Bottle calf stopped eating

[liberty jersey]

So the other day we got a call from the neighbor that one of his cows got flipped into the feeder during feeding and died which was completely their fault for not paying attention and she had a supposedly week old bull calf so we go and get him and of course he is crazy so after I catch him we bring him home and put him a little barn with my bottle lambs. The reason I did that is because with the weather I didn’t want him getting sick and so he can’t take off and break his jaw a on a solid fence because the one I have in there is chain link. when I let him go he immediately started running around and running into the fence ( some more context the barn is split in half because I used to have milk goats) so me and my mom wrangled him and fed him a bottle and he ate the whole thing because he hadn’t eaten in over a day. I ended up putting him where my lambs go because he was charging at me and I put the lambs in the other side because there is a big door and I didn’t want him somehow getting out. So the next whole day he charged at me every time he saw me and the next day he started to not charge as much and today he didn’t do anything. Also he got two bottles a day those two days I would have given him more but I was low on milk. So I fed him breakfast this morning and he left a little bit which is understandable due to me switching bottles I am now using one that has a smaller cut teat and I a bit bigger but tonight his belly still looked kinda full from this morning and he didn’t eat. So I am wondering could he just still be full or is stress finally catching up to him also he has been using the bathroom this whole time and tomorrow I am going to give him some penicillin and some miltimin and maybe bamimine. Sorry if I misspelled those. I also normally give any bottle babies colostrum but he said a week old and he seems a week old.

 

[Double R Ranch]

How much milk are you feeding him? How often? What kind of milk are you feeding him? Soy based or milk based? Beef calf I'm assuming?
It sounds like you are over feeding him for starters. I'll wait to offer more until I know a little more details.

 

[liberty jersey]

This is the milk I am feeding this is what we always have fed and we haven’t had problems he is getting one bottle twice a day I will see if he is hungry in the morning and he is a beef calf and something I forgot to mention he has a bit of a snotty nose

 

[MurraysMutts]

Take his temperature.

I've often found babies to hit a wall while getting used to the new routine. Is he scouring?

Without more info, I'd bet he takes a bottle in the morning.

O, and that appears to be a blended protein milk replacer. Soy and milk proteins. I always fed all milk protein with better results, but friends use that type regularly with acceptable results too.

 

[Ky hills]

When we start a new calf, we start them out on less powder than the directions say, and gradually build them up to that amount, so as not to scour the calf.
With the calf being stirred up like that, and being through a change of environment, food, and everythings new he’s bound to be stressed. That can cause sickness. I’d watch close to see if there are more signs of a respiratory illness following the snotty nose. Those can become severe fast. If so may want to give him something like Resflor, Draxxin, Baytril. instead of penicillin.
Watch close for scours if he’s full and not eating he may be close to presenting scours. Scours can cause them to dehydrate fast and along with a respiratory illness can be a double whammy.

 

[liberty jersey]

Thank y’all so much I will take temp in the morning and see if he will eat he doesn’t have scours yet and I am dreading it because I feel it will come soon and I will see if we have baytril not sure but I will look I know we used to have some and I didn’t think about the less powder but I will do that in the future.

 

[Double R Ranch]

View attachment 63798 This is the milk I am feeding this is what we always have fed and we haven’t had problems he is getting one bottle twice a day I will see if he is hungry in the morning and he is a beef calf and something I forgot to mention he has a bit of a snotty nose

I agree on taking his temperature but I fully suspect the 2 bottles a day is the cause. That's too much to start off with. I know since he'd gone without the feeling is to fill his belly but that's actually not good to do. Also the mix of soy and milk protein milk can upset his stomach as well if that's what that is. Especially off of cow milk from his mom. Cut way back on the milk and I bet he will turn around quickly pending no scours or temperature. You want him still wanting more milk at the end of his feeding.
@farmerjan Chime in! :)

 

[farmerjan]

I would say that the stress is probably catching up to him... although 2 bottles a day is not normally too much, in the state he is in compared to what he had... getting a pint at a time more often, it may be overwhelming his stomach. If he wants a bottle in the morning, and you read this first, I would give him 1/2 a bottle... let him be a little hungry.
You may have had good luck with the purina blend, but the soy is NOT going to settle well in his stomach. If they never made another batch of soy enhanced milk replacer it would be too soon for me. It can give them a belly ache, cause bloating symptoms, and they can NOT absorb the soy protein... Sorry to sound harsh, but it has been the scourge of the dairy calf raising world... and after a week of momma's milk, the digesting microbes in it's system are not adapting well to the soy....

