes a cow does not have enough milk to feed. In such a situation, it is necessary to transfer the calves to artificial nutrition, since only such a way out will help the animals receive the necessary amount of vitamins and develop properly. However, this process sometimes provokes certain difficulties. When using natural milk, the calf may refuse to accept its substitute. If the kids begin to act up, then you need to make every effort to feed them. Poor quality food can cause such a failure, so you should not save on its cost.
Reasons for not drinking water
Fluid is very important for a calf, its lack can lead to the death of the animal. It can live up to five days without taking water. There should always be a drinker in the stalls. If the animal was just born and does not drink, then you should not immediately panic. Most likely it uses water with mother’s milk, which is quite enough.
Calf sucking milk
After 5-7 days from the moment of birth, when the calf should try roughage, you should be worried: you need to quickly get a veterinarian’s consultation, because the baby may become dehydrated, which leads to serious consequences:
- salmonnellosis;
- infectious rhinotracheitis;
- Escherichia coli.
Feeding problems in a calf can be associated not only with the disease, but also with physiological characteristics. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the animal and the manifestation of signs of disease, and if necessary, contact the veterinary clinic. It must be remembered that for more than five days the baby cannot live without fluid.
