steer with runs

LittleRedHen · #1 08/07/08, 10:05 AM

I was gone on vacation this past week and my neighbors tended to my animals. I am thankful but at the same time annoyed now. We had paid my SIL to come over and tend to the animals. She was given a list with instructions on how much to feed the animals. It was based upon every other day amounts. The neighbor was going to come over and move the cow for us (jersey steer tethered to be grass fed) Well the neighbor took over feeding the animals and ended up taking the Jersey steer back to his house to get grass. I am not certain WHY he took the steer to his house because we had grass here if he just moved it a bit. I think he just wanted to play farmer for the week or something. Well now my steer has the runs.

My chicken laying mesh was in a 55 gallon barrel. I had just filled it up just prior to leaving. It should have only been about 25% empty when I got home but instead it is about half gone. I am thinking that the barrel holds about 300-350 lbs of feed. While I can tell the chickens were a bit over fed I think that the steer was getting too much grain too.

I know that the neighbor was feeding him grain. He was not asked to do so but he helped himself. He was asked just to come over and move the steer around on his tether once a day to get fresh grass and to watch his water. My SIL was being paid to feed chickens and rabbits. Well the neighbor took over and was feeding everybody and coming twice a day. The steer went to his house and he did say that he used some feed in a bucket to get the calf to go with him. This calf is about 5 months old. He did not say outright that he had been feeding the steer grain so I didn't say anything further. I figured a tad bit wouldn't hurt him none. A huge storm was coming in and I said I would come get the steer in the morning. As they were leaving the wife said to the husband "shouldn't we get the steer some grain for the evening" and thats when I piped up and said "What? he doesn't get grain, he sure must feel spoiled over there" Thunder was starting to boom and rain was starting so we didn't talk much on it. But the guy said "there just isn't enough grass and he looked up at the sky and told his wife it was time to go" So I dont know how much grain the steer was fed.

But the girls went and got the steer this morning and he is coming back to me with a green rear end. He has green on his legs too. My 10yr old DD said she could see the runs in the grass where she fetched him from and she could see that he had moved him around a bit so i know he wasn't entirely being grain fed. This steer has only had a handful here and there thus far but is otherwise grass fed.

So this is my question. Being that I know it has been more than 12 hours since he got grain last and he doesn't look like he is horribly bloated or anything, is he fine? Dh told me once about a hoelstein that he had growing up that got into the grain and a vet had to come out and use a needle to deflate the cow and while he didn't die, he sure poo'd for awhile and was miserable.

I am annoyed at the neighbor but at the same time thankful that he was willing to help. But next time I will just stick to paying my SIL and not let the neighbor know we are leaving. Besides it would only be for 1-2 days at a time instead of a week. This was our big camping trip and now my husband is back to work so no more big trips. I am really kicking myself though. I will be very upset if we lose the steer.

Any suggestions or advice for the steer? or is it just a matter of time and he will be fine?

LittleRedHen · #2 08/07/08, 10:07 AM

Oh and I wanted to konw if the chicken laying mash would be bad for the steer too in and of itself. It is a Co-Op type mix so it isn't highly processed chicken pellets but I would think it would have certain things to it that a cow wouldn't need that are needed for laying hens. I am not certain but I would like to know if anyone knows about the safety of the mesh

JKB07 · #3 08/07/08, 11:15 AM

If he were bloated, you would know it. Bloat can kill a cow within 3 hours.... Whats ure neighbors grass like compared to yours? If he was getting to green grass at the neighbors, than hes gonna have the runs. If thats the case, then there is nothing to worry about. What all are you feeding this steer? Just grass from a teather? How much grass is he getting. At five months old, he needs a little more I would say....

JKB

LittleRedHen · #4 08/07/08, 11:30 AM

same grass as here

I checked his poo when he went a bit ago and it has a lot of bits of corn in it. Not watery runs but about halfway there.

