Clostrum Deficiency

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Has anyone else had problems with this? We have recently lost 4 calves and still are fighting with some. All of these calves have died from the result of not "sucking." These newborn calves are very healthy and vigarous (not a bit weak), but they won't suck. These calves are very bright eyed and run and jump like a little calf does. The calves don't look dumb. They look like any normal calf. We have been worried about them not receiving the clostrum from the cow. So we have been tubing the calves with the cow's milk and supplement clostrum, along with other supplement milk. We get some clostrum in them, but after about 3 or 4 days they give up and die. We have talked to several vets and they have no idea what is wrong with the calves. A neighbor has also had the same problem. He had one posted and the results came back as clostrum deficiency. All of these calves are out of a purebred angus herd. We do share bulls and etc. Do you think the cows are passing bacteria/infections on the to the calves? Does anybody have any ideas? We are opening to any suggestions.

Thanks
 
did you tube the 4 that you lost?? and where they up and running when you tubed them??
 
Was the pasture heavly fertilized in the first trimester. Neighbor had a problem with calves that wouldn't nurse. This happened to him a couple years in a row. Supposedly traced the problem to nitrogen poisoning. Now I have never had this problem. I know that my neighbor is very careful now about fertilize, and hasn't had the problem since. He is the only peson I have every Known to have a crop of calves that would not nurse.
 
Nitrates get into the blood stream, and tie up the oxygen carrying blood cells. In essence, the animal dies of suffication.
(Short version)
Re: Calves
Had a wreck one year with a bull that threw "dummy" calves. Looked vigorous, but some needed up to five consecutive days of being put on the teat before they "figured" it out. Unfortunately, was about 30 of the little buggers (and we were getting up to ten calves a day during this time frame). All were patterned about the same : very blocky in build, and a wide short head. Needless to say, the bull was shipped and haven't had a problem since. Wish more Purebred breeders were as enthusiastic about banding as they are about bloodlines.
Best of luck. Hope it's something you can fix. PS> Have you had the vet do a Post Mortem on one of them yet? Might provide you with some clues.
 
have you looked at their palate amd their tongues for deformities. if the bulls are the same it may be a possibility. they can,t nurse properly. i have known people to have this happen but not to more than one or two calves.
 
Anonymous":2zmva99u said:
Has anyone else had problems with this? We have recently lost 4 calves and still are fighting with some. All of these calves have died from the result of not "sucking." These newborn calves are very healthy and vigarous (not a bit weak), but they won't suck. These calves are very bright eyed and run and jump like a little calf does. The calves don't look dumb. They look like any normal calf. We have been worried about them not receiving the clostrum from the cow. So we have been tubing the calves with the cow's milk and supplement clostrum, along with other supplement milk. We get some clostrum in them, but after about 3 or 4 days they give up and die. We have talked to several vets and they have no idea what is wrong with the calves. A neighbor has also had the same problem. He had one posted and the results came back as clostrum deficiency. All of these calves are out of a purebred angus herd. We do share bulls and etc. Do you think the cows are passing bacteria/infections on the to the calves? Does anybody have any ideas? We are opening to any suggestions.
Thanks

I can't imagine why the calves won't nurse. Did you see any of them born? Did they try at all to nurse then? We see most of ours born or soon thereafter and the first thing they do is wobble around looking for a teat. If they're born to a heifer it sometimes takes a while for them to get latched on, but they just keep trying. I hope you find an answer and let us know. Now, if the cows had no immunities in their milk to pass on to a calf, even if they nurse, they might still die. Are the cow's vaccinations up to date?

BTW, we had a commercial calf born to a heifer once that didn't nurse. But it was over a week before he developed respiratory problems and died. I'm sorta wondering if a calf would die in 3-4 days from lack of colostrom?
 
pure breed herd -may be inbread to much causing calves not to have the normal instinks to nurse.~~~~~~~~~Tc
 

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