The birth of a calf is the most important event in farming. Responsibility for the health of the cow's offspring falls precisely on the person, not on the calving animal. The baby needs special care so that he becomes strong in the future. If the calf does not eat or drink milk, what should you do in this situation? The reasons may be related to physiological characteristics and pathologies.
Why doesn't the calf eat or drink?
Let's consider the main reasons for lack of appetite in a newborn animal.
The sucking reflex is not developed
The baby may refuse to eat and drink due to a poorly developed sucking reflex. He is in no mood because he does not understand how to get food. To help the calf cope with the problem, it should be directed to the cow's udder. After 2-3 feedings, he will remember the process and will stop being lethargic and eating poorly.
Newborn calf must understand the taste of mother's milk. To do this, you need to wet your finger with colostrum and let your baby lick it.
Unattractive food
Another pressing problem facing calves is milk at the wrong temperature. The liquid should be between 37-39 degrees. Also, a newborn may not like the taste of milk. In this case, he seems to have no appetite. Experts advise adding the following components to a feeding bottle:
- fish oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
- egg - 1 piece;
- salt – 1 tsp.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly with milk and feed the young animals from the nipple. You should get used to eating gradually, and constantly monitor it so that your appetite does not disappear. If this happens, you need to use two methods of attracting feeding at once: with your finger and with your pacifier.
Got sick
If the calf refuses to drink milk, this may indicate illness. Healthy animals always have a good appetite. Possible diseases in which the baby stops eating adequately:
- white muscle disease;
- white diarrhea;
- inflammation of the lungs, gastric mucosa;
- paratyphoid;
- hernia.
If any ailments are suspected, the small bull should be shown to a veterinarian and promptly provided with the necessary treatment.
Features of calf nutrition
An animal is born with a weakened immune system, its formation is just beginning.Only the abomasal section of the stomach functions fully in the gastrointestinal tract. The cow provides all the missing microelements and strengthens the immune system when it begins to feed with colostrum. It also increases your appetite in the future.
It is important for the baby's health that he eats within 2-4 hours after birth. During the first feeding, the animal should receive about 1.5 liters of colostrum. If such an amount is too much for him, he needs to gradually drink it in small sips.
For the first couple of days, the calf should be given 6 liters of colostrum, divided into 4-5 feedings. A healthy animal should have a dry tail and a wet nose. When the newborn gets stronger, he can be switched to feeding on milk, then taught to drink water from a bucket.
How to transfer an animal to artificial feeding
After calving, a cow does not always produce enough milk to fully feed her offspring. In such situations, it is necessary to transfer the baby to artificial nutrition. Only this will help the small animal form and develop correctly. Difficulties may arise during the translation process. After eating a natural product, the baby is not always ready to eat artificial substitutes.
Prevention
Preventive measures to prevent loss of appetite in calves include eliminating the possibility of gastrointestinal diseases. To do this, you should adhere to the following rules:
- feed the baby with colostrum for the first two weeks;
- liquid temperature – 37-39 degrees;
- buy products high in fat as artificial feeding;
- do not overfeed animals;
- periodically clean out calf pens;
- place sick animals in isolation.
Before feeding newborns, it is necessary to wash the bottles in boiled water with the addition of baking soda. The food in the feeders needs to be changed every day, and yesterday’s food should not be left out. To strengthen the immune system, the calf should be fed cow's milk or artificial milk substitute for a minimum of 12 weeks.
It is important to monitor the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. If your baby begins to have diarrhea, remove newly added complementary foods.
When this does not solve the problem, you need to contact a veterinarian. You cannot delay the visit, otherwise the health of the young animals will worsen. Pathological processes in the body of newborns develop rapidly. After 3 weeks from birth, complementary foods are gradually introduced to the baby. The following microelements should be present in the diet:
- salt;
- bone flour;
- chalk;
- feed phosphates.
An insufficient amount of nutrients leads to slow growth and development of the animal and the appearance of diseases. Rational and proper nutrition of a newborn calf is the basis for its good health in the future. The animal needs special care, hygiene, and quality feeding. When the calf does not eat or drink, you need to immediately contact a veterinarian to determine the type of ailment and solve the problem.
