Severly constipated Calf??? Help!

[anniebannanie]

I have a 5 day old calf ive had 2 days. On the ride home he pooped in the kennel he was in but has not since and its been almost 3 days. He is urinating normally though and does not seem to dehydrated. He is taking the bottle well and eats 1 qt. 2 times a day so far....but he is looking a little thin...so this has me totally baffled..if he is eating but not pooping i would think he would get bloated looking right???? Running out of time though its already been almost 3 days and he is very young...THIS IS MY FIRST CALF! HELP!

 

[tapeworm]

hate to have to state the obvious...but unless you keep his *pooper* in sight 24 hours a day you might not see any if youve got dogs around. Why dont you bring him in the house away from any animals that might dine on the sweet tasty little or dervs that you call "poop"

 

[Medic24]

Well, don't panic there... is the poor thang aint bloated, and everything seems normal...meaning it passing plenty of water, and eating fine, energetic etc.......the poop is likely goin someplace else... meaning dogs etc....
you know it CAN poop, so no worries .
if your that worried though. get your finger gloved and pop it in there and see if manure smear comes out with it... if it does then it is operating normally .

keep us updated will yah? And good luck.
:cboy:

 

[ctlbaron]

1 quart twice a day is not enough anyway, you won't see much poop action out of that. If it's eating good, it should be getting at least 6 pints of milk a day.

 

[jt]

i agree that one qt is not enough twice a day... imo you need to double that now, and maybe more as he grows.

jt

 

[msscamp]

1 quart twice a day is not enough anyway, you won't see much poop action out of that. If it's eating good, it should be getting at least 6 pints of milk a day.

Ummmm, I would make that at least 8 pints of milk replacer a day, depending on his size. I've currently got a week old bottle calf (apprx 90-100 lbs) I got from a feedlot that is going through 12 pints of milk replacer a day, plus COB, and wants more!

 

[Medic24]

Yup... I missed that part about the amount fed.... way too little...........thats why they make 2 and 3 qt. bottles........are we getting poop action yet? :cboy:

 

[msscamp]

P.S. Do not increase to 8 or 12 pints all at once or you will have a scouring calf. Increase gradually, I usually increase by 1/2 a pint for a few feedings, if that goes well (no scours), then another 1/2 pint, etc, until the calf is up to the amount he needs to be at.

 

[Rookie]

I be in agreement with ctlbaron. All our babies be gettin 2 qts twice a day from the start. If one be exceptional :shock: big we maybe give him 2 1/2 qts twice a day, but ya need ta be careful with that. Needs be a really big calf else we feed 2 qts.

george

 

[msscamp]

And then you wonder why bottle calves never do as well as calves on their moma's......

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

And then you wonder why bottle calves never do as well as calves on their moma's......

There's no way that any milk replacer can be as good as mama's milk, there are components in fresh milk that just can't be duplicated.

Calves can drink a large amount of mama's milk, but feeding more than 10% of the calf's birth weight in replacer daily is just asking for digestive problems. You also have to make sure that the replacer is ALL MILK and has adequate protein and fat (20/20). Calves under 3 weeks of age can't digest soy and very well may waste away and die on a soy-based replacer, if they don't scour and die.

But bottlecalves don't *have* to look deprived.
I wean from replacer when the calf is consuming 2 lbs or so 18% calf starter (usually about 8 weeks of age). Grass hay is introduced at about that same time. (studies show MUCH better early rumen development when only grain/starter is fed during bottlefeeding and the hay is introduced later)
From then on they get 2% of their body weight in starter/grower, hay is limited because if allowed free access, they'll fill up on the hay and won't get the protein they need to grow. If I start to see a potbelly, I reassess the amount of hay and/or increase the protein. When they go to the salebarn, my calves look just as good, and bring just as much as (and sometimes more than), the calves raised by their mamas.

