Looking for ideas...

Squeekers Tovero Kid · 07-03-2008, 02:55 PM

A while back I posted about my blind heifer calf, Bella. Bella was bought from a cow auction on a Friday; she probably calved out that previous Monday. She went for about 5 days with no water, milk and maybe a little hay. She may not have gotten her colostrum.

Bella the Brave

I was relieved that she pulled through this and now is pig when it comes her bottle.

The bottle you see is the issue. With her being blind we did not put her in with the other cows, we have a pet bull that is about 500lbs and is very amorous.... so what she is learning as far as being a cow is from me and my parents. She is very good at responding to her name, using her ears to hone in on you and come to you. She will eat grain, very particular however; corn is her favorite and very rarely will graze. She is still on a bottle in the morning and one at night. Bella is going on 3 months and she needs to be weaned from the bottle. If she was sight enabled I think she would better equipped to deal with this change, but being blind she has been very resistant. She has never had a drink of water, other than what I have put in her via a large syringe. I have put buckets, small pans, bottles full of water around her, near her, when she lays down etc...She never drank from any of them.

I have tried to switch her gradually from her bottle to a nipple bucket, hoping to trick her into eating out of the bucket, but she gets irritated and starts slinging her head around.

I am wondering if anyone had any experience with a blind cow, horse etc, that they raised from a baby and how they successfully weaned it.

My plan when Bella is better equipped to deal with eating on her own is to put her with the other cows. She will be bell trained by then to essentially follow the leader to feed, back pasture and water, my first step however is weaning her....I do not want to be feeding a 900 lb cow in a few years with a bottle....

Any ideas are welcomed!

pvf · 07-03-2008, 03:16 PM

my only suggestion would be to try to get her to drink from a pail with or without a nibble.
For my daughters calf that was hand rasied (but wasn't blind) the only way to switch her from a bucket to a pail was by taking the nipple and putting it inside the bucket (trust me milk goes everywhere) but it got her to suck in the bucket after a time or two she would drink from the bucket.

Once she did that we started to water down her milk. after that she only got a big bucket of water and did great.

Squeekers Tovero Kid · 07-05-2008, 08:39 AM

PVF if I could fly to where you are I would give you the biggest hug!!!!!

This morning we had a breakthrough! I did as you described and put three nipples in the milk bucket. A girl has to have her choice after all...

After a bunch of flying milk, bellowing and general shared frustration she DRANK from bucket!!!!!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it is only 1 feeding but it is something I was praying would happen.

YOU ARE A GODSEND PVF!!!!!! Bless you for being on this forum!!!

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07-03-2008, 02:55 PM
Squeekers Tovero Kid Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 663	Looking for ideas... A while back I posted about my blind heifer calf, Bella. Bella was bought from a cow auction on a Friday; she probably calved out that previous Monday. She went for about 5 days with no water, milk and maybe a little hay. She may not have gotten her colostrum. Bella the Brave I was relieved that she pulled through this and now is pig when it comes her bottle. The bottle you see is the issue. With her being blind we did not put her in with the other cows, we have a pet bull that is about 500lbs and is very amorous.... so what she is learning as far as being a cow is from me and my parents. She is very good at responding to her name, using her ears to hone in on you and come to you. She will eat grain, very particular however; corn is her favorite and very rarely will graze. She is still on a bottle in the morning and one at night. Bella is going on 3 months and she needs to be weaned from the bottle. If she was sight enabled I think she would better equipped to deal with this change, but being blind she has been very resistant. She has never had a drink of water, other than what I have put in her via a large syringe. I have put buckets, small pans, bottles full of water around her, near her, when she lays down etc...She never drank from any of them. I have tried to switch her gradually from her bottle to a nipple bucket, hoping to trick her into eating out of the bucket, but she gets irritated and starts slinging her head around. I am wondering if anyone had any experience with a blind cow, horse etc, that they raised from a baby and how they successfully weaned it. My plan when Bella is better equipped to deal with eating on her own is to put her with the other cows. She will be bell trained by then to essentially follow the leader to feed, back pasture and water, my first step however is weaning her....I do not want to be feeding a 900 lb cow in a few years with a bottle.... Any ideas are welcomed! __________________ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

07-03-2008, 03:16 PM
pvf Regional Forums Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 6,469	my only suggestion would be to try to get her to drink from a pail with or without a nibble. For my daughters calf that was hand rasied (but wasn't blind) the only way to switch her from a bucket to a pail was by taking the nipple and putting it inside the bucket (trust me milk goes everywhere) but it got her to suck in the bucket after a time or two she would drink from the bucket. Once she did that we started to water down her milk. after that she only got a big bucket of water and did great. __________________ www.prairieviewfarms.net Raising Reg. Paints and Quarter horses

07-05-2008, 08:39 AM
Squeekers Tovero Kid Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 663	Update~~~~ PVF if I could fly to where you are I would give you the biggest hug!!!!! This morning we had a breakthrough! I did as you described and put three nipples in the milk bucket. A girl has to have her choice after all... After a bunch of flying milk, bellowing and general shared frustration she DRANK from bucket!!!!!! WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it is only 1 feeding but it is something I was praying would happen. YOU ARE A GODSEND PVF!!!!!! Bless you for being on this forum!!! __________________ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead