need advice on bottle feeding a 5 day old calf

[nathalie0119]

hey guys im new here but i saw this website and thought i would sign up for advice. so i bought a holstein bull calf this sunday (june 3 2012,) at a dairy farm. and he is in a stall with fresh water and bedding. im feeding him 4 pints of milk replcaer twice a day. and he did fine. but yesterday in the afternoon he drinked it slowly like without intrest. i had gave him some water 2 hours before. and then this morning he just didnt want any of the milk. so i reallly need adivce is it normal like its his new home? and also he is pretty lazy he is always laying down n i need to pick him up to get him up. im new at all of this. i would really appericate your guys help :help: :???:

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I feed 25 baby's all the time year round and no it's not normal. when he didn't want any milk what did you do? if you don't get him to eat he will get dehydrated and that is not good. if he still won't eat you will have to feed him with a tube feeder i have saved alot of calves that couldn't walk get up or even stand if you got them up by using a tube feeder you have have someone help you if you have never done it or you could pour milk in his lungs it needs to go down the left side all the way in to the bottle. also is his nose dry? does he have scoures?listen to him breath to see if it sounds ruff. don't let people tell you not to give him baytril or the other good medicines. i could probaly help more if i knew some more about what all he is doing but this is a start. hope i can help

 

[nathalie0119]

thank you but yesterday once i got home i called the vet and she told me to give him ornage gatorade so i did and he drinked it all! and he was up and alert playing with my horse and that night he drinked all of his 4 pints of milk. but then this morning i saw that he had dirreah and he only drinked half of his bottle but he got up by himself and bucked a little getting him out of the stall like it was dirty and he was alert. so should i worry? maybe it was just cause of the gateroade.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

It could be the gatorade but it could be alot of other things to. what does it look like and is it as thin as water or not that thin difrent colors mean difrent things. it might be nothing but it might not. i lose very few calves by doing more than enugh than less.

 

[regolith]

thank you but yesterday once i got home i called the vet and she told me to give him ornage gatorade so i did and he drinked it all! and he was up and alert playing with my horse and that night he drinked all of his 4 pints of milk. but then this morning i saw that he had dirreah and he only drinked half of his bottle but he got up by himself and bucked a little getting him out of the stall like it was dirty and he was alert. so should i worry? maybe it was just cause of the gateroade.

He needs electrolytes (I think the gatorade the vet told you to give him is an electrolyte) for the next 48 hours or so till the scours clears up, to prevent dehydration. Cut back on the milk he's getting and give the electrolyte at least four hours apart from milk feeding (so that the two don't mix in his stomach).
As long as he's bright and active, not much to worry about. Dehydration can weaken him quickly so if he starts struggling to get up or wobbling call the vet again for advice, also if the scours haven't gone within two or three days.