2 month old orphan

[jt]

i have a 2 month old calf that lost its mother and the calf just seems to be going down hill. it has been about 4 days now and the calf seems to have lost its will to live.. i have not had much experience with orphaned calves this young.. so what am i up against here?

she will not eat much and i am at a loss as to what to do for her.

any info appreciated

thanks

jt

 

[dun]

i have a 2 month old calf that lost its mother and the calf just seems to be going down hill. it has been about 4 days now and the calf seems to have lost its will to live.. i have not had much experience with orphaned calves this young.. so what am i up against here?

she will not eat much and i am at a loss as to what to do for her.

any info appreciated

thanks

jt

First thing is take her temperature. When a cow or calf starts acting puny, that is alwasy the first place to start. Did the calf get cholostrum within 12 hours of birth, how mych? Is it weaned? Has it been getting a good calf starter grain?

dun

 

[heiferhoney]

How recently did the cow die? And what did she die from?

Possibly the calf has the same thing?

It's hard to switch a calf off a cow to a bottle so try letting it suck your fingers while you hold your hand in a bucket. Try tube feeding it at least electrolytes if you can't get some cow milk or milk replacer in it.

 

[jt]

How recently did the cow die? And what did she die from?

Possibly the calf has the same thing?

It's hard to switch a calf off a cow to a bottle so try letting it suck your fingers while you hold your hand in a bucket. Try tube feeding it at least electrolytes if you can't get some cow milk or milk replacer in it.

sorry, i should have given more info, but was in a hurry to get off to church.. the cow did not die. she was perfectly healthy.. this was a pair i recently bought, so i do not know about colostrum etc, but i do not think that is the problem..

the cow turned out to be too roudy for my operation.. she was a big framed charlois cow and when penned up in the coral, she went bonkers. bent my coral in at least 3 places trying to get away or get me and broke a sucker rod smooth into in another place.. her disposition was much too rough for me. so i loaded her up and hauled her away.. her calf was not able to be loaded at the time, and i was not about to keep the cow any longer.. so.. i have a 200-250# calf to keep alive. didnt figure that to be a problem. however, she seems to be slipping away.

have you had any success in getting a calf that large to suck a bottle. she is not eating very well, so i am just trying at this point to keep her strength up. i would have to put her in the head gate to even attempt giving a bottle to her.

i do not have any store bought electrolytes, is there something i can substitute?

thanks

jt

 

[Kelly]

Can you put her in a pen with another calf or yearling that she has been hanging with ? That way she isn't alone and might just start doing what they are doing - eating , drinking... There is an electrolyte you can make but she probably would not drink it on her own. I think it is water, baking soda & salt. You also could try some Probios - since it is a stress on her it might help.

 

[jgn]

I had a heifer last year that her mom died when she was 2 months old. I put her in a fenced lot with another calf that was being fed out for the freezer. She took to the feed right off and other than hay and grass this is all she got. She was turned back out into the pasture with the rest of the herd and has done very well. I'd get her into a pen with another calf as it will want to be with others and try to get her started on grain as soon as possible. It may be a little hesitant at first to eat it but after a few bites should take it right up. If it keeps acting as if somethings wrong I'd get it to the vet to be checked out. Wouldn't wait long as it may not seem too bad one day and be dead the next.

 

[PLR]

Two years ago I had a cow get Grass teteny and die. She had a one month old bull calf at the time. We tried to get him to take a bottle but he refused so We tubed him with milk replacer once. After that we tried something the local ranchers never would have thought would work: I mixed the milk replacer powder with Molasses water until it was the consistancy of thin pudding and poured it on the Calf starter grain and mixed it. He absolutely loved the stuff!! He may not have gotten as much from the milk replacer because it was digested in his rumen but he is now just over two years old and about 1700 pounds. He also sires calves that are built like bricks and even the heifers fill out like show steers on grass!!


I hope this gives you some ideas.

Good luck.

Shelby

 

[jt]

thanks for the reponses..

this calf had gotten weak and so i put her in the head gate sunday and tubed her twice. then again last night. i gave her 2 qts of milk replacer with a little honey mixed in. also gave her a little baking soda and salt a couple of times.. she is doing much better and now will run from me again. before i had to make her move along. she is eating again too.

thanks again

jt

 

[hillbilly]

If that calf weighs 200 to 250 with no mama she will be a pain from now on.
Give her a nice big shot of vitamin B and take her to the sale barn.
She will bring more than she is worth, and you will be less one headache.

Hillbilly