i have a new calf and need help

[kathy1429]

I got a new calf yesterday. my husband got it for me and my girls for an early Christmas gift.
when he brought her home she was alert and all over the place. since it is so cold and she is the
only one I have I have her in the house for now. (she is a bottle baby. she still has the dry cord hanging)
he got her at a stock yard. I followed the guild lines of Kentucky farmers something. everything checked out.
when I feed her I gave her two pints of milk. and since she was sold and had the trip and the new home and
all the new stuff to get used to I knew she would be stressed so I gave her two pints of the stess juice
stuff( it is also for scours). now because I have slick floors I used my rubber yoga mat and put her in my
little bathroom so she wouldn't slide and get hurt. she slept through the night. in the morning she only ate
two pints of milk. I thought she would take more. she still was alert and wagged her tail. through out
today she just slept and layed there. I tried to feed her at 10 pm and she wasn't excited about the bottle and
only ate alittle over one pint. she didn't wag her tail. her ears are still alert and standing up like they are suppose
to. she has only pooped once and that was this morning. and it was normal. she has pee once. I don't want to
lose her I love all animal as if they are children and it would hurt my girls please help. :help:

 

[dun]

I hope by the term "milk" you really mean milk replacer. If not, you need to feed a quality milk replacer made from milk and milk byproducts (no soy) of at least 20% fat and 20% protein

 

[ljohnson10]

How old was the calf when you got it?

For a week after birth calves should be fed their mother s milk which contains high levels of cholesterum that the calf needs (additional vitamins, minerals, immunity aids, etc.)

Did the calf have this? Plain white cows milk is not the same and not enough for a very early calf.

Also if its eating still it should be ok. One pint is not a lot but try and try again. I recently had a calf that spent almost an entire week laying down (I only knew it was drinking because it mother was half empty every time i went to finish her).

Hope it works out ok! Good luck!

 

[backhoeboogie]

Milk replacer yes. If she is not excited at feeding time, get a hand towel and give her a rough massage up and down her back. You are simulating the bath her mom would give with her tongue. Rub her hard with that towel. Rough. That will give her vigor and she will suck that bottle down.

You can put a tarp around a cattle trailer and move her in to that. Old hay on the floor for bedding. Park the trailer out of the wind. Get her out of the house.

 

[kathy1429]

well I broke into tears and called a vet this morning. and begged for advice for what
he that was wrong. he said with her poop being runny now and a light yellow he said
she has a fever. he told me to take 48 asprin and crush them up into a gallon of water
and make her take it a little at a time to get the fever down. he said this will perk
her up so she will take her bottle and electalites. have anybody heard of giving a
baby asprin.
:???:

 

[HOSS]

well I broke into tears and called a vet this morning. and begged for advice for what
he that was wrong. he said with her poop being runny now and a light yellow he said
she has a fever. he told me to take 48 asprin and crush them up into a gallon of water
and make her take it a little at a time to get the fever down. he said this will perk
her up so she will take her bottle and electalites. have anybody heard of giving a
baby asprin.
:???:

Do like backhoe said and get her out of the house. She needs fresh air. They thrive much better outside. Make sure you are giving her milk replacer and not regular milk from a jug. Go to your local farm store and you can get some bolus pills for the scouring and a bolus gun to pop it down her throat. If you need to you can give her Pepto-Bismol to help with the scouring. If she does not start eating you may have to tube her to keep her hydrated.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

well I broke into tears and called a vet this morning. and begged for advice for what
he that was wrong. he said with her poop being runny now and a light yellow he said
she has a fever. he told me to take 48 asprin and crush them up into a gallon of water
and make her take it a little at a time to get the fever down. he said this will perk
her up so she will take her bottle and electalites. have anybody heard of giving a
baby asprin.
:???:

Yes, baby aspirin are often recommended.

