Looking for ideas

[Double R Ranch]

Hey all!
So here's one that has me stumped. Id love some ideas.
I picked up this little sickly dairy crossbred bull calf two months ago. He was super cheep so I thought I'd give him a try. He was extremely full and lathargic. No scours etc. He didn't eat the 1st eve and night but was hungry by morning. He pooped so much it really looked like someone fed the heck out of him and then shipped him. He was full of energy that morning. Threw trial and error we figured out that he was taught to nurse off a bucket with nipple where he doesn't have to actually nurse just smosh the nipple and it squirts out. He's a little slow in the head for some reason.
We finally got him out of the quarantine pen and out to a small calf pasture and within a few days he got attacked by a nest of very angry wasps. He was stung in and around the eye. His whole face swelled up more so on the side where his eye was stung. Within 24 hours he started having seizures. Anti-inflamitories and pain meds stabilized him but every time I tried to take him off he'd have another seizure.
He's finally off all the meds and is being bucket fed (no nipple). The problem is that he just does not eat any hay or grain. I have put grain in his mouth every time I see him. Usually he spits most of it out and then chews the rest. Fights me like there no tomorrow. He really needs to be weaned off milk. Its getting way to expensive and obviously he's old enough. But not eating hay and grain makes this difficult. Currently he's being weaned back on the milk to try and encourage him to eat hay and grain. He's really getting skinnier than I'd like to see. I'm concerned that he will not eat hay and grain to make up the difference. He's out with two other bottle calves who eat hay and grain all day long. He stays by himself most of the time. Sleeping under the tree. He will walk over with the other calves but will not eat hay and grain with them. I had hoped that they would encourage him to eat hay and grain. I have put grain in his nursing bucket. I have put milk powder on the grain. Nothing seems to be working.
Does anybody have any ideas on what to do with this little guy other than taking him to auction or putting him down.
Thanks in advance

 

[Double R Ranch]

Not a single trick or suggestion???? That's a 1st!

 

[Howdyjabo]

Try making a thicker as you go slurry with SBH or something else that he can't separate.

 

[greybeard]

Not a single trick or suggestion???? That's a 1st!

I never used or even saw one, but you might try one of these:
http://bse.wisc.edu/HFHP/tipsheets_pdf/grainbot4web.pdf

How old is this calf?
Does it drink water?

 

[Double R Ranch]

Try making a thicker as you go slurry with SBH or something else that he can't separate.

Will look into that. Thanks!

 

[Double R Ranch]

Not a single trick or suggestion???? That's a 1st!

I never used or even saw one, but you might try one of these:
http://bse.wisc.edu/HFHP/tipsheets_pdf/grainbot4web.pdf

How old is this calf?
Does it drink water?

4 months or so. Yes he drinks water. This bottles work ok for calves that take a bottle. This guy doesn't. He just expects the milk to come when he squeezes the nipple. forgot to mention I tried one of those also. NAsco has them.
Thank you all for the help! I'm still trying. Currently I made a feed bag (like for horses) in his size and I'm making him wear it. We'll see.

 

[Nesikep]

At that age he should be hungry for solid food... I guess the upside is you have some nice veal there? What grain are you using? I found that cattle take to rolled barley a little better than to oats... but usually they're chewing cud when I'm feeding that to them... Hopefully the feedbag works

he doesn't even go for grass????

 

[Double R Ranch]

At that age he should be hungry for solid food... I guess the upside is you have some nice veal there? What grain are you using? I found that cattle take to rolled barley a little better than to oats... but usually they're chewing cud when I'm feeding that to them... Hopefully the feedbag works

he doesn't even go for grass????

There's nothing there for veal threw all his "stuff" he hasn't gained well. He's grown but not put on weight. Won't get anything at auction either which is one reason that's out.
I'm using a calf starter purchased from cargil. Ill definitely try rolled barley! Thanks!
Feed bag was a bust he still won't eat it. Came out cute though
We have zero grass right now only hay. I've thought about putting up a small pen and watering but by the time any growth happens his fate will be sealed. What ever that may be.

 

[Nesikep]

well, you have a catch22, since he's not chewing cud, he's not getting to taste how good what you're feeding him is, and since he's not eating, he's not chewing cud...

