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sickly bottle calf
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<blockquote data-quote="Anonymous" data-source="post: 17286"><p>I get days old calfs. Auction is on Wens. so born on Tues. are 1 day old, born fri. are 5 day. I only have a couple so I bucket feed. It takes a couple days to get them on the bucket and up and going. The biggest thing is don't cheap out on milk replacer. I buy and use the best medicated milk replacer I can get. We raised many bucket calves and scours was almost garenteed at some point. We used the tablets and deluted the milk. (Bacteria in the intestines causes scours so the diluted mixture gave the bacteria less food.) With the medicated milk replacer I use now I have not had a problem with scours (they get a little antibiotic with each meal). So first check the milk replacer, is it medicated? If not you will want to treat, either with shots, tablets, powders; check with feed store, vet or local farmer on what is availible, dosage etc. 1/2 gal. AM and PM and on calf starter @ 10 days? I usually offer 1 gal. each feeding with a bucket. The first couple days there is waste as they are learning and they only drink about 1/2 a gallon. After they get the hang of the bucket they will go to a gallon AM and PM then up to 1 1/2 gallon AM and PM. The replacer costs I realize, but it is the best thing other then mamma. 10 days to be on starter seems quick to me. I have a 3 1/2 week old calf right now. I just introduced her to starter. She is feeding on the 1 1/2 gal. AM and PM. Next week I will start reducing milk. She has water availible 24 hours in her stall and now the calf starter 24 hours. As milk is reduced I expect her to move to water and starter. I would suggest you check milk replacer if not medicated then treat for scours. Increase the amount per feeding to at least 1 gal. and relax on the starter. Calves with mamma live on milk alone for a few weeks. His tummy may not be ready for the starter especially if he is not drinking enough water with it. 1 gal. of water a day does not seem like enough to me. Replacer and starter and only one gallon of water a day is a lot of nutrients in his system and not much water. If you stay with the starter then at least increase the amount he is drinking even if amount of replacer you add is the same. Replacer and starter are food and water is water. So deluted replacer and grain can give him enough food and water or increase the amount of milk replacer with the increase of water and drop the grain. (This is what I would do and use medicated milk replacer). My schedual for a bucket calf then is: 1st week- train on bucket 1/2 gal. AM&PM</p><p></p><p>2-3rd week- Quality medicated milk replacer increasing up to 1 1/2 gal. AM&PM by the end of week 2.</p><p></p><p>4th week- introduce calf stater and water 1 1/2 gal. repalcer AM&PM</p><p></p><p>5th-6th week reduce slowly milk replacer to 1/2 gal. AM&PM by the end of week 6. Water and starter availible 24/7</p><p></p><p>7th-8th week - 1/2 gal. AM&PM for suppliment and min. med. as the calf moves to grain and water.</p><p></p><p>8th week on- starter and water 24/7 until they start on hay and finishing starter between feedings. Then move on to grain mix in starter increasing grain until they are eventually on AM&PM grain feedings and hay. Water 24/7</p><p></p><p>About 3-6 months depending on time of year they were born turn out to pasture with AM&PM grain and hay until they are on the grass. Again water 24/7 This is for small time family farm with a few head. But it gives calves a good start. Other things to make sure of: their stall is dry and draft free. Calves can take cold but not draft and neither if they are damp. Make sure the stall drains or is cleaned often and has plenty of bedding. I start with straw and wood shaving and then hay as they move off of milk replacer. Another note kind of on the side. I am lazy. I have a well drained stall for calves that I do not clean until the calf is out. The thick straw and wood chips makes a base that later with hay allows liquids to drain down through. The base in the stall will grow to at least a foot deep. The bottom layer will start to compost in the stall. This actually produces some heat in the floor of the stall. (remember I am in NY and cold winters and young calves is a concern) Went the calf is put to pasture I clean the stall right out to my wife's garden. This makes great compost for her garden. So by not cleaning I get heat, less work and an impoved garden. This only works if the stall drains well. Also always clean completely between calves and disinfect. I hope this helps. Increase his water intake. Being 10 days old and a Holstein I assume he is about 110 lbs give or take 20lbs. I think he needs more then 7% of his weight in water per day. Mine is getting 3 gals to 120lbs. That is 20% of her weight in water each day. She needs this to matabolise food, grow and keep her digestive system in working order. Anything less then 10% of weight in water per day seems very low to me for a growing calf.</p><p></p><p>> i am very inexperienced but</p><p>> willing to do what i need to do.i</p><p>> have a 10 day old holstein bull</p><p>> calf that is a wide backed large</p><p>> healthy calf when i bought it at 3</p><p>> days old. it took 2 days to get it</p><p>> to feed .it was weak but know it</p><p>> is on schedule with other calfs</p><p>> and drinks half gal.in am and</p><p>> another half gal.in pm of purina</p><p>> milk replacer & eating calf</p><p>> starter.now his eyes are draining,</p><p>> runny nose,loose stool,strains to</p><p>> poop.but still nurses a bottle</p><p>> great but you can tell he's</p><p>> weak-sick WHAT DO I NEED TO DO ?