Why tube feeding should be your last option

Most livestock farmers know that when an animal is born it is important for the newborn to get colostrum in the first few hours of birth. If the newborn is too weak to suckle then often the only option appears to be to tube feed colostrum but there are very good reasons why this should be your last option - not a ‘go-to’.

Colostrum

Colostrum is the rich, nutrient-dense milk produced by mammals for the first 24 hours after giving birth. Unlike humans, most farm animals are ruminants, and are born without any immunity to infection or disease. Colostrum has the antibodies these newborns need but they can only absorb those antibodies for the first 24 hours of life. In fact, the sooner after birth the colostrum is received, the more they can absorb.

Suckle reflex

The suckle reflex is the instinct of newborn mammals to try to suck to get milk. If you put a finger into the mouth of a newborn kid or lamb (or two fingers into the mouth of a calf) they should suck on your fingers. If they don’t, they have no suckle reflex. A non-existant or weak suckle reflex means the newborn will not be able to get milk without help.

Tube feeding

If a newborn is too weak to suckle, either on its mother or a bottle, then it cannot get the colostrum it needs. The practical answer is often seen to put a tube down the throat of the animal into the stomach and pour colostrum directly into the rumen of the newborn.

Why this should be the last option

It’s important to understand a little about the digestive system of ruminants. The stomach of a ruminant has four compartments. In adult animals the rumen, the largest of the stomach compartments, is a living ecosystem which helps the animal to break down fibrous feed like grass. In newborns, the rumen is small and doesn’t work well.

The fourth compartment of the stomach is called the abomasum and is much like the human stomach. It does most of the absorbing of nutrients.

The esophageal groove

When young ruminants suckle, the act of suckling causes the colostrum, or when they’re older milk, to bypass the rumen and head straight into the abomasum via a nifty little valve called the esophageal groove.

This is important as milk has no place in the rumen. The rumen isn’t designed to deal with milk and milk in the rumen can cause 'ruminal bloat’ which is a painful condition and is a common cause of death in young ruminants.

The rumen does have a limited ability to absorb colostrum for about 24 hours after birth but it’s still not ideal unless you have no other option.

What to do instead?

You have at least four hours before you need to seriously consider tube feeding so spend some time trying to get a suckle reflex from the newborn.

Get the suckle reflex working

There are various reasons why a newborn may not have a suckle reflex but the most common is that they are just too weak. A difficult birth is exhausting for mother and baby! So address that first.

Warm them up - wrap the newborn in towels and use heat pads, hot water bottles or anything else you can think of to get them warmed up. Warming them against your skin is a good start for lambs or kids.

A couple of points to remember.

• The mother will recognise her newborn by smell so don’t immerse the newborn in water or you’ll break the bond between them.

• Keep a towel or similar between a source of heat and the newborn, you don’t want to burn them.

Give them energy - rub glucose powder into their gums, or a sugar solution or, at a pinch, honey.

Give them 30-40 minutes and check for a suckle reflex every five minutes. Once you have one, get colostrum into the newborn by suckling from its mother or a bottle.

If you have to tube, start with electrolytes

Still no suckle reflex and time is marching on? It’s time to tube feed electrolytes.

Why electrolytes? Electrolytes can be absorbed readily from the rumen and should give the newborn a fast energy boost. Also, for a ‘flat’ newborn, that is one who is breathing but showing very little other sign of life, there is a real risk when tube feeding that the liquid will flow into the lungs. Electrolytes in the lungs are not ideal but they can be absorbed. Colostrum or milk in the lungs is very bad indeed.

Learn how to tube feed safely here.

A weak suckle reflex

If a newborn has a weak suckle reflex, if it’s trying to suckle but hasn’t enough power to get a colostrum from mum or a bottle then tube feed electrolytes first. Give the newborn time to absorb the energy then try to suckle again. If the response is still weak then tube feed colostrum.

What about feeding milk in buckets?

Some farmers train older calves, lambs or kids to drink milk from buckets, rather than using bottles. These buckets are easier to clean and a lot less fuss than bottles or calfeterias. However, suckling milk gets the milk to the place it needs to be - the abomasum. Drinking from a bucket gets the milk into the rumen and the youngsters aren’t getting the nourishment they need and are at risk of ruminal bloat.

Finally

Providing colostrum to a newborn in the first 12-24 hours of life is absolutely vital. If the youngster can’t suckle then tube feeding may be necessary to save a life. However, to get the colostrum where it needs to be to do the most good it’s necessary to have the animal suckle. Spend some time trying to get the suckle reflex working and tube feed electrolytes in the first instance to encourage this.