Barnyard Basics: Bonding tips for the heifer that doesn’t want her calf

Sometimes, a first-calf heifer is confused or indifferent toward her newborn calf after she calves. She might just continue to lie there and doesn’t get up to lick the calf, and when she does get up, she seems surprised to see this strange wiggling creature behind her. She may walk away, ignoring it, or kick the calf when he gets up and staggers toward her. Some heifers actually attack the calf if he tries to get up.