EMER. HELP WITH BOTTLE CALF

[thedamranch]

i have an abandon by mother black angus bull that is 23 days old today....been drinking 2 bottles three times a day.....full of life...now today ate breakfast like a champ but would not take lunch...finaly took 1/2 bottle latter.....acts like it is straining to crap...stool is yellow and little runny...temp is 104
strains to poop but when i use thermoter he goes right away.....not sure if that would make the temp higher...have raised cattle but never have had bottle feed...mother dropped and run and won't have anything to do with it....please help...what to do....

 

[dun]

What kind of milk replacer are you suing? Should be 20-20 and from milk and milk byproducts, noo soy. Does it have access to water at all times, is he eating grain/hay?

 

[thedamranch]

it is dumor special 20/20 medicated...says made with milk and soy products...
not sure if eating hay because he is in a stall full of it...has eaten some grain not much and have seen him drinking fresh water today.....thanks for the help....need any advice i can get....

 

[milkmaid]

TWO bottles, THREE times a day? Do I have that right? If so, that's three gallons a day for a three week old calf. No wonder he's scouring. He doesn't need more than 1 gallon per day.

 

[hillsdown]

TWO bottles, THREE times a day? Do I have that right? If so, that's three gallons a day for a three week old calf. No wonder he's scouring. He doesn't need more than 1 gallon per day.

Maybe, but my last calf was getting 8 pints each feeding three times a day when she was that age and she could have handled more.
The calf also has a temp, so it needs meds.

 

[dun]

TWO bottles, THREE times a day? Do I have that right? If so, that's three gallons a day for a three week old calf. No wonder he's scouring. He doesn't need more than 1 gallon per day.

Maybe, but my last calf was getting 8 pints each feeding three times a day when she was that age and she could have handled more.
The calf also has a temp, so it needs meds.

First off we don;t know what size the bottles are, second 1/2 a degree doesn;t sound like enough of a temp to worry about. The lack of appetite and the crapping problem conserns me more.

 

[hillsdown]

104 is a temp none the less and if nothing is done, tomorrow it could be 106..

Meds and sulfa boluses, plus cut back on milk for now and add electrolytes would be my action asap. Better safe than sorry, it is easier to treat them at the on set of symptoms than trying to clean up a train wreck.

 

[thedamranch]

yes he is drinking 3 gal a day of milk...plays with the calf feed and eats a little...he would take more milk if i would give to him..he was born 78 lbs and gained 12.5 lbs the first week...did not weigh him this week...he is better this morning ....full of life again and drank 1 gal of milk and wanted more....did not see any scours in sleeping area from last night.....have not given him any meds from birth...noit sure what to give or when...like i said we raise all steers from the 400lb range to finish so have never had a bottle baby...we got this heifer as a rescue and did not know she was preg....so we named him freebie...we do thank everyone for the help....if you have a med plane we would love to know what is best...we are in west central fla area.....

 

[dieselbeef]

yer name came up in a phone call got today...yall needin any feed yet??

 

[chippie]

That is really too much milk per feeding for a 3 week old calf. It doesn't matter whether or not he wants it, he is engorging himself. A baby calf nurses small amounts during the day. It would be better if you read the instructions on the milk replacer as to how much you should feed him daily. Since it is medicated, you may be overdosing him by feeding him a gallon per feeding.

We've bottle raised a lot of baby calves and generally at 3 weeks the calf is fed one 2 quart bottle twice daily.

Remember that the calf is a beef breed and beef breed cows do not give as much milk as a dairy cow. Does he look like a balloon after you've fed him?

PS. don't worry if he still acts hungry after you've fed him. That's ok. He can nibble on hay or even a little grain.

 

[thedamranch]

the problem is he is constapated...his droppings are hard and sticky...he is straining real hard to take a dump..we will back off milk a what else can we do for the constapation right now....

 

[TexasBred]

yes he is drinking 3 gal a day of milk...plays with the calf feed and eats a little...he would take more milk if i would give to him..he was born 78 lbs and gained 12.5 lbs the first week...did not weigh him this week...he is better this morning ....full of life again and drank 1 gal of milk and wanted more....did not see any scours in sleeping area from last night.....have not given him any meds from birth...noit sure what to give or when...like i said we raise all steers from the 400lb range to finish so have never had a bottle baby...we got this heifer as a rescue and did not know she was preg....so we named him freebie...we do thank everyone for the help....if you have a med plane we would love to know what is best...we are in west central fla area.....

BUT, he might eat more feed if you cut back on the milk... I'd do as MMaid suggested. Got free choice water available as well I hope.

 

[ctlbaron]

Way too much milk. 1 ....1/2 gallon bottle twice a day is enough. Plenty of fresh water available always. Good calf starter. That calf will never get on dry feed with that much milk, why would he? If he's scouring, Give 10cc Spectam scour halt for pigs and 2 Sustain II boluses. That should stop the squirts.

 

[larryshoat]

I think the 104 temp is causing your problems, I would treat him with a shot of Draxxin . 3 gallons of milk is a lot, I would cut that back by a gallon at the noon feeding and replace it with warm water .If he is that hungry he will suck the warm water out of the bottle .

Larry

 

[Workinonit Farm]

If he's scouring, Give 10cc Spectam scour halt for pigs and 2 Sustain II boluses. That should stop the squirts.

[by thedamranch] on Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:22 pm

the problem is he is constapated...his droppings are hard and sticky...he is straining real hard to take a dump..we will back off milk a what else can we do for the constapation right now....

Katherine

 

[dun]

If he's scouring, Give 10cc Spectam scour halt for pigs and 2 Sustain II boluses. That should stop the squirts.

[by thedamranch] on Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:22 pm

the problem is he is constapated...his droppings are hard and sticky...he is straining real hard to take a dump..we will back off milk a what else can we do for the constapation right now....

Katherine

Milk of magnesia

 

[CKC1586]

i have an abandon by mother black angus bull that is 23 days old today....been drinking 2 bottles three times a day.....full of life...now today ate breakfast like a champ but would not take lunch...finaly took 1/2 bottle latter.....acts like it is straining to crap...stool is yellow and little runny...temp is 104
strains to poop but when i use thermoter he goes right away.....not sure if that would make the temp higher...have raised cattle but never have had bottle feed...mother dropped and run and won't have anything to do with it....please help...what to do....

:?: