Losing calves

[Red Limmo]

Hi, I'm farming in the Scottish Highlands and I'm having problems with calf illness/deaths. Can anyone help if I post the symptoms and problems here? The vets and veterinary lab don't have any idea what it is! It's mainly effecting Angus bull calves around a month old. It's my first year with an Angus bull after using Limousin for years. Calves go down quickly with scour, fitting, groaning, sensitive to touch and other stomach problems. The heiffers respond to treatment of electrolyte, micotil and baytril max. All the calves have been treated with selinium now. The only thing the vet could think of is white muscle disease. I was just wondering if anyone had come across this before. Many thanks

 

[larryshoat]

I wouldn't think white muscle disease would affect only the bulls . I don't know anything about your part of the world, but the only thing that comes to mind would be screw worms .

Larry

 

[Red Limmo]

Thinking now that it may be the bull, put in a Limousin with the cows today, bit of a catch 22 situation!
Do you get rid of the bull and use one who has proven himself or risk keeping the Angus?
This was his first race of calves. The Limousins sell better as weaned calves over here, had a top of £1.69 a kilo for a 320 kilo lim x charolais steer yesterday to average £1.52 for the bunch, sounds a lot but our overheads are killing the job, everything we buy is up in price over here

 

[pdfangus]

By all means blame it on the bull....

Seems to me that if the calves got conceived and birthed and lived thirty days that possibly the bull might have done his job.

He supposed to nurse em too.? :cowboy:

 

[Red Limmo]

people are perhaps messing with genetics in some countries, who knows what may possibly come down the line

 

[msscamp]

The only thing the vet could think of is white muscle disease.

I'm thinking White Muscle disease is highly unlikely for 2 reasons - 1) It is not gender specific, and 2) It generally raises it ugly head a lot sooner than 1 month of age. You might want to think about consulting with another vet for this particular problem.