Newly weaned calf scouring...

[cornstalk]

Hey board,

Thought I'd see what the majority here thought on this...

Just weaned a 5 week old calf yesterday ....cow was a lunger, she had to go as the temps have been getting warmer...didnt want to gamble with losing her.

I've provided calf starter pellets, a few lbs of good alfalfa hay, fresh water, and after a day of multiple attempts,....the calf finally took half a bottle last night (1qt). He easily downed a bottle (2qts) this morning also.

The milk replacer I'm feeding is Gold Star Medicated (oxytetracycline (sp) and Neomycin)

I noticed he's pretty loose this morning.....scouring. I'm kind of brushing it off as transitional stress.....and not to worried about it. Just wanted to see how most of you would handle this.

The calf is high and dry, plenty of straw, clean environment.

Thanks,

 

[cornstalk]

My thoughts also.....believe me he's a scrappy fella. Had to catch him to get him to take the bottle...very strong calf.

Stools are brown to light brown. Nothing yellow / mustardy.

 

[milkmaid]

Wouldn't worry about it. You putting him on milk replacer, or completely weaning him, or...?

 

[cornstalk]

Thanks for the replies...

Probably end up completely weaning him. If we happen to have a cow lose a calf, I would probably graft him over, but more than likely going to get weaned early.

Plan on getting him going on the bottle, and slowly working him over to pellets / cracked corn / forage.

Are they ever too young to start on a grain / roughage diet.....is there a milk/grain "line" so to speak?

Hate to wean one this early,...quite a bit of extra work for one calf....but mom was on borrowed time. She came down with pneumonia early last winter.....didnt get her treated in time, hit her with Draxxin and she came out of it, but must have done some lung damage. (Rapid breathing, fowl smelling breath)

Planned on calving her out, and shipping her. I'd already kept her 5 weeks past calving... for the calf's sake.

 

[milkmaid]

Plan on getting him going on the bottle, and slowly working him over to pellets / cracked corn / forage.

Are they ever too young to start on a grain / roughage diet.....is there a milk/grain "line" so to speak?

Nope. If they'll eat it, let them have it. At this age I'd be feeding free choice or nearly free choice of something palatable and good quality. Calf starter of some sort, and I'd mix it with plain corn and/or barley as half-and-half to cut costs.

 

[msscamp]

You might consider getting a bag of Hubbard AS70 Range N Gro, also. It's not expensive ($6.41/50 lb bag here), medicated, and it really helps the calves make the transition to grain because of the licorice flavor. I use it with my bottle babies and had excellent results. Just my thoughts.

 

[milkmaid]

You might consider getting a bag of Hubbard AS70 Range N Gro, also. It's not expensive ($6.41/50 lb bag here), medicated, and it really helps the calves make the transition to grain because of the licorice flavor. I use it with my bottle babies and had excellent results. Just my thoughts.

That's not expensive at all. Wonder if they sell it around here... I'll have to do some checking into that. I'm paying a good $1-3/50lbs more for the calf starters I use - which explains why I mix it half and half (or 4:1 currently) with some plain corn and barley to cut costs. LOL.

 

[msscamp]

I don't for the life of me understand why calves love licorice, but they do. Within a couple of days the bottle babies are eating pretty darned good.

 

[milkmaid]

Is it a pelleted starter, or does it look like real grain?

 

[msscamp]

It is a small pellet. The milk replacer pellets in Purina Startena would probably make 4-6 of the pellets in Range N Gro. We also use it to transition the weaning calves over to straight feed and, within 2 or 3 days, they can identify the vehicle that delivers this feed and they come a-running!