I know an old guy (88 years old) with 150 head of herefords... at calving time when it's cold out, he carries a bottle of moonshine with him... and if he has a calf that won't suck, he give it a shot (probably takes one himself too), and it gets them coughing and sputtering... hey, you never know, maybe a trick like that would make him want to get the taste out of his mouth with hay...

You don't have a lawn I guess?

 

[Double R Ranch]

That's awesome! Maybe ill try that! Lol both of us I was thinking about the lawn. Just weeds but might work to get him started. Maybe move a pen around the yard. Only other grass is out back where he wouldn't be safe alone.
Thanks for the help!! Ill update as soon as something happens

 

[bbirder]

I'm feeding one like that right now. Heifer is two months old and has never wanted calf starter. I think maybe the molasses is what she doesn't like. Found her eating cubes, so switched her to pre-con and she tears it up. She still wants nothing to do with a sweet feed.

 

[Chris H]

I'm feeding one like that right now. Heifer is two months old and has never wanted calf starter. I think maybe the molasses is what she doesn't like. Found her eating cubes, so switched her to pre-con and she tears it up. She still wants nothing to do with a sweet feed.

We usually only introduce creep feed a couple weeks before weaning. We've got some calves that just won't go for it. Last year we took hay cubes and soaked them enough they were damp and fell apart. We mixed some of our ground feed with it. The calves took to it real fast.

Even if this calf won't eat hay, the dampened hay cubes might tempt him.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Thanks! I'm going to try both your suggestions! Headed to the feed store now anyways! Thanks again!

 

[bbirder]

I'm feeding one like that right now. Heifer is two months old and has never wanted calf starter. I think maybe the molasses is what she doesn't like. Found her eating cubes, so switched her to pre-con and she tears it up. She still wants nothing to do with a sweet feed.

Forgot to mention that the Range Cubes I had were the small pellet kind.

 

[glacierridge]

Maybe he wants to be a veal calf.
Have any veal farms near you that can raise him the rest of the way?

 

[glacierridge]

Wish I had something to help. We usually get calves at 3-7 days old that sniff and explore feed and hay.
They don't dig in hardcore, but they start picking at it.

 

[Double R Ranch]

Thanks me to I've never had one that by this age wasn't eating solids. It's frustrating. I truly believe the seizures have a lot to do with it. Messed with his brain. At this point I'm kind of determined to figure it out! Lol

 

[glacierridge]

Could be slow in the head like you say...
A special needs baby??

Let us know how things turn out

 

[Double R Ranch]

That's exactly what I told my husband this eve. I know it sounds silly but I used to work with special needs children and that's what he reminds me of. The way he does things.
This eve we put up a pen in our front yard on the grass (only green around! lol) and he went right at the grass. I was so excited to see that until I looked closer and he wasn't actually eating it. Went threw the motions to a point but didn't have it figured out.
The feed store was out of rolled barley which was previously suggested however I found a starter with extremely small bites. Stuck some in his mouth and he didn't spit it out. Chewed and swallowed every bite I put in his mouth. Didn't eat it on his own but I was happy with that result. So this eve I tried putting a bit in his bucket so once he drank most of his milk he'd run into that small starter grain. Ill be darned if he didn't suck some up and chew n swallow it! He even appeared to be attempting to bite some and chew it but he just couldn't get it figured out. I left some in his dinner bucket after washing it along with his green grass he's on and hay (of course water). We'll see what morning holds. I have alfalfa pellets on order also so I'm gunna try both wet and dry with that also.
He's penned up in a small pen at night in the yard and ill turn him out in the full yard during the day.
I kind of have a special spot for this guy anymore. I'd really like to save him. He's just so darn skinny. Guess a week or so more will tell us.
Thanks to all who have responded. Ill gladly post updates as they come.

 

[Runaway Deere]

At least here in Cencal as far as dairy calves go its always a crapshoot getting them converted from bottle to grain to pasture, diary takes too long to raise on pasture at least for our program. We still buy them just in winter only now when we have more time. Our dairy calves we buy are a crapshoot, generally most of ours die when they get sick, sometimes we get lucky and save them. Lots of times we can pep them up with some California crank... Jk. We use multi min at first sign of slowing down and it has helped, so I would try some vitamins first, just my IMHO dealing with Cali dairy calves