Too many cow issues to count!

[Melissa8191]

ok...so me and my husband are new to owning cattle. We are trying to raise beef cattle...just for our families consumption but have had so much trouble were reconsidering. :-( Any solid advice would be greatly appreciated as we are apparently on a huge learning curve.

Some background...(bear with me please).

We have about 10 acres of fenced pasture...not used in several years so the grass is high. We purchased 2 heiffers and a bull from an operation that had been previously used by a friend of ours doing the same for his family for the last 4 years. They warranty their cows for 3 weeks and our friend claimed he had never gotten sick cows from the man...

So home come the heifers (I did not accompany my husband to pick them out...it was a man's field trip) and we come home with one very small heifer (6 months) brown swiss/black angus mix, a red angus bull (6 months), and another brown swiss/black angus heifer (8 months old). We put them in the back pens at first (tall grass) and they happily begin grazing. We de-wormed them all, and the feed store told me I should give them a CDT vaccine, which I give to the two heifers, but the bull kindly refused. Immediately we have problems...

I notice that the older heifer is shedding hair. 4 days later I notice a cough and green discharge coming from her nose. It is rodeo season where I live, so the vet is not available. We speak to her several times on the phone and she assures me that a lot of animals are sick up where we are right now because of the crazy temperature swings. She tells us to go to the local feed store and they can get us penicillin that should do the trick. I'm not crazy about filling her up with antibiotics, but she is moving a little slow, we give IM Penicillin for a week and she appears to be doing better. Day 8 we go out to give her the shot and she is staggering and foaming at the mouth. We call different vet from in the valley who comes within 2 hours, shoots her up with stronger antibiotics. She dies 4 hours later...

The next am we notice green discharge coming from the noses of the other two. The bull is so mean and hard to catch that we just end up dumping oxytetracycline in his water for a week and it clears up without developing any other symptoms. Same goes for the heifer, but now she has diarrhea. We take the feed store advice once again and change her over to oat hay. She has just finished the oxytetracycline, and the other two do not have diarrhea, so maybe feed related.

The bull looks great for 3 weeks...the little heifer develops some circular spots of hair loss on the side of her head...and then one on her forehead that appears crusty. I am thinking ring worm? Then over the course of a day she develops what appears to be a grapefruit size abscess under her right jaw. Goody! The diarrhea has turned to mashed potatoes, but not resolved. We put her out to pasture to get her to a fresh environment. So the vet tells us to watch it and it will probably resolve on its own. She is eating, bouncing around, not acting sick, gaining weight. We wait...

However, the first heifer that died was under warranty. So my husband goes back a little more cautiously and ends up getting x2 steer calves to replace her. Hey look ok...

and five days later..one of them mysteriously drops dead. The other one appears to be doing fine and gaining wt.

And now the new steer, bull, and the heifer appear to may be have ringworm? small circular patches of missing hair on their head.

So currently
Big D (stand for Diablo because he is mean) : Maybe ringworm?
Small Heifer : Abscess (can't drain it yet because it is still too solid), ringworm? Diarrhea (mashed potatoes)
Steer: Ringworm?

Every thing we try seems to illicit another problem. We did de-worm them all again. I was able to get a needle in the abscess and drain out a small amount of puss but nothing significant. We can't get anything topical on the bull for ringworm because he is impossible to catch. Was told that there was an iodine based treatment for ringworm I could mix with their grain? I'm at a loss...

 

[JMJ Farms]

Wish I could help but there are just WAY too many variables. You need a vet or a local knowledgeable cattlemen at the least to come and take a look.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Here is my 2 cents.

First off, poop that is consistency of mash potatoes is OKAY. Not a problem. You have lots of fresh grass and they are eating plenty.
Next, ringworm with clear itself up without treatment in about 6 weeks. Or you can dab something on it every day and clear it up in 5 1/2 weeks. Your call. Yes it will spread thru all the youngsters before it is done.

My biggest question would be about the seller of the cattle. He sounds like a trader that buys and sells a lot. Young stock are most susceptible to the diseases that are probably being passed around at his place if that is the case. Might need to come up with a better source for healthy cattle that are already vaccinated and healthy.