Ann B

 

[ctlbaron]

How do you keep a calf on the cow from grazing as they will out in the pasture with Mama? I never understood why people think you can't let bottle calves out on pasture like a calf on the cow. Can someone give me a good reason for it. Usually a calf will pick a little grass at 2 weeks old. If they do it out with Mama why not let them do it on the bottle. I have less problems with them out running around than I do with them penned up in a barn. They know better than we do about what they need or want. I get stronger calfs on the pasture than in the barn. I keep them away from big cattle but they have about 10 acres that is just for them. They have feeders with starter available from day one and plenty of fresh water. They will always eat plenty of starter before eating the grass but they like the grass too. I don't put them in a shed unless it's rainy until winter. They would rather be out anyway. If they are healthy I just don't see why they need to be penned up if there isn't a predator problem. When I see him dumping green poop I know he's doing OK. As long as they are out I don't have a pot belly problem. If I keep them up for 2 months and let them out I do. Just my opinion.

 

[flaboy]

Wonder what became of this situation?

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

The problem with letting calves out on pasture too early is the same as with introducing hay too early -- they need a higher level of nutrition than what grass or hay can provide (alfalfa being an exception).
The calf's digestive system is small and only holds a very limited amount of food. If the calf fills up on fiberous foods that contain limited nutrition, he won't have enough room left to take in enough high nutrition food to keep his growth rate up.
Calves that are on the cow are not only getting the nutrition from her rich milk, they're also getting other components that she produces that help with digestion and general health. There are numerous beneficial enzymes present in raw milk, including the fact that the cow customizes her milk to fight off whatever pathogen the calf has contacted.
The calf raised by the cow had the advantage of still receiving milk until he's 5, 6, 7, or even 8 months old.
The bottle calf doesn't have that advantage, from the start he has to digest a formula that nature never intended for him and he no longer gets that formula after he's 2 months old (younger in some management systems). His nutritional intake has to approximate that of the calf on the cow if he's to perform.

Personally, I do allow my bottlecalves out on pasture, but not until they're off of the bottle, eating well, and gaining -- then they're allowed out.

Ann B

 

[dun]

When we raised bottle calves we brought them up in the evening for their bottle and grain. Kept them in over night and after their bottle and grain in the morning turned them back out with the cow herd. We had less health and poor doing calves that way then when we kept them penned until weaned.

dun

 

[ctlbaron]

I agree with you Dun. It just doesn't make since to me. Mine are grazing a little at 2 weeks old right beside the cow. The only way to keep them from picking is to keep them up. I never heard it was a bad thing until now.

 

[Young farmer]

I have a 5 day old calf ive had 2 days. On the ride home he pooped in the kennel he was in but has not since and its been almost 3 days. He is urinating normally though and does not seem to dehydrated. He is taking the bottle well and eats 1 qt. 2 times a day so far....but he is looking a little thin...so this has me totally baffled..if he is eating but not pooping i would think he would get bloated looking right???? Running out of time though its already been almost 3 days and he is very young...THIS IS MY FIRST CALF! HELP!

This may be too late now, but for anyone who's calf isn't pooping. I have had two newborn calf's who have not been pooping. To get them to poop, all you do is rub there stomach and back legs aggressively towards there butt. It has worked every time for me.

 

[sstterry]

I have a 5 day old calf ive had 2 days. On the ride home he pooped in the kennel he was in but has not since and its been almost 3 days. He is urinating normally though and does not seem to dehydrated. He is taking the bottle well and eats 1 qt. 2 times a day so far....but he is looking a little thin...so this has me totally baffled..if he is eating but not pooping i would think he would get bloated looking right???? Running out of time though its already been almost 3 days and he is very young...THIS IS MY FIRST CALF! HELP!

This may be too late now, but for anyone who's calf isn't pooping. I have had two newborn calf's who have not been pooping. To get them to poop, all you do is rub there stomach and back legs aggressively towards there butt. It has worked every time for me.

Welcome to the forum. After 15 years, I am afraid this advice it too late for that calf. But, good to know for future reference.

 

[greggy]

I was gonna say, I hope it had of pooped some by now