I would add a beaten raw egg to the 1/2 bottle.. it is digestible protein and beaten well and added to the milk replacer will help the stomach absorb a digestible protein. Plus, believe it or not, but a beaten egg, with both the yolk and white in it, actually can help with firming up the manure if it gets a little loose...
Snotty nose could be stress too, but I am not against a shot of pen... SQ... no more than 2 cc... and the banamine might help with the pain from hitting the sides of the pen... multi min might help, might not since he just came off the cow, there is no reason to think he is deficient.... if you throw too many different things at them all at once, it can actually be counterproductive...
The thing with penicillin... it is an every day thing for 5 days... if you have the baytril or nuflor or another one that is for respiratory... they are a 1 time thing, maybe a 2nd dose 3-
days later... I personally have gone back to pen for things like cuts and such.... it works on both gram neg and some gram pos germs... and it is easily absorbed.... so many got away from it because it is a daily thing and with beef cattle especially, they often were lucky to be gotten in and given 1 shot... so things like Draxxin and others were good for that. Plus the residue in milk, so long witholding out of the tank ..... so dairies quit using it... I personally am allergic to it, but will use it in the animals for things.

Have you heard of or used Ferappease? It is something that they say is good for stress for weaning calves and such... I have never used it but it has been highly recommended and might be something to help with his stress levels... I think it is a spray... not cheap but might be worth a try if he continues to be nervous and upset.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Any updates?

 

[liberty jersey]

I ment to update this morning but I got focused on schoolwork so he ate a half a bottle with a egg this morning I had just put the egg in and was waiting on my other bottles to warm up when I read the comment about the egg. He ate great and was trying to play with my bottle lambs and they were not having it imagine a calf running around trying to play and 6 two month old bottle lambs hiding behind a haybag they did eventually start playing also after I fed them. I went and cleaned out their pen this afternoon and when I was done and was about to take some cute pictures of him but he decided to go outside for the first time since I have had him and was exploring the pen and was mooing at our heifers through the fence. When I fed him this evening he ate great and even followed me after I fed him and tried to eat my shoe while I closed the little door to the outside pen which he has never done. I then tried to put my lambs up because I put them on the other side to feed him and he followed me there too and even tried to eat a stuffed animal which is in there so my lambs can cuddle with them he doesn’t have a snotty nose anymore and I will get pics of him in the morning but here are some crappy ones from yesterday also don’t mind the bedding I promise it is clean now

 

[farmerjan]

Glad he is doing better... At 10 days old when the cow died, he was settled into being a calf on a momma. Already able to play with other calves.... The situation required he make a totally different change, and not having any other calves for him to buddy up with has been very traumatic for him... His mooing at the heifers is showing he misses the interaction... So, I am glad he is coming around for you. Going back to normal feeding in a couple feeding times, maybe 3./4 bottle for one or 2 feedings, and then back to the normal bottle twice a day...

 

[MurraysMutts]

You want him still wanting more milk at the end of his feeding

Yes! A hungry acting calf is a happy lil calf!

@liberty jersey glad he's doing better!

 

[Double R Ranch]

Great update!! Please keep them coming!

 

[sstterry]

@liberty jersey I read through some of your post history. Why do we not have pictures of your animals dressed for Halloween? You can't throw out a post like that and not show us the results!

 

[liberty jersey]

@liberty jersey I read through some of your post history. Why do we not have pictures of your animals dressed for Halloween? You can't throw out a post like that and not show us the results!

Ok you will next year I was going to this year but I ran out of time next year I am definitely going to be dressing up cows sheep horses and maybe a turkey I will see if they cooperate I really wanted too this year but it was crazy we had the bull get in with heifers and horses got out and the llama got out but next year

 

[liberty jersey]

 

[mwj]

That is a very nice looking calf. Do not over feed it and as one of our calf raisers mentioned ''a hungry calf is a healthy calf''.