I had 5 cows calve within the last month and 3 of them seem to be getting really thin, calves seem to be harder on them this year for some reason, 2 are 3yr olds 1 7yr old they get grain, pasture( even though its just starting to grow) saving the other pasture for hay, sweet feed. I feel like Im lacking mineral. I have heard Mineralyx is a good one. I like the like tubs. Now and then been throwing the girls some alalfa, plus they get round bales. When can you worm with new calves? What else or different should I feed? :???:
cows getting thin
- Thread starter wood2
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They should be able to maintain on hay ~ for sure on feed and hay. Ours maintain on hay and mineral alone.
Worm them ASAP ~ it is safe for the calves. Are they eating OK? No other issues?
We've used loose mineral and lick tubs. I prefer the loose mineral, but it doesn;t matter so much I think as long as they are offered something in the form of mineral.
But yes, worm them soon.
If they don;t catch up after worming, look to cull them this fall regardless of past performance. JMO
Worm them ASAP ~ it is safe for the calves. Are they eating OK? No other issues?
We've used loose mineral and lick tubs. I prefer the loose mineral, but it doesn;t matter so much I think as long as they are offered something in the form of mineral.
But yes, worm them soon.
If they don;t catch up after worming, look to cull them this fall regardless of past performance. JMO
Jogeephus
Well-known member
This sounds like something that happened to me some years back when I used to buy hay. I'm leaning toward poor quality hay or poor nutrition at any rate. Worms can cause cattle to lose weight but they are not going to pull down cows this fast if the cows are on a proper nutritional plain. Sometimes the pregnancy can mask the shape your cows are really in and you don't realize how poor they are until they calve. But then again what is "really thin"? Any idea of what the BCS is or could you post a picture?
Like Angie said, worm them or better yet get a stool sample to the vet.
Like Angie said, worm them or better yet get a stool sample to the vet.
What is a good wormer, Ive heard that pour on is not as good as injection? It gets costly to have the vet out to do this and I want to start taking care of the basic needs myself, I dont want to get anything that will harm the nursing calves? I will soon have the vet out to take care on vacinations on the calves but feel like I shouldnt wait for the girls it may be a month before I do that!
grannysoo
Well-known member
Worms and/or poor quality food.
If you have poor quality hay, you need to be sure they are supplemented. We use the liquid molassas tank when feed quality is lower. That, along with keeping them wormed, has really helped the body condition. And don't forget the minerals!
If you have poor quality hay, you need to be sure they are supplemented. We use the liquid molassas tank when feed quality is lower. That, along with keeping them wormed, has really helped the body condition. And don't forget the minerals!
wood2":wuyhq6lr said:
Quality of pour-on is a big difference. I would shy away from using something like Ivermectin. My honest opinion is you might as well pour window washer fluid over your cow's back. If you go pour on, use something like Dectomax. Injection, use Ivomec. You will probably be more likely to find smaller amounts of an injectible wormer if you just have a few head to do.
To my knowledge, there isn't any wormer that will harm a suckling calf.
What part of the country are you in? This time of the year my cows look worse than any other. They refuse to eat hay and there's not enough grass yet to sustain them in most places. Grass is starting to catch up now, cows will blossom out in the next few weeks.
Central Fl Cracker
Well-known member
They say that young tender grass goes through cows to quick and must admit I am seeing more splats of cow dung instead of hard dung.
jkwilson
Well-known member
When a cow is nursing a calf is not a good time to have them short on feed. It can lead to slow rebreeding which will kill any money savings you have from saving feed.
jkwilson":3ojd5h58 said:
Excellent point! Even when dry it takes a lot longer to put condition back on a cow then it takes her to lose it. If she loses too much she may decrease milk production, then you may have a stunted calf and a cow that won;t breed back.
Jogeephus
Well-known member
wood2":23aqr5zd said:
To take a stool sample all you need is a plastic spoon and a plastic bag. Scoop some fresh pie up and put it in the bag and carry it to the vet. My poodle vet charges $6.00 for this. If they are not wormy you just saved some bucks. If it is something else like coccidea you just saved some bucks and you will know what to actually treat.
wood2":35c6ba9s said:
We've always used pour-on - either Ivomec, Ivomec +, or Cydectin - and had excellent results with it. But we have mostly ran a closed herd, and that could very well be a factor when it comes to the effectiveness of pour-ons.
mnmtranching
Well-known member
It's not unusual for nursing cows to lose weight during the time before they are on good grass. It would take some good quality hay for cows to maintain on hay at this time. We don't know what quality hay you have or the body score of your cows.Parasites will add to the problem. The Ivermectin will take care of external and worms. They also have good products to give orally, all feed stores sell it. 1 pound to 1000 pound body weight, best to make sure each animal gets the proper amount.
