bottle calves

[ivan.strilk]

what should you do if a 1 day old bottle calf does not want to drink? If it has scours ? Is there any shots or medicine you could give it? remember its only a day old. I appreciate any answers because i have had these problems with 2 calves already, both died. (i also tube fed them- didn't seem to help) Could the problem be shipping fever?

 

[dun]

Could be shipping fever or it could be they were already sick/weak before you got them. Just for starters you could give them a shot of ResFlor (from the vet), that should help with shipping fever and the scours both. Then a shot of A,D&E and maybe selenium. If a calf has died from unknown reasons you should spray down the area (building/hutch/whatever) with about a 3% solution of bleach and water. Spray it till it runs.

 

[larryshoat]

When a 1 day old bottle calf doesn't eat it's usually because he is scouring or is going to scour. Dun's advice on the Resflor is a good one, we need some systemic antibiotics. Your calves die from dehydration, the overwhelming cause of death in bottle calves less than 2 weeks old is dehydration. I'll make a list of things that will help.

1. the recommendations on a bag of milk are for a 100 lb Holstein calf, adjust accordingly. Make sure you use a good 20/20 all milk protein replacer .
2. Feed milk 12 hrs apart.
3. Feed 2 quarts electrolyte formula between meals. We have to shove fluids in the front end faster than it's coming out the back.
4. We can get fluids in the calf with an IV line. You don't have to hit a vein, just put it under the skin in the neck a product called Lactated Ringers Solution, you'll have to get it from a vet.

The solutions for saving calves with scours are simple ones, so simple in fact that most people can't believe they will work, therefore they don't do them.

Larry