Worrying about scours - 3 week old heifer

[Ernie]

I've got a 3 week old Jersey calf I recently purchased. I don't know how long she's been separated from her mother, or if she received adequate colostrum.

She's been scouring a little, but not too bad. What I consider normal loose stool for a calf on milk replacer. I'm feeding her unmedicated milk replacer now and considering switching to the medicated brand (to control scours).

This morning I noticed a small amount of blood in her stool. Not a lot, and the stool is the normal yellow custard color, but the blood alarms me. She's gone through the stress of transportation and being in a new home for the past two days now, so maybe that's not a huge worry ... but I'm a worry wart when it comes to these things.

She's up, got a healthy appetite and is bright eyed. She's grazing a little and mills around in the pasture a lot, calling for me mostly. She's overly thin and I'm thinking I may try and up her ration from the recommended 2 quarts per feeding, two feedings a day ... though I haven't figured out what to up it to yet, particularly with the scours going on.

Any advice is helpful. She seems like she's got a good will to live, and in my experience that will pull a young animal through as much as anything else, but I'd like to help her along if I can.

[agmantoo]

Upping the ration would IMO be a mistake as she is already on the verge of scouring. If you want to give her more to eat start introducing a grain ration in addition to the two quarts twice per day.

[Ernie]

Thanks, ag. That was kind of my worry as well, and all the cattle books I've got seem to support that. I've given her access to grain, but she's not eating it. Should I try a touch of molasses, or maybe a whole grain instead of a milled grain?

[Key]

Hi, Ernie. We raise some calves, and I try to get calf stater grain into them ASAP....even during thier first week. I was convinced to try it after reading some studies by Penn State (Google if itnerested). I just wait until after they drink thier milk replacer when they are licking for more, and I put a little gain in my hand and put it in thier mouth. They get the idea after a few times (some faster than others).
In regards to the scours, ....I wish I could offer some advice that works every time, but we have had mixed success. I would avoid upping the amount of milk replacer, but I do always have fresh water for each calf to access.

[topside1]

Ernie, don't give more milk. If anything I'd reduce the amount of milk, 3 pints is plenty for a full blooded Jersey. Keeping them alive for the first 3-4 weeks is priority one. Adding weight will come later naturally. Buy one bag of calf starter/grower it's the feed of choice for calves. She should be genuinely experiementing with grains and grasses @ 3-4 weeks old. Dribble some milk replacer powder on her grain, that may help. I have seen blood in the stool before, usually it's nothing to worry about, many reasons for it, just monitor the stools form and amounts of blood. True scours as you know will be pure liquid discharge and will kill a calf in under 8 hours without treatment....Keep a close eye on the heifer and don't hesitate to keep asking questions...TJ

[Key]

TJ-great idea...I never thought about dribbling replacer on the grain! I will tyr it with my current calf.

[Ernie]

Yeah, lots of great ideas. Thanks, folks. I'm feeling better here.

I went up to my local feed store and picked up some medicated calf replacer. It's a 4 day course that includes antibiotics, probiotics, and electrolytes. I'm going to start here on that tonight, as a "just in case I'm not overreacting" type deal. I'm feeling like I might be overreacting. However, the dairy where I picked this beauty up was not the cleanest in the world, and I realized after I left that I have no idea why the mother wasn't around (Did they sell her? Did she die? Were they just not willing to show her to me because of bad genetics?) I had some doubts about buying her, but her health seemed alright at the time and I've been looking for a Jersey heifer for almost a year now in Northern Illinois and not having any luck. The only other one I've found was 3x the price and a 16 hour drive.

She's up and moving around, bright-eyed and calling for me if I get more than 3 feet away, which ain't easy to do. She's glued to my hip and I'm wondering what I'm going to do when she's 800 pounds and trying to climb into my lap.



Her name is Heidi. I'm hoping her scours is just from the stress of being transported away from the only home she's known. I am not normally one to go nuts over livestock, or to confuse the pets-vs-livestock issue, but I've got to confess that this little lady has captured my heart.

[Madsaw]

Ernie,
The blood in the poop is a sign of cocsidiacosissis ( spelling) If it does not get worse it could be just from teh stress of moving and the weather. It is treated with anyone of the sulfer based drugs on the market. Best bet would be getting a bottle of Sulumet and mixing it in with her milk. But, this will leave a bitter taste to the milk sometimes and they might not drink it. Or get some SMZ tablets from your vet( these are bactrum we humans take)
What part of Northern IL are you from?
I am just over the boarder in WI
Bob

[Ernie]

I'm out near Caledonia. I had to go up almost to Green Bay to get this calf. Got a good LGD that trip too.