You have wormed them plenty and they don't need more worming unless you test a fecal sample and it has worms/ova. DO vaccinate if you have not already done so.

As for the abcess, only a vet can determine what is going on there. I'm wondering if the seller didn't drain it right before he sold her to you. Some masses on the jaw are not good at all, others can be cured.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Aside from what others have said, I would strongly suggest getting rid of the bull. If you have problems now, you can't imagine what you will be in for in a couple of months. If you are just feeding them to eat, as a beginner project, stick to steers. Get your feet wet with a couple of good beef steer calves started on feed, from a breeder, not a trader. Not to be mean, but it sounds like you have limited knowledge and networking in respect to cattle. What are you going to do when the heifer finally calves? Which, by the way, may be quite a bit earlier than two years old if you keep pasturing her with the bull. Again, not to sound harsh, but a lot of things can go bad with cattle when you have decades of experience, so you are kinda jumping in the deep end of the pool with floaties on at this point.

Keep posting though, there is a ton of knowledge on this site and as you get your feet wet, it will really help. Best of luck!

 

[Cross-7]

As JMJ said the problems you have can't be diagnosed on the Internet
But I question the quality of the cattle
The history
The vaccination program
The Vet prescribing penicillin over the phone

You at the very least need to vaccinate them upon receiving them
As you have found out respiratory is bad news and requires stronger antibiotics
Rings worms are no big deal, they'll go away without treatment
Scours unless it's running like water or bloody then it could be the weather, high moisture grass and etc.
Get a vet or someone more experienced to help and again the source of the cattle and quality may be your biggest problem

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

Wouldn't worry about the ringworm like LauraleesFarm said it will eventually clear up on its own. Calves dieing and foam in the mouth sounds like shipping fever to me. Penicillin will not help, I would recommend giving them a shot of Draxxin, will save a calf more often than not if they're not too far gone. Where these calves raised on his farm? If not would also look for another source, sounds like a trader but I could be wrong.

 

[Kenany Farm]

If you want to have couple of cows to raise their steers for beef you should start with couple steers first to learn the trade. When you feel confident enough, buy three mature bred cows (they know what they are doing) instead of raising them from young heifers, a lot of work and many problems may occur. If you only have 2 or 3 heifers/cows you don`t really need to own a bull, as it is a lot of responsibility to keep for breeding just 2, so i suggest you buy bred cows, and when it is time to breed back rent/lease a bull from a good reputable breeder to guarantee that there will be no health issues.

Ringworm will go away on its own, and the cattle from there on are immune from getting it again, scratching it to apply iodine will spread it, and if you did it in a barn, it will remain in the wood pours and will come again to infect other young cows in the future.

An advice, always pen new animals that come to your place for at least a week, so you can monitor them, and give them medical help if needed, plus they will calm down much better than being dumped in a new pasture. One more advice, if you ever buy a cow or steer or a bull that is mean, you don`t put up with it, make that animal grow wheels.

 

[boondocks]

Get.Rid.Of.The.Bull!
Before it hurts someone.
And as another poster pointed out, you are running a serious risk of heifers getting bred too young.
I don't know the person that sold these animals to you, but I question his/her judgment, especially if he/she knew how green you are (no offense; we have only been at this a few years ourselves).
Take your time and if you continue, go MUCH slower, and start with seasoned, calm animals. And no way do you want to have a bull around for 2 heifers, IMHO.

 

[Muddy]

Get rid of the bull ASAP.

 

[jerry27150]

any poison weeds they could be getting into? we always gave shot of antibiotic to any new feeder calves we bought as they will get sick within a few days. swelling on jaw could be an abcessed tooth that will heal in time. vaccinate for blackleg, respiratory & overeaters. did they appear to bloat on one side & breathe hard before dying, could be overeaters on that much grass

 

[tja477t]

id steer the bull unless he is truly mean then id sell him. is he actually coming at you or is he running from you and not letting you catch him. a lot of calves at 6 months arent going to let you handle them.