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welshboy454

Dexter calved no milk ?

We bought a dexter in calf cow just over 6 weeks ago.

When she arrived her udder looked full and I think she had just been taken away from her previous calf which had still been suckling.

She has calved now nearly a week ago but her udder is empty continuously and as the calf seemed hungry we have been feeding it some milk substitute. The instructions on the bag say 1.5 litres twice a day is adequate for a 40kg calf. Reduce it pro rata to the weight of the calf.

Well this little dexter calf will drink 1.5 litres and then try and suckle mum as well ! A healthy little blighter.

I would have expected her to have come into milk by now but her udder is always empty.

I am wondering if she has a calcium deficiency -


The cow is in good condition and receiving a concentrate supplement but still no effect.

Any suggestions ?
Rob R

Have you tried taking the calf away overnight and milking er out the next morning?

A healthy calf would not stay healthy very long if it didn't receive its share of colostrum so it sounds like you just have a healthy calf with a good appetite.
Ixy

Sounds to me like you have a normal cow and calf - the calf would be very sick by now if it had not got some colostrum. The udder is empty because the calf is emptying it! Like Rob says, make sure by separating them for a few hours and seeing if the milk builds up. If you leave them overnight though, you'd need to milk out the cow a bit before letting the calf drink though, otherwise you'd overload it and very young calves can't take drastic dietary changes like that. A week in, her udder won't be that big as the calf won't be drinking much (especially if you are feeding it aswell!!). The dexter I'm milking now built up to 1.5-2ltrs per quarter after about three weeks or so - you might see a bigger udder then.
welshboy454

RobR
No I have not tried that. I think the calf is getting some milk but not enough.
I don't know anything about dexters really but I used to milk friesians and they always had much more milk than the calf could cope with.

I have read reports of dexters giving up to 12 litres a day but I very much doubt she is giving 2 litres otherwise the calf would be scouring as it is already getting a normal 40kg ration as well as whatever mum is giving.
A real puzzle.
The cow does not show any advanced signs of milkfever though and her appetite seems ok- she gobbles down the concentrates.
Ixy

Friesians are a totally different proposition - a specialised dairy animal. Dexters do give up to 14ltrs and trust me, the calf won't be scouring on that - I take 1.5ltrs from one quarter once a day and leave the rest for the calf - it must be getting 10ltrs altogether and is a fraction of the size of the ayrshire I'm rearing who gets 6! No scouring or ill-health at all. One of our dexters reared a holsteinXlimi beautifully from grass this summer but her udder is still nowhere near friesian sized.
welshboy454

Thanks Ixy that has put my mind at rest.
How old is your dexter calf drinking 10 litres ?
dpack

im a bit more comfortable as well
Ixy

It's about a month old by now, but she was up to full production by 3weeks.
dpack

i see the potenial handling benefits but becoming a calf is hardcore
having spare capacity in the herd is normal
train them all to be tame might be good
Rob R

welshboy454 wrote:
RobR
No I have not tried that. I think the calf is getting some milk but not enough.
I don't know anything about dexters really but I used to milk friesians and they always had much more milk than the calf could cope with.

I have read reports of dexters giving up to 12 litres a day but I very much doubt she is giving 2 litres otherwise the calf would be scouring as it is already getting a normal 40kg ration as well as whatever mum is giving.
A real puzzle.
The cow does not show any advanced signs of milkfever though and her appetite seems ok- she gobbles down the concentrates.


I've never had a problem with milk fever in my dexters and neither have I fed them concentrates for a long time. They are pretty low maintenance with good results.

In case you weren't aware, Ixy is my better half.
welshboy454

Rob/Ixy Thanks very much for the replies.
welshboy454

Pleased to say that the calf only drank 1.25 litres tonight and refused the remainder. The cows udder looks fuller too so just slow coming into milk I think.
Ixy

she'll have produced the smaller amount a newborn needs - now it'll go up a bit - totally normal. But if the calf's refusing milk and the udder looks full - I wouldn't feed any extra milk from now on. Ditto concentrates for the cow - she'll quickly get too fat to get in calf again.
welshboy454

Looks ok now reduced feed this morning- a gradual stop.
Thanks to you both Rob/Ixy
Ixy

they both look fine - calf could be a twin to ours! Laughing
Rob R

The grass looks a good shade of green too Smile
dpack

wonder how closely related they are
it does look like jemima
welshboy454

Calf refused any feed at all tonight. As it was a wet cold night I carried it down to the yard to house them overnight.
What a difference a few days makes -it must have doubled in weight or I am getting weaker rapidly. Obviously getting enough milk now by the change in the calf's weight .
Ixy

honestly, it's always been getting enough, and extra from you! They start of with a little, for a young calf, and it increases - that's natural.
Di Howes

Lovely calf! We had two born this summer and I love seeing them. I do not feed any concentrates to our Dexters (well only to rattle in the bucket to get them to follow me). They have a bit of hay in the winter when it is really frosty or wet and miserable but otherwise seem to do well on grass.

I have just done a calving course (organised by our vets). Some of the other people there were from a dairy herd (milking 120 cows a day) and it was interesting to have explained by the vet the vast difference between a Dexter and a commercial miking cow.

They need feeding and Dexters don't!!

Good luck with the calf.

Di
Rob R

Welcome to Downsizer Di- where in the country are you?
Di Howes

Calf

Hi Rob

I'm near Yeovil in sunny (?!!) Somerset.

Di
Rob R

Excellent Smile I am of course very fair, but I favour the grass feeders more, which is only fair Laughing
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