Instructions
Identify a cow whose calf has died. This cow will be receptive to a foster calf if you convince her it is her own calf who died.
Take some of the diseased calf's hide and tie it to the new calf. The smell of the original calf tricks the mother cow into believing the calf is her own. This trick only works if the mother cow's calf has recently died.
Tie up the cow so that the calf can nurse. Forcing the cow to accept the calf is another trick. According to Brue Highlanders, some farmers who force cows to nurse calves find that several weeks of this can eventually cause the cow to take the calf and willingly nurse it.
Trick the cow into believing she has had twins. This only works for mothers who have recently given birth, and this trick should only be used for a short-term adoption. This is because a cow that has only given birth to one calf may run out of milk if she is feeding two calves instead of one.
Remove the cow from the birthing area after she gives birth. Bring in the foster calf and put it with the newborn calf. It is important to put the foster calf in with the newborn calf as soon as possible. The birth fluids are a very strong stimulus in bringing out maternal behavior. Also, newborn calves can mix with other babies soon after birth. The mother has little time to discriminate between her calf and other calves and recognize it. If she has two calves with the same birth fluids on them, she will most likely be tricked into thinking they are both her offspring.
How to Get a Cow to Take Another Calf
It has been predicted by evolutionary theory that parents will only take care of their own young. However, there have been incidents recorded were farmers were able to trick a mother cow into taking an orphaned calf as her own. Calves need the guidance and care of a mother. Without it they run the risk of health problems, as well as death.