Purina Calf Milk Replacer Date

[kmcmillen]

What does the date on Purina Calf Milk Replacer represent? I have a 5 week old calf that was doing great. Yesterday I bought a new bag, fed as normal last night. This morning, calf isn't up, doesn't want to eat, milky colored diarrhea everywhere. Only thing that was different is new bag was used last night. Checked date on last two bags, both Jan 24 2025. New bag was Oct 31 2024. Could that have been my problem?

 

[M.Magis]

Being "expired" by a few months wouldn't cause sickness. The product doesn't automatically go bad on that date, it should be good well beyond it. Its there to protect the manufacturer. Similar to medicines. Is the new bag the same brand and formula as the previous? A sudden change in feed will often cause issues.

 

[kmcmillen]

Being "expired" by a few months wouldn't cause sickness. The product doesn't automatically go bad on that date, it should be good well beyond it. Its there to protect the manufacturer. Similar to medicines. Is the new bag the same brand and formula as the previous? A sudden change in feed will often cause issues.

It was the same brand. He doesn't act sick eating on hay, running around. Wouldn't come right to bottle this morning like usual, not interested in drinking it. Other than that and the diarrhea that looks like milk, seems ok. He's been drinking great for five weeks til that new bag so I wasn't sure.

 

[farmerjan]

It shouldn't make a difference......BUT..... all according to where it was kept, if it had been exposed to some high temperatures somewhere, sometimes it can alter the taste and probably some of the quality. THIS IS MY OPINION..... not fact based... BUT.... I also had some milk replacer that I fed, got more of the same that I later found out had been sitting in a warehouse and got extremely HOT.... and it smelled okay but the calves didn't like it and did the same with some scoury manure.
My suggestion, take the opened bag back... tell them that the calf scoured on it, you looked it was out of date, and you would like a new bag that is not out of date. If you bought it at the same place everytime, and are a regular customer, they should exchange it for you.
Suggestion... I try to buy 2 bags per calf when I do milk replacer...2/ 50 lb. bags should last for 8 weeks more or less.... and any left over, I vacuum seal and stick in the freezer... And I always mix a new bag with an old bag for several bottles... JUST IN CASE.....

 

[wbvs58]

Is that the expiry date or the date of manufacture?

Ken

 

[kmcmillen]

I returned it yesterday afternoon and fed last night and this morning with new bag (dated May 2025). All good now, I'll be checking dates from now on.

 

[farmerjan]

@wbvs58 is right... it might be date of manufacture not "expiration date"....

 

[OBAX]

Mostly the date means best if used by, not it's poison after.

 

[kmcmillen]

I called Purina today, the date on the bag is the manufacture date and the shelf life is about 1 1/2 years. So, my issue is something else.

 

[farmerjan]

If you got a new bag in exchange for that one, and the calf went back to "normal"...and you did nothing else different or moved the calf to a new stall/pen/field..... then it was something from/in the milk replacer powder that was the culprit.

 

[OBAX]

If you got a new bag in exchange for that one, and the calf went back to "normal"...and you did nothing else different or moved the calf to a new stall/pen/field..... then it was something from/in the milk replacer powder that was the culprit.

You never had a calf just get sick? It is just as likely that it had nothing to do with the milk as it is that it's related to the milk.

 

[farmerjan]

@OBAX ......I cannot remember having a calf go from perfectly fine one feeding, ESPECIALLY an older calf, to sick, down, and watery diarrhea with nothing have changed except the milk replacer. Especially if the calf has been under my care for a period of time....
Since I had a SIMILAR thing happen, with a new bag of milk replacer once, I felt like that could most likely be the culprit. If the poster had already put 2 bags into the calf over time, the calf was not a brand new baby. I have had a few that have gone down quickly, but they have almost always been real young, mostly under 2 weeks is when they seem to be most likely to succumb to a fast acting stomach type ailment,caused by one of several known problems calves get.

Speaking from my own experience only, as are most all the answers that other members give here. I have raised countless numbers of calves over the years, on replacer and on nurse cows.

You learn what things seem to trigger problems, and I have also learned that there were farms where their "bugs/germs" were NOT compatible with the bugs/germs on my farm and I could not raise 1 in 10 of their calves. Other farms, I would be able to take weak and sickly calves and get them to turn around.

 

[wbvs58]

@OBAX ......I cannot remember having a calf go from perfectly fine one feeding, ESPECIALLY an older calf, to sick, down, and watery diarrhea with nothing have changed except the milk replacer. Especially if the calf has been under my care for a period of time....
Since I had a SIMILAR thing happen, with a new bag of milk replacer once, I felt like that could most likely be the culprit. If the poster had already put 2 bags into the calf over time, the calf was not a brand new baby. I have had a few that have gone down quickly, but they have almost always been real young, mostly under 2 weeks is when they seem to be most likely to succumb to a fast acting stomach type ailment,caused by one of several known problems calves get.

Speaking from my own experience only, as are most all the answers that other members give here. I have raised countless numbers of calves over the years, on replacer and on nurse cows.

You learn what things seem to trigger problems, and I have also learned that there were farms where their "bugs/germs" were NOT compatible with the bugs/germs on my farm and I could not raise 1 in 10 of their calves. Other farms, I would be able to take weak and sickly calves and get them to turn around.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Yes more often than not when something changes and there is an observed effect it pays to look closely at what was changed but still keep an open mind.

Ken

 

[OBAX]

All I'm saying is there are a thousand things that can make a calf sick with no warning. Pneumonia, coccidia, salmonella, rotavirus, parasites, and the list goes on and on. Most are environmental and can affect any animal without warning.
Our first instinct is to blame something easy like the feed or the milk, when in fact, that's the least likely culprit.

 

[kmcmillen]

Thanks everyone for the input, I have learned a bunch! I may never know what happened but, calf is doing great!

 

[Double R Ranch]

Thanks everyone for the input, I have learned a bunch! I may never know what happened but, calf is doing great!

Thank you for the updates! Glad your calf is better.

 

[Hereford2]

Several years back I lost a calf, due to contaminated milk replacer. Don't remember what the contaminate was. But the vet said it was the replacer. Thankfully calves were way cheaper than they are now. It still sucked to lose it.