I've been worried about the coccidia. Worried enough to consider a preemptive bout of medication.

[Madsaw]

When you was looking did you try Gil-bar (Barlass famliy) farms just east of Janseville? They are a very top breeder. I have had some of the Barlass cattle bloodlines before. I am about 2 hrs from Rockford.
Yes a dose of a sulfa mew will help just incase of any problems associated with coccidia. Also it will help with any chance of pneumonia due to this wacky weather we are having now too.
Bob

[Ernie]

Gah, no, I never even heard of Gil-bar. I watched craigslist, asked around, posted notices in all the feed stores and stopped at every farm I drove by for a year and asked if they had a calf or were going to have a calf.

She's doing pretty well today, even despite the scours. She's kicking up her heels and running around in the pasture more, and even coming up behind me when I'm working and giving me a head bunt. If the dang flies would stop trying to eat her alive then I think she may pull out of this, with medication.

In my experience, a happy animal with a will to live can overcome a lot, but an unhappy one with no spirit will die if you look at it wrong.

[menollyrj]

Originally Posted by Ernie

However, the dairy where I picked this beauty up was not the cleanest in the world, and I realized after I left that I have no idea why the mother wasn't around (Did they sell her? Did she die? Were they just not willing to show her to me because of bad genetics?)

In many dairies, the calves are separated from the mother almost at birth and fed colostrum by the dairyman (or woman). Often, they don't even get to nurse at the teat. I wouldn't let the absence of the mother stress you out. Why were they selling a heifer? Maybe the dairy didn't need any more replacement heifers - a bumper crop of females this year? Also, it is common to sell a "heifer's heifer," as the belief is a heifer's calf is usually smaller, and dairies are all about increased production, not a small heifer/calf/cow. We have two Holstein heifers that were "heifer's heifers," and they are growing just fine. Don't stress! <grin>

-Joy

[Ernie]

Originally Posted by menollyrj

In many dairies, the calves are separated from the mother almost at birth and fed colostrum by the dairyman (or woman). Often, they don't even get to nurse at the teat. I wouldn't let the absence of the mother stress you out. Why were they selling a heifer? Maybe the dairy didn't need any more replacement heifers - a bumper crop of females this year? Also, it is common to sell a "heifer's heifer," as the belief is a heifer's calf is usually smaller, and dairies are all about increased production, not a small heifer/calf/cow. We have two Holstein heifers that were "heifer's heifers," and they are growing just fine. Don't stress! <grin>

-Joy

So hard not to stress. More so than any other animal on the farm, this cow represents our independence from the grid. I have a lot of high hopes for her and a few others to eventually come. I come from a long line of beef men, so dairy cows are absolutely foreign to me. I think I was twenty years old before I realized there were other types of cows besides Hereford and Brahman.

I'm not sure about this dairy. It was a one woman operation and the whole thing sort of looked like it was about to come apart at the seams. It's pretty admirable that she's holding on to it, but man, I bet she's working like a fiend from dawn to dusk.

I'm really not qualified though to be judging dairies. I've seen exactly three of them in my whole life, and two of them were display/tour type dairies, so obviously they're going to be cleaner and with the best cattle out front. Lord knows my own barn needs a cleaning 10 months out of 12.

[Madsaw]

Originally Posted by Ernie

Gah, no, I never even heard of Gil-bar. I watched craigslist, asked around, posted notices in all the feed stores and stopped at every farm I drove by for a year and asked if they had a calf or were going to have a calf.

She's doing pretty well today, even despite the scours. She's kicking up her heels and running around in the pasture more, and even coming up behind me when I'm working and giving me a head bunt. If the dang flies would stop trying to eat her alive then I think she may pull out of this, with medication.

In my experience, a happy animal with a will to live can overcome a lot, but an unhappy one with no spirit will die if you look at it wrong.

I am thinking just some sulfa drugs should do the job. Maybe a few days of penicillin just to be safe.
I have said it in many posts before about using Screw worm Spray to keep the flys away from the butts and to kill magots. You can get this at Farm and Fleet and many feed stores should carry it.
If your looking for more I have some crosses to sell. Here is a link to Gil-Bar
http://home.earthlink.net/~gil-bar/
I would think there would be cheaper animals then buying from them though. I also know of a few jersey farmers near me too.
Bob