Ruminal drinking means part of the milk will end up in the rumen of the calf right after milk intake or during feeding. In general, milk should arrive directly in the abomasum through the reflex of the oesophageal groove. It is also possible that part of the milk will flow back in the rumen, when the calf drinks too much. This disturbed digestion often results in calves excreting large amounts of claylike feces.
The cause of ruminal drinking
Often a single calf from the herd experiences ruminal drinking problems.
This is caused by dirty buckets or feed channels, as well as deviant feeding times,
a non-adjusted ration during illness or a deviant drinking temperature.
Other causes:
- wrong preparation of the milk
- badly dissolved milk
- bad drinking position; head of animal faced deeply downwards
- broken teat
- sick animals – especially with pneumonia – drink badly, which means the oesophageal groove will not function properly
- stress, for example after an injection or transport / relocation
How to recognize a ruminal drinking calf?
- Calves will become full on their left side (because of formation of gas in the rumen)
- Calves will not have proper feed intake and will drink less
- Sometimes calves show colic-like symptoms
- Calves look a bit dull and dozy
Treatment ruminal drinking
Do you have a ruminal drinking calf? It is best to flush its rumen with water to get all the rubbish out. This is done by using a tube to run water into the rumen and to empty it again with the same tube. However, this is hardly possible when there is a lot of structure in the rumen. When this does not succeed, supply the calf with water only for 2 days, so it will be flushed in a natural way. Do not supply electrolytes, because sugars will be transformed into gases. Provide the calf with space to move and to walk.
Then start feeding milk by using a bucket with teat:
- Use a new teat
- Place the bucket at a height of 80-100 cm
- Feed the milk at the right temperature
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