Need Information and Advice

[ValNFla]

Some has offered me a Angus/Limo cross calf that is about 4 months old. She eats and drinks just fine but she will not defend herself from the owner's goats or mini horses. The vet suggested it had Fader. Someone suggested that it could be a problem of calcium deficiency at birth and another suggested it is a dwarf. When she eats it's legs look bent and she feels this is not normal. She says it shuffles it's feet and she thinks it may have joint problems.

I can't figure out how to add a picture so you will have to email me for one.
Thanks,
Val

 

[Gale Seddon]

Val, if you look at the very first item on the Breeds board, you will find instructions on posting a photo...you may have to open a (free) Photobucket account, but that's pretty easy. Then you can post a photo here!

I'd bet these folks here will be able to help you assess the problem with this calf, especially if they can see a clear photo or two of it. I don't know what "Fader" is, but will google it.

 

[milkmaid]

The calf in question...

 

[Gale Seddon]

Thanks, Milkmaid (I think). This calf is 4 months old??? I could not begin to tell you what the medical problem(s) might be (couldn't find "Fader" either), but I think this calf is in big trouble. Val, no wonder it's scared of goats and mini horses! If you have a big heart and $$$ to spare, get a vet to look at this calf before you take it on...and I also hope you'll get those people to clean out their muddy "water trough". May sound harsh, but what I see in this photo makes me not want to see the goats and mini horses at this farm!

 

[BlackBaldyMan]

If it was raised with the goats/horses could have picked up something from them, sometimes not allways possible but its alot better to keep species specific herds to keep serious disease down because that calf may have not been immune to a disease the goat had and the goat may have spread it in its feces. I would get a vet to look at it, to save a farm call run it into the vet hospitat.

 

[ValNFla]

The owner is not the breeder. I do not beleive she is the reason why the calf is having problems. She said the calf was "4 weeks old, barely alive (when she got her),(she) took her to the vet at 6 weeks when she was eating and drinking better. The vet told me there was nothing wrong with her, told me she had "fader calf syndrome"." That is a quote from her email. She said the calf was eating and drinking better at the time of the vet visit and she is stronger now and will run at times.

It sounds to me that it was a weak cow/calf syndrome and did not get it's colostrum at birth. I did a little reading online but cannot find anything about how to care for the calf. I am definately not expert in cows but willing to learn and that is why I am here. Can a weak calf have a normal life?

 

[D.R. Cattle]

I think the best thing for that calf judging from how it looks is to have a vet out to euthanize it. I dont think there is any chance of it leading a normal productive life. I got 2 month old calves 2-3 times bigger than that. Something is definately wrong with it.

Who in the heck calls the vet to euthanize a calf?

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I think the best thing for that calf judging from how it looks is to have a vet out to euthanize it. I dont think there is any chance of it leading a normal productive life. I got 2 month old calves 2-3 times bigger than that. Something is definately wrong with it.

Who in the heck calls the vet to euthanize a calf?

A wuss who doesn't have any lead in his barrel. :lol:

 

[ValNFla]

The lady is so nice. She is hoping to find someone to keep it as a pet. She would never put it down she would call the vet. I really feel for her. I refuse to eat my poultry. Sorry but the pigs will make it to the table and cows when we get that far. If I take this calf it would be a pet or breeding stock if it was healthy enough. My grandson loves cows. :lol:

 

[ValNFla]

I cannot speak for the owner of the calf but I have no expirence with cows, that's why I am here. Now, if you want to talk puoltry I can help! LOL The owner does not live far from me, I am going to ask her if I can come see the calf. All I can compare it to is the cows I drive by out in the fields. What should I look for?

 

[Caustic Burno]

In 36 years in the cow biz this has to one of the cruelest things I have seen to let that calf linger in the condition it appears to be in. I would like to take an axe handle to the owner of that animal and have a come to Jesus meeting.