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> <a href="mailto:altsciguy@yahoo.com">altsciguy@yahoo.com</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Anonymous, post: 17286"] I get days old calfs. Auction is on Wens. so born on Tues. are 1 day old, born fri. are 5 day. I only have a couple so I bucket feed. It takes a couple days to get them on the bucket and up and going. The biggest thing is don't cheap out on milk replacer. I buy and use the best medicated milk replacer I can get. We raised many bucket calves and scours was almost garenteed at some point. We used the tablets and deluted the milk. (Bacteria in the intestines causes scours so the diluted mixture gave the bacteria less food.) With the medicated milk replacer I use now I have not had a problem with scours (they get a little antibiotic with each meal). So first check the milk replacer, is it medicated? If not you will want to treat, either with shots, tablets, powders; check with feed store, vet or local farmer on what is availible, dosage etc. 1/2 gal. AM and PM and on calf starter @ 10 days? I usually offer 1 gal. each feeding with a bucket. The first couple days there is waste as they are learning and they only drink about 1/2 a gallon. After they get the hang of the bucket they will go to a gallon AM and PM then up to 1 1/2 gallon AM and PM. The replacer costs I realize, but it is the best thing other then mamma. 10 days to be on starter seems quick to me. I have a 3 1/2 week old calf right now. I just introduced her to starter. She is feeding on the 1 1/2 gal. AM and PM. Next week I will start reducing milk. She has water availible 24 hours in her stall and now the calf starter 24 hours. As milk is reduced I expect her to move to water and starter. I would suggest you check milk replacer if not medicated then treat for scours. Increase the amount per feeding to at least 1 gal. and relax on the starter. Calves with mamma live on milk alone for a few weeks. His tummy may not be ready for the starter especially if he is not drinking enough water with it. 1 gal. of water a day does not seem like enough to me. Replacer and starter and only one gallon of water a day is a lot of nutrients in his system and not much water. If you stay with the starter then at least increase the amount he is drinking even if amount of replacer you add is the same. Replacer and starter are food and water is water. So deluted replacer and grain can give him enough food and water or increase the amount of milk replacer with the increase of water and drop the grain. (This is what I would do and use medicated milk replacer). My schedual for a bucket calf then is: 1st week- train on bucket 1/2 gal. AM&PM 2-3rd week- Quality medicated milk replacer increasing up to 1 1/2 gal. AM&PM by the end of week 2. 4th week- introduce calf stater and water 1 1/2 gal. repalcer AM&PM 5th-6th week reduce slowly milk replacer to 1/2 gal. AM&PM by the end of week 6. Water and starter availible 24/7 7th-8th week - 1/2 gal. AM&PM for suppliment and min. med. as the calf moves to grain and water. 8th week on- starter and water 24/7 until they start on hay and finishing starter between feedings. Then move on to grain mix in starter increasing grain until they are eventually on AM&PM grain feedings and hay. Water 24/7 About 3-6 months depending on time of year they were born turn out to pasture with AM&PM grain and hay until they are on the grass. Again water 24/7 This is for small time family farm with a few head. But it gives calves a good start. Other things to make sure of: their stall is dry and draft free. Calves can take cold but not draft and neither if they are damp. Make sure the stall drains or is cleaned often and has plenty of bedding. I start with straw and wood shaving and then hay as they move off of milk replacer. Another note kind of on the side. I am lazy. I have a well drained stall for calves that I do not clean until the calf is out. The thick straw and wood chips makes a base that later with hay allows liquids to drain down through. The base in the stall will grow to at least a foot deep. The bottom layer will start to compost in the stall. This actually produces some heat in the floor of the stall. (remember I am in NY and cold winters and young calves is a concern) Went the calf is put to pasture I clean the stall right out to my wife's garden. This makes great compost for her garden. So by not cleaning I get heat, less work and an impoved garden. This only works if the stall drains well. Also always clean completely between calves and disinfect. I hope this helps. Increase his water intake. Being 10 days old and a Holstein I assume he is about 110 lbs give or take 20lbs. I think he needs more then 7% of his weight in water per day. Mine is getting 3 gals to 120lbs. That is 20% of her weight in water each day. She needs this to matabolise food, grow and keep her digestive system in working order. Anything less then 10% of weight in water per day seems very low to me for a growing calf. > i am very inexperienced but > willing to do what i need to do.i > have a 10 day old holstein bull > calf that is a wide backed large > healthy calf when i bought it at 3 > days old. it took 2 days to get it > to feed .it was weak but know it > is on schedule with other calfs > and drinks half gal.in am and > another half gal.in pm of purina > milk replacer & eating calf > starter.now his eyes are draining, > runny nose,loose stool,strains to > poop.but still nurses a bottle > great but you can tell he's > weak-sick WHAT DO I NEED TO DO ? [email=altsciguy@yahoo.com]altsciguy@yahoo.com[/email] [/QUOTE]
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