Hi, I have 3 calves 2 beef 1 brown swiss, they're all in the 5 month old age I gave them cows milk for the first 4 months of their lives. They were fine until I went on vacation. While we were gone the drought hit hard, we were gone for 2 weeks. The guy who was taking care of them didn't up their grain or give them any hay to offset the lack of grass. Now the 2 beef are popbellied and their right side sticks out further than the left a bit. What can I do to get rid of the pop belly's? I don't have experience with this, even though I raise several bottle calves a year..
Pop bellied calves
- Thread starter Hereford2
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farmerjan
Well-known member
Hay and not enough protein will make calves pot bellied. You are going to have to up the protein and it will take awhile. In 2 weeks time was the grass that depleted? How much area did they have to graze and if it was getting short then, maybe they needed more hay? I am not sure what would cause it to be so pronounced after only 2 weeks though. That seems a little weird. Any chance they were eating some rough brush or something? I would be a little concerned about it coming on so fast.
Someone here with more experience than me might have better ideas.
Someone here with more experience than me might have better ideas.
aprille218
Well-known member
Wouldn't hurt to deworm them if you haven't recently too.
Hereford2
Well-known member
If the rain had continued they would have had enough grass, but they didn't have much to eat besides grain and some dried grass and buck brush. I have them on a 12% grain with a 17% protein supplement that my feed store sells and a mineral that is good for drought conditions, also they have a soft grass hay free choice, but their pot bellies have gotten worse instead of better in the 2 weeks since I have been home. So it's been a month since they first got pot bellies. They haven't been wormed recently.
greybeard
Well-known member
This year especially (and this time of any year) in the lower midwest and farther south, the grass is often already in lower nutritional value beginning in early summer. Likely had already started before vacation time but not very noticeable. Throw 2 weeks of hot hot weather and no rain into the mix and it don't take long if their intake isn't supplemented.
We're never more than 2 weeks away from a drought
Son of Butch
Well-known member
divorce?? or a Freudian slip?
Pot bellies in calves is usually a sign that their rumen has not developed enough to handle the amount or quality of the forage available. But as previously mentioned deworming might be needed.
Hereford2
Well-known member
They're also getting 1% of their bodyweight in grain a day, I usually feed 2% of their bodyweight and I was until about 6 weeks ago, but grain is expensive, if I need to up it, please let me know.
Hereford2
Well-known member
My grain cost is 53.4 cents a day. Per calf, bought more grain yesterday, grain came down $.70 cents a hundred.
Per calf, the protein supplement is 21 cents a day per calf. Mineral is 5 cents a day per calf , one reason I cut the feed back besides expense, is because I my feed store guy who does the feed recommend that I cut it back and I Finally got ahold of my county extension angent. ... Who gave me a number for a cattle nutritionist from MSU who said 1% is fine. But now I'm having problems I haven't had before.. Did I just answer my own question??
Per calf, the protein supplement is 21 cents a day per calf. Mineral is 5 cents a day per calf , one reason I cut the feed back besides expense, is because I my feed store guy who does the feed recommend that I cut it back and I Finally got ahold of my county extension angent. ... Who gave me a number for a cattle nutritionist from MSU who said 1% is fine. But now I'm having problems I haven't had before.. Did I just answer my own question??
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I have a couple pot bellied orphans this year. Trying to supplement them as much as I can with 20% protein cubes, they're definitely too old to try a bottle or bucket and haven't seen either one rob off another cow, so the damage is already done. Wormed & vaccinated. It happens. I'll see how they develop by the end of the year but will probably pull them and not sell with the rest of the calves.
farmerjan
Well-known member
2% of body weight is pretty much minimal amount for grain for calves not getting any supplemental milk. TO THRIVE.... they will survive on less....
Yes, I think you answered your own question. Dry grass, drought stressed, has less nutrition, they are eating more to try to satisfy the body's need for nutrients. You are not going to get rid of the pot bellies until they are getting enough protein and nutrients to supply the body to grow.
Worming might help, but if the grass is that dry, then there is less chance they are wormy as the larvae try to climb up on the grass stalks in some types of worms, and that is how they get ingested.
Yes, I think you answered your own question. Dry grass, drought stressed, has less nutrition, they are eating more to try to satisfy the body's need for nutrients. You are not going to get rid of the pot bellies until they are getting enough protein and nutrients to supply the body to grow.
Worming might help, but if the grass is that dry, then there is less chance they are wormy as the larvae try to climb up on the grass stalks in some types of worms, and that is how they get ingested.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
So I lost Brandy about a week ago. Got 2 calves myself that are/were gorging on hay. (No grass here. It's dead and gone) It ain't good. They eat MORE just like @farmerjan said. They can't get enough to satisfy themselves. I've got mine penned now. Limit feeding hay (good quality Bermuda hay) and starting them on 14% creep here. They were all 3 chewing cud this evening.
Do they look like this?
We will get this ship righted!
Steady as she goes..
Do they look like this?
We will get this ship righted!
Steady as she goes..
wbvs58
Well-known member
At 5 mths of age I would not expect just 2 weeks of lower nutrition to cause pot bellies, only a bit of weight loss unless they were already developing pot bellies before you left but didn't realise. What are you doing with these calves?
Ken
Ken
Hereford2
Well-known member
They look like that only bigger in the belly, I keep forgetting to get a picture of them.
Hereford2
Well-known member
I'm going feed them up to 500/600 pounds and take them to the local sale barn. Is my current plan.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
O my!
Bigger u say? These 2 are pretty danged hay bellied up.
Are they pooping ok??
I can't see how they would have bloated by your description of feeding.
Hereford2
Well-known member
They're pooping fine, I would have to see a straight on from the front of them to do a good comparison of them to mine. Mine look better from the top and side than straight on. With mine facing me, I didn't take that into consideration.
Why in the world would you go on vacation and leave your animals with an idiot to fend for them, is a vacation more important than caring for your animals?
Hereford2
Well-known member
This guy has taken care of my calves Every Year for the past 7 year's, when I Have to go out of town and when I go on vacation, I haven't had a complaint, until this time. I was explaining what happened, before/when the popbellys showed up. ... So people who Actually want to help me get these calves straightened out, without having to ask a bunch of questions could.
farmerjan
Well-known member
@debbiea if the person taking care of the animals was doing as @Hereford2 instructed, that doesn't make them an idiot. Maybe there needed to be better communication, but that is a little accusatory... Doesn't sound like he neglected them, they just didn't get what was needed to offset the increased drought conditions. And it was probably coming along before the 2 weeks as has been suggested and that is on the owner... If a neighbor or someone is not a true cattle person, they would not know to increase grain and that would be a call by the owner to start with. I have friends that will take care of things for me, and they do the job I instruct them to do. If conditions change, maybe I would change things, but that is not the person ,doing the tending to, place to make the change.
And taking a vacation is sometimes very necessary to family and personal mental health... It is not like @Hereford2 went away and left them to fend for themselves with no caretaking....
And taking a vacation is sometimes very necessary to family and personal mental health... It is not like @Hereford2 went away and left them to fend for themselves with no caretaking....