 

[jerry27150]

vet hit it right on

 

[kathy1429]

well I am pleased to say that last night I mixed up this stuff that helps with
the scours that turns to gel and coats her belly. it helps her to retain water
and keep from dehydrating.. now the one stuff I was trying to give her she hated.
I guess it tasted nasty. I had a fit getting her to take it. this stuff while mixing
it smelled like ice cream. when I took it to her last night at 2 am. she down 2 pint(half a
bottle) by herself like it was milk. it was awesome. she has only been taking about one pint
of milk at a time and a swallow or two of the other juice as I call it. I watched her the rest of the
night and after sleeping in the curled up passion for about an hour she set up and sleep with her
head up for awhile. to me she seem to act better. she still has the poopies. it is light green.
then this morning instead of reg milk replacer(yea for those of you I forgot to tell you I have been using.)
I used a milk replacer that has the scour meds in it and other meds that she needs to. it made a whole
bottle. offered it to her and she drank half a bottle and was showing some of the excitement she should
have. now I am not going to get my hope up. but is this a good sign. cause her poop is still runny.

 

[regolith]

Improved feeding behaviour is always a good sign. The scours may take a day or two to clear up, colour changes are normal when treating with electrolyte feeding.

Outside, with access to dry shelter, will be better for her and you. Nothing wrong with throwing her a blanket or some straw for warmth while she's poorly.
Good luck with her.
Suggest to the husband that chocolates next year will cause less heartache. Raising calves is something you get better at after the first few. Check out the other threads in the forum on bottle calves; most beginners run into the same problems.

 

[chippie]

since she is a new calf, she may not drink much at each feeding. If you are home during the day, if you like, you can split the meals up into a pint each feeding to 4 times a day.
It was sweet of your husband to get the calf for you all. But as it grows, don't treat it like a dog. It is easy to spoil one by playing with it and before you know it, you will end up getting accidently hurt and it will not be safe to be around. I found that out the hard way with my first bottle calf. Good luck with it.

 

[djinwa]

I've always had trouble with calves in the bathroom. They do much better in the living room.

 

[kathy1429]

first to regolith, thank you. I love the info. the husband thing is funny. but I don't do chocolate. I prefer critters. my cancer 8 years ago
prevents me from having kids and this is his was of picking me up. ain't he so sweet. I have nieces and nephews so critters don't come to
me but ever so often. but I know with the help of all of you guys on this site I will get it right. thank you.
hey chippie as for the pet thing with a cow. I kinda agree. I have know a few people with this. few with smaller cows and there were a couple who decided to make there bull they were going to use for breeding. they didn't realize he was going to be a bus. he just wants to walk with you and with his big feet (well you know what going to happen) I had one friend who had a jersy cow and was like a dog. didn't need a fence stayed in the yard took walks with the lady. the only time you would she the lady without the cow was when she went to town for grocerys.
it was funny. and for you my djinwa. she stays in the bathroom(I know everyone told me to get her out of the house but please refer to the beginning of this statement) but I have found this tape stuff that sticks to itself. I loosely wrap her feet to give her grip on my slick floor. she is finally getting her strength she walked all over the house then layed down in the living room. then when she got up I made her bottle. I took the bottle to our room and saw she was following good so I took off. she chased me to my husband. I lauged so hard. thank you all

 

[dun]

first to regolith, thank you. I love the info. the husband thing is funny. but I don't do chocolate. I prefer critters. my cancer 8 years ago
prevents me from having kids and this is his was of picking me up. ain't he so sweet. I have nieces and nephews so critters don't come to
me but ever so often. but I know with the help of all of you guys on this site I will get it right. thank you.
hey chippie as for the pet thing with a cow. I kinda agree. I have know a few people with this. few with smaller cows and there were a couple who decided to make there bull they were going to use for breeding. they didn't realize he was going to be a bus. he just wants to walk with you and with his big feet (well you know what going to happen) I had one friend who had a jersy cow and was like a dog. didn't need a fence stayed in the yard took walks with the lady. the only time you would she the lady without the cow was when she went to town for grocerys.
it was funny. and for you my djinwa. she stays in the bathroom(I know everyone told me to get her out of the house but please refer to the beginning of this statement) but I have found this tape stuff that sticks to itself. I loosely wrap her feet to give her grip on my slick floor. she is finally getting her strength she walked all over the house then layed down in the living room. then when she got up I made her bottle. I took the bottle to our room and saw she was following good so I took off. she chased me to my husband. I lauged so hard. thank you all

The getting her out of the house is for her health. Calves are healthier if kept outside, even if the temps are frigid. A way to keep them dry and out of drafts is preferable to being enclosed in a building

 

[chippie]

I don't know where you live, but if it is really cold and you worry about her being warm, you can fix her a little shed, bed it deep with straw or hay and put a heat lamp in it. Something to just keep the chill out. You can also buy a dog coat to put on her. She may do serious damage to herself should she slip on your floor while trying to play. I think that I know the type of wrap (tape) you are talking about. It will not give enough traction should she try to run and jump. If her back legs slide out behind her, it could be bad news.
It would be easier and kinder to move her outside now because it will be easier for her to adapt to the temperature change. As she grows, she will be urinating and defecating more and more. the average cow poops 20 times a day and it is messy.

