Calf not growing like it should be?

[Grace4401]

Hello, my mother in law bought my fiance a polled hereford calf from a live stock auction June 18th of this year. She had just been pulled off her mother and they guessed her to be a month or so old. I dont feel like she's growing the way she should be. We have ran fecals and she did have some parasites but not many. My in laws said they almost think she's a miniature or just bad genetics. However, the steer she's with is also hardly grown I dont think. But he was a bottle baby. Here are pictures of them back in the summer and then recently ( one with their winter coat). Shes about 30 inches tall to her shoulders right now. If she was a month old in June she's about 6 months old now. Does this seem weird? She has had so many eye problems already she just had an ulcer in her eye a few weeks back. (Around the time the recent pick was taken) .

 

[M.Magis]

At a month old, she needed to be a bottle baby also. She was far too young to wean if only a month old. Others here could better explain, but lack of nutrition at that age likely stunted her growth.

 

[Grace4401]

Thats what I said....my in laws have lost 2 calves this summer from their lack of caring.. and since they've had cattle way longer than I did growing up I dont believe im taken seriously. Her mother had cancer and went to slaughter. My in laws just bought another hereford heifer that's about 3 months old and she's at least the size but probably bigger. That's really why im concerned. I feel like she hasn't grown any which is why I've taken measurements so I have a rough idea how much shes grown when I measure her in a few months or so. My fiance said they've raised cattle that just never got full size and they started out like this one. But the more I've seen and learned about how they raise cattle the more I understand why they haven't been super successful.

At a month old, she needed to be a bottle baby also. She was far too young to wean if only a month old. Others here could better explain, but lack of nutrition at that age likely stunted her growth.

 

[Son of Butch]

Hello, my mother in law bought my fiancé a polled hereford calf. I don't feel like she's growing the way she should be. My in laws said they almost think she's a miniature or just bad genetics. However, the steer she's with is also hardly grown. But he was a bottle baby.

Would your husband be on board with buying a bag of calf grower for your fiancé's calf? Sounds complicated. When's the wedding?

Welcome to the Cattle Forum.

 

[wbvs58]

The photo of the one with the sticker on her, to me she doesn't look miniature and I think she looks older than 1 month and seems to be a reasonable heifer. I would say any lack of growth would related to nutrition with what the in laws are feeding her.
I must say I am a bit confused with in laws, fiance's and now husbands. Welcome to CT.

Ken

 

[Grace4401]

I'm sorry guys I thought I put future in laws lol. I'm not sure how to edit it on this forum.

 

[Ebenezer]

How do they breath? If they weaned young, had less maternal antibodies and went through a barn, they could have picked up something respiratory. If lungs got scarred then there will be lifetime lower growth. Might want to discuss a nasal vaccine and longer term health program with the Vet and get some decent feed to them.

 

[Grace4401]

Thank you everyone that took the time to respond. I will probably try some calf grower. And next time we get a calf this young im bottle feeding it one way or the other until its old enough to be weaned lol.

 

[greybeard]

and your future in laws, (in my opinion) appear to need to be more picky about which calves they buy at sale barns. Price is not the only factor when bidding.


(being a new member to CT, you may not have full functionality in regards to your posts untill you've made a certain # of posts)

 

[BC]

From the pictures, it appears to be a lack of nutrition causing the slow growth. Young calves need a better plane of nutrition than just hay.

 

[J Hoy]

I agree with BC who posted while I was writing this. The polled hereford calf in the recent photo appears to be emaciated and definitely needs food with more protein than it has been getting. Young of ruminant species need to have milk for at least two months or they are often stunted for life, if they survive their first winter.