Taken Away from Mom Too Soon??

[ncgnance]

Help!! I can't find anyone who can answer my question. I am pasturing two 6 or 7-month old steers, Cupid and T-Bone. Each morning and afternoon I give them a little sweet feed, just so they will come to me when I want them to. Here is my problem. After they eat, one, or sometimes, both, of them will start trying to nurse. I think you can figure out just WHAT they are nursing on.. They will actually butt like a calf does when it is nursing its mother. What are these calves thinking? And what can I do to stop them? Do they need salt or something?

 

[Katy]

My husband and I have cow herd, so I usually end up with an orphan/rejected bottle baby at leat once a year. Were these bottle feed before you got them? I've got a grown cow who's several years old who was a bottle baby and would still gladly suck on a bottle if it was offered to her.

 

[ctjim]

they will def do that if they're bottle fed. i have a couple of belted galloways that still try to suckle from their mothers and they're almost 2 yrs old, they were not bottle fed. in the past we've had some calves around that age as well just starting them out on grain/sweet feed they will still try to suckle from you mostly they try for the hands. i think thats normal behavior for a calf of that age, but since we have a herd they stay w/ mom for a longer period of time.