 

[ValNFla]

The owner has taken the calf to the vet. The vet said there is nothing wrong with her, maybe she had Fader. Fader is weak calf syndrome. The calf is little because she was in poor condition when the owner got her at 4 weeks old. She did not own the heifer. I am assuming the heifer's owner took the calf away from her mother at 4 weeks old or the calf was bottle fed from birth. The owner has nursed the calf and took it to the vet. You should have read all the posts before you assumed she is not taken care of the calf. I covered that she went to the vet several times before now. I do not appreciate death threats because you assume things that are not true. Saying you want to take an AXE HANDLE to someone is a death threat. We, myself and the calf's owner, live near Ocala, Florida. Ocala is where they winter and raise race horses and there are many farms here with cows so I am sure if the vet found nothing wrong and suggested the calf had Fader then the vet figures the calf did not get mother's first milk or colostrum. which is very important as I am sure you know if you raise cows. I know this even though I do not raise cows yet. I am here trying to educate myself and help the calf's owner with a possible new home for the calf. I am asking questions so I do not go into this blindly. I came to a cattle board because I assumed the people here would be educated/expirenced and helpful to someone wanting to learn. Maybe I ASSuMEd wrong.

 

[milkmaid]

I don't recall reading anything about "fader" in my books :?: - and "weak calf syndrome" sounds about like "down cow syndrome" - the perplexed vet's way of explaining that he has no idea what's wrong. :lol: Calf in question doesn't look weak in the picture - calf is up and standing on four legs. That's not my definetion of "weak".

Plainly put, I'd say the vet has no idea what is wrong with the calf and he really doesn't care. He said "there's nothing wrong with her"? - I think it's obvious there's something wrong with her. I'd either shoot the thing or get a "second opinion". (Prolly the former would be my choice. I've been the latter route before and ended up doing the first thing - shooting them - in the end.)

 

[ValNFla]

I saw it referred to as dumb cow and weak cow on the internet. Fader is actually the name of the farmer or the scienctist involved, I cannot recall right now. When I saw it sadi they couldn't stand up I was like this can't be...So I could only assume someone nursed it until it could get up, leading me to think that it missed the colostrum. Can they survive that?

Of all the books I bought when I started my venture, I didn't get a cow book because at the time I wasn't going to go into cows but things have changed. I am trying to become more self reliant and show my husband the animals can pay for their own feed bills and feed us. The chickens and turkeys give us plenty of eggs, so do the ducks which I can hacth them and sell at auction and could make the bills. I just got my hog a mate and decided to grow my own pork so to speak. LOL I have to wait 6 months since she is 6 months old. My next step will be a few heifers and a bull. I am going to research some breeds but Dexters are pretty and are multipurpose. The calf will be a pet if we take it on.

 

[ValNFla]

I know pigs can catch people and birds germs, colds and such. I see she has chickens near the cow in the picture. I know she has goats and mini horses but I do not know what else she has there. Can a cow catch anything from other animals or humans?

 

[jersey lilly]

This is just my opinion, but from looking at the photo, the front legs look under developed to me. could be just a birth defect.??? but who knows. I'd not wanna raise it to be slaughtered, with all the "not knowing what's wrong" with it. And numerous owners it seems. Best thing to do in my opinion is to put it down. (maybe not fair to the lil critter, but sometimes thats the way the cookie crumbles)

 

[fitz]

I am trying to become more self reliant and show my husband the animals can pay for their own feed bills and feed us.

Hi ValNFla. I truly applaud your concern and goodwill towards the calf you were offered. Over the years I know I've been guilty of maybe fooling with one too long trying to make things right, knowing in my mind what the final result probably should and will be.
If you really desire to accomplish your statement above, trust me, you don't want to start with the animal pictured. There will be a better opportunity for you.

fitz

 

[Farminlund]

Vet input just doesn't pass a any cattlemen's sanity check. Keeping an animal alive with such obvious issues is just plain wrong. I know caustic is not one to mince words & can seem a bit too tough but that is just his way to get a point accross (he is most always right on target); my point is that it sure seems hard to understand how anyone could do nothing when the only obvious solution for this animal is to put it down (here's where I fault the vet for not providing proper guidence).

As fitz says, this is no way to start out in the "cattle business". If you can influence the owner to put the poor thing down & wait for a better opportunity - I think it would be a win win win situation. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Ryder]

If I wanted a calf to move towad raising cattle I would put my resources into a healthy calf. If I wanted a pet I would get a nice friendly dog or maybe even a cat :???: . Calves are a bit 'unhandy' as pets.

 

[Susie David]

Failure to thrive...lack of nurishment, no other cows around to show it how to live like a cow, lack of knowledge of the owner. The calf will not thrive IMO. Could be a pet for someone to keep company, buy a diamond halter and bottle feed it for the rest of it's life. Sad to see one neglected like that, but then look at what we see at the sale from time-to-time. DMc