 

[Curtis36]

Kathy,

You seem like a sweet person so I just want to warn you. Please don't make a pet out of this calf. It is very tempting and cute when they are babies to "play" with them, but when she gets older this behavior is very dangerous, even if she doesn't intent to hurt you, she can and will.

So just be cautious. Don't let her chase you. She has to learn she's a cow, not a person, and vice versa.

I can't stress that enough

I wish you luck with her

 

[kathy1429]

telling me. I walk around with a little bucket. and she has started doing just that. yesterday she pee two and the poop she only pooped once
in the morning then once around noon then again around bedtime. but to anyone I must have got my hopes up to fast yesterday. she ate 3/4 of a bottle yesterday morning. now her feeding is twice a day (unless she is really hungry I give her 1 pint snack). once in the morning that snack if needed around noon and then another bottle at the same time her morning bottle was. I was told to do them twelve hours apart. she has been doing so good. I put on her feet wraps and she had full range of the house with me while I cleaned. while I in the kitchen she would jump and play toss her head. and she even chased one of my dogs. (it was funny as all get out. it was a site to see) I had given her her bottle at 6 am when I got my daughters up for school. she went all day playing and resting. come that evening she wouldn't take her bottle. me and my husband has been working with her to get her to eat all night. all she has ate is one pint. we were using one brand of med milk replacer for scours then we found another one that was the same but also treats pnamonia. the other milk she would take in a heart beat. but this does the same thing and is the same thing just different brand. she still gets up and stand with her ears alert. and last night I was trying to hold her while my husband was trying to make her and it took a lot of my strength to hold her. somebody please please tell me that this is normal. please tell me my little girl is going to eat. that she just don't want anything. oh hell. some one why in the heck would she eat yesterday morning play all day the not eat but a swallow or two here or there all night. I DON'T GET IT. Female cows are more confusing then
women. and the bad thing about that statement is I am a woman. HELP oh and putting her outside I can't do right yet. it was 10 degrees last night and I was told to take her from the house (were we heat with wood, so it is a lot warmer that houses with furnishes) to the temp we are having right now will give her pneumonia.

 

[chippie]

One thing that is important is that folks tell us where they live. It doesn't have to be an address, but the general area. We did not have a clue that you live in a frigid area.

You can overfeed a calf. You don't need to feed her during the night. The small feedings are good, but don't force her to eat. Also, changing the milk replacer from one to the other is not a good thing. It is hard on their little systems, just like swapping a newborn child from one formula to another.

When you feed her, look at the triangular area on her left side (her flank) just in front of her hip bone. When she is hungry is should look sunken. As she nurses, it will fill out. Do not let her eat so much that it gets distended. That can cause her to bloat.

I don't know where you live, but if you have a Tractor Supply store, they carry a good milk based milk replacer. This is the type that I use with good results and I have raised many a bottle calf.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/dumorreg;-ultra-milk-replacer-25-lb

I do not use medicated replacer. If there is a problem, I prefer to medicate for it rather than constantly feed a medicated feed when it may not be needed. Plus the medicated replacers may not have the meds needed to cure the problem.

Her poop should be somewhat yellowish and have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If it is off colored and smells really bad, you should take her into the vet. Not knowing where she came from, she may have picked up a bug. A veterinarian can check her stool andevaluate the problem better than anyone on an Internet bulletin board. If she needs fluids the vet can help her. A baby calf can go down hill very quickly. Good luck with her.

