4H veal market calf project not gaining weight.

[mystery74]

Little veil calf born april 14 came home sick. He is no longer very ill but just low energy and small apitite. He was so sick that he had blood in his poop. Vet said stop the grain just milk and alfalfa. That did not help so I treated him with Albon which got him back on his feet again. We are feeding him grain again but he is only eating about less than a coffee can and he has been drinking milk replacer on a somewhat regular basis of 3 bottles in the AM and 3 in the pm. Some days he refuses bottles and today since he is on grain again I noticed a small about of blood in his poop. Still not gaining much weight and we are behind big time on just making weight for our fair.

I considered giving him B12 or b complex injections but am wondering if their are any other non injectables that would get his appitite up or any supliments, secrets, old farmboy remidies to get some weight on the little guy. We have raised 2 others in the past even a bloater without this type of trouble putting on weight. But this little guy just won't eat on some days so we are very behind.

he weighs 148 an needed to be 200-300 by July 14. If he can at least be 200 he makes weight and hopfully will be feeling okay so my daughter can at least try for showmanship with him.

I am also a 4Hmom depending on his previous sickness he might not be a good finish steer but try appettite express paste from sullivan, i have not personally tried it but have known people that swear by it. What i do know from experience is appettite booster it is an injectable i can get it at the vet office over the counter. that really helps boost them up.
Its pointless changing his grain if he is not eating that much anyways,

 

[mystery74]

tha appettie booster has vitamin b complex, antihistamine, and one other ingredient, (i do not have it right in front of me) you will not be disappointed in this treatment

 

[Daisy452]

My daughter is small for her age and wants a steer so we comprimise with a market calf each year instead.

Hello, I raised a steer my first year in 4-h last year. The first animal i raised was an Angus/Maine-Anjou/Shorthorn steer. He was stubborn tossed my around like a rag doll, but after 3 months he followed me around off the lead. Incredible animal. By the end of may before he was butchered he weighed 1300. Im a girl 5' 6 and 16 years old.
Im so sorry about ur calf. The way my best friend raises her veal calfes. The calf is on 4 bottles of milk by fair. He is grain and on bermuda hay. The thing with alfalfa it makes them bloat. so does bermuda. Oat hay doesnt. Alflafa is to hot for the little guy. How much of that are you feeding him? Switch him to Bermuda hay. alot better for him. Or a grass hay would do just as well. Feed him the Calf Grower from showmaster. It is medicated but with no withdrawal, i feed my steer on it and he was butchered their was no medication in his meat. Dont not mix this grain with anything else. The only problem with this feeding you really have to watch their weight they will gain alot fast. My friend won Supreme overall Market Calf using this feeding method.
Milk goes right through the calf, causing diaherria. A lot of my friends wean their calves by fair, less stressful, they would rather munch on their hay then anything.
On his walking their is quite a few methods u can use on him. Put his halter on and tie a rope from the opposite side of his halter take the rope around his butt and start walking. tug on his lead rope and the other rope at the same time his should walk.
Another method is tie him to the back of a truck, car, Atv bike or what ever is avaible to you a tractor would work to. tie him to the bumper make sure someone walks beside him. Start driving slowly a walking pace, he will fight it, drag his feet in the ground. even try to lie down. after awhile try walking him yourself. Warning on this i did it with my steer my dad went fast slowed down and my steer stepped over his rope and caught his leg. there are dangers to this one and practice it wisely. make sure there are three people(or more) with you. one driving. one walking with the calf. and one to tell the driver to slow down or stop ect. Be careful and good luck.

What part of CA are you in? What 4h group are you in? Im in the apple valley rattlers.
Good luck keep me posted.

 

[4Hmom]

cowboyup - I was just re reading your post and us city folk don't know what you mean by 30.06. You said:

I would then per the words of caustic burno innoculate this fella with a 30.06

Just asked my DH and he told me LOLOLOLOLOL

Calf is eating steady but still not gaining but about a pound a day. Eating less than a coffee can of grain and hay. He is dancing around like he would like another bottle after three so I am considering bumping him up 1/2 bottle tomorrow in hopes he will just gain one way or another.

I had a chance to see the other calf from the same lot and put him on the scale he too is a pathetic 165 lbs. Ours may possibly be close to that by now and we will weigh tomorrow. They both had yellow poo at one point before we gave them the medicine which confirms that they both were infected at the farm we bought them from. The other calf looks worse than ours dispite the mom telling us he was eating lots of grain and gaining. He aparently was infected with lice and has bald spots all over him. Reminded me of a dead turkey butt. LOL. Then she wanted to put the two in the same place to see if they would compete for food. I said umm, NO.

We have around 30 days now so if we can just increase the intake a little they will possibly get into market even though they will come home with us to be fed out.

Our calf wont walk when on a halter so this will be our next challange. We have never had this problem before either as our calfs have always enjoyed walking around the neiborhood in the cooler part of the day. I will look under showing but if you have any advice both our members would appreciate it. This has been an unusual disapointing year for the girls. My daughter is consdering leaving the calf at home because it may apear that she has not put in the effort that she has in because it won't even walk yet.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[dun]

Try draping a loop of light chain behind him hanging down to just above his hocks. It takes 2 people, one to work with the halter and one to tug on the chain, as soon as he takes a step release the pressure on the chain. I've never done it with anything other then a couple of day olld to maybe aweek old calves so not too sure how it will work with anything older.

 

[4Hmom]

Thanks Dun, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Daisy452]

Hello, I raised a steer my first year in 4-h last year. The first animal i raised was an Angus/Maine-Anjou/Shorthorn steer. He was stubborn tossed my around like a rag doll, but after 3 months he followed me around off the lead. Incredible animal. By the end of may before he was butchered he weighed 1300. Im a girl 5' 6 and 16 years old.
Im so sorry about ur calf. The way my best friend raises her veal calfes. The calf is on 4 bottles of milk by fair. He is grain and on bermuda hay. The thing with alfalfa it makes them bloat. so does bermuda. Oat hay doesnt. Alflafa is to hot for the little guy. How much of that are you feeding him? Switch him to Bermuda hay. alot better for him. Or a grass hay would do just as well. Feed him the Calf Grower from showmaster. It is medicated but with no withdrawal, i feed my steer on it and he was butchered their was no medication in his meat. Dont not mix this grain with anything else. The only problem with this feeding you really have to watch their weight they will gain alot fast. My friend won Supreme overall Market Calf using this feeding method.
Milk goes right through the calf, causing diaherria. A lot of my friends wean their calves by fair, less stressful, they would rather munch on their hay then anything.
On his walking their is quite a few methods u can use on him. Put his halter on and tie a rope from the opposite side of his halter take the rope around his butt and start walking. tug on his lead rope and the other rope at the same time his should walk.
Another method is tie him to the back of a truck, car, Atv bike or what ever is avaible to you a tractor would work to. tie him to the bumper make sure someone walks beside him. Start driving slowly a walking pace, he will fight it, drag his feet in the ground. even try to lie down. after awhile try walking him yourself. Warning on this i did it with my steer my dad went fast slowed down and my steer stepped over his rope and caught his leg. there are dangers to this one and practice it wisely. make sure there are three people(or more) with you. one driving. one walking with the calf. and one to tell the driver to slow down or stop ect. Be careful and good luck.

What part of CA are you in? What 4h group are you in? Im in the apple valley rattlers.
Good luck keep me posted.