 

[kathy1429]

WELL I THOUGHT I MADE A POST THIS MORNING BUT I DON'T SEE IT. I MUST HAVE GOT TO EXCITED. NEVER FAILS. WHEN I GET HAPPY SOMETHING GOES TO POOPS. SHE ATE ALITTLE OVER 3/4 OF A BOTTLE YESTERDAY MORNING AND ATE NOTHING THE REST OF THE DAY.
THE DOC SAID TO KEEP HER ON THE SAME AMOUNT OF FEEDING TO PREVINT ALL OF THIS HAPPING AGAIN. SO I FEED HER IN THE MORN AND
IN THE LATE EVEN. SHE HAD FULL RANGE OF THE HOUSE WITH ME YESTERDAY. FOLLOWED ME EVERYWHERE. EVEN WHEN I HAD TO PEE. SHE PLAYED AND RESTED AND PLAYED AND SLEPT ALL DAY. THEN CAME TIME FOR HER NIGHT BOTTLE SHE WOULDN'T TAKE IT. ME AND M HUSBAND HAS BEEN UP ALL NIGHT TRYING TO GET HER TO EAT. SHE WILL NOT EAT. I BELEIVE AROUND 4 AM SHE ATE 1 PINT OF REG MILK REPLACER IS WHAT MY HUBBY SAYS. I AM RUNNING ON EMPTY. I IN MY RIGHT MIND CAN'T BELEIVE THAT ANY ANIMAL CAN GO WITHOUT FOOD THIS LONG. NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG. SHE STILL THIS MORNING WANTS OUT OF HER BATHROOM TO ROAM THE HOUSE. I LET HER IN THE HALL AND SHE TOSSED HER HEAD. SHE TO ME ACT OK I GUESS BUT LIKE ALL MOTHERS I WANT HER TO EAT. IT CAN'T BE NORMAL FOR A BABY TO GO 24 HOURS WITHOUT ANYTHING TO EAT AND THEN ONLY EAT ONE PINT. MY HUSBAND WANTED ME TO PUT KARO SYRUP IN HER BOTTLE BUT AS ANY MOTHER KNOWS YOU ONLY USE THAT WHEN YOU LITTLE ONE IS CONSTIPATED. SO I TOLD HIM I WASN'T SWEETING THE BOTTLE WITH KARO. I TRYED PUTTING A LITTLE HONEY ON THE NIPPLE LAST NIGHT AND SHE DIDN'T LIKE THAT TASTE. IS THIS NORMAL. I NEED SOME PEACE OF MIND. SHE WAS DOING SO WELL AND NOW NO FOOD. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP. AND CHIPPIE IT HAS BEEN GETTING DOWN PRETTY LOW. LAST NIGHT WAS 10. THE DOC SAID IF I WAS TO PUT HER OUT RIGHT NOW IT MIGHT SHOCK HER. I HAVE TO WIND PROOF THE BUILDING AGAINST THE HOUSE. I HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT IS TIGHT. AND IT HAS TO WARM UP A BIT. I HEAT WITH WOOD AND IT IS FAR HOTTER HEAT THAN A FURNISH

 

[kathy1429]

OOPPPPS I GUESS THE FIRST POST DID GO THROUGH. THANK YOU CHIPPIE. I HAVE THE GOOD MILK REPLACER FROM TRACTOR SUPPLY BUT THE MEDICATED MILK I REFER TO IS A SINGLE BOTTLE MIX THAT ALREADY HAS ALL THE MEDS FOR SCOURS AND THE STUFF THAT ARE IN THE ELECTROLITES. WITH THREE BAGS SHE HAS WENT FROM WEEK TO RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE BUT LIKE I SAID LAST NIGHT SHE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO EAT. NOW YOU SAID NOT TO FORCE HER.SO SHOULD I JUST KEEP OFFERING IT TO HER OR WAIT TILL TONIGHT WHEN HER FEEDING WOULD BE. WHICH WOULD BE 5PM. OH AND HER POOP DOESN'T HAVE A STONG STINK LIKE WHEN THIS ALL BEGAN. BEFORE I COULD BE IN THE ODTHER ROOM AND WOULD KNOW SHE WENT NOW I DON'T KNOW TILL I GET NEXT TO HER. NOW THIS MORNING SHE DID HAVE ONE RUNNY ONE THAT KINDA STUNK BUT NOTHING LIKE BEFORE. AND HER POOP HASN'T GOT TO A SOLID TYPE YET. HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE ASUMING SHE IS GOING TO EAT.