I am not sure how much grass he gets a day. He refuses to eat hay and will only eat fresh grass. He has a 25 foot chain so he gets a 50 foot circle. He is a Jersey and weighs probably about 350-400 lbs right now. It takes him about half a day to eat down the grass if it is only 4-6 inches tall. (depending upon thickness) But for our trip I had left half the area to get up to about 8-10 inches of grass and he had plenty here. (now the area looks like a jungle since he wasn't eating it and we had lots of rain lol) We plan on butchering him in the fall and not holding him over winter because we are looking for lean meat and he refuses to eat hay. So he seems to be getting plenty to eat here. He is growing well and doesn't moo unless his water is low.

Madsaw · #5 08/07/08, 12:12 PM

What day did you pick him up? With possible to much grain this can cause a problem in the guts called acidious. As a precaution treatment of penicillin might be needed to ward off any infection caused by this.
Bob

JKB07 · #6 08/07/08, 12:50 PM

I would not recomend using antibiotics at this point. Acidosis can be treated by directly targeting the problem. Just get him back to his normal eatin habbits. Its very odd he wont eat hay. What kind of hay are you feeding? Good hay can settle the problem. Do you have any picture of him?

JKB

agmantoo · #7 08/07/08, 01:00 PM

The good neighbor just moved the steer from one green spot to another as rapidly as it was eaten. The calf has somewhat over eaten from its normal intake. He has grass scours and will return to normal as he readjusts to your old schedule.

LittleRedHen · #8 08/07/08, 02:00 PM

I got him back this morning

He was at the neighbors for 4 days

My DD said that there was only 3 patches where he was moved so I do not believe he was moved any sooner than he would have here. The only difference has been the fact he was given grain at least twice a day with uncertain amounts. (anywhere from 5 lbs to 30 lbs total)

I do not know the type of hay that we have. It is baled and purchased from a friend. I had traded some chickens for it and the woman said it was hay that she fed her horses and her FIL also fed his cows. It isn't super dark green premium hay by any means. I don't see alfalfa and it is somewhat more pale than the hay I bought from the co-op. He ate it at first until my grass turned green and since then he hasn't ate any of it.

Karin L · #9 08/07/08, 09:31 PM

Don't worry about it. He's just as typical as any bovine put out on grass after a diet of hay, and they would get the runs, but its because the microbes in his rumen are just doing some adjusting to the new diet. No wonder he won't eat hay, grass tastes WAY better'n dry dusty ol' hay (not saying its dusty and old, mind, but its a figure of speech).

You don't need to go waste your money on antibiotics or any of that stuff, he's perfectly fine. And like I said, he won't eat hay because grass tastes better than hay. Period.

LittleRedHen · #10 08/07/08, 09:39 PM

Karin i can understand why he would chose fresh grass too LOL.. But I wish he wasn't so stubborn sometimes and therefore I could keep him longer

Madsaw · #11 08/07/08, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleRedHen

same grass as here

I checked his poo when he went a bit ago and it has a lot of bits of corn in it. Not watery runs but about halfway there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleRedHen

I got him back this morning

He was at the neighbors for 4 days

My DD said that there was only 3 patches where he was moved so I do not believe he was moved any sooner than he would have here. The only difference has been the fact he was given grain at least twice a day with uncertain amounts. (anywhere from 5 lbs to 30 lbs total)

I do not know the type of hay that we have. It is baled and purchased from a friend. I had traded some chickens for it and the woman said it was hay that she fed her horses and her FIL also fed his cows. It isn't super dark green premium hay by any means. I don't see alfalfa and it is somewhat more pale than the hay I bought from the co-op. He ate it at first until my grass turned green and since then he hasn't ate any of it.

First off you discriptions are great. Gives me a Idea what is going on.
First if in 4 days let say this calf had gotten the 30 lbs. Thats alot for his size. Secondly the signs of alot of corn bits is showing he is passing it through. Which is good. These small bits will cause irrataion in the walls of the intestines. thus a little irratation will not be bad, but its when a infection starts when the problem start. So watch him real close for a few days. If any doubt hit him with some penicillin. Watery diarreha less active not wanting to eat things like that.
Sounds like you got your hands on a grass hay. When they are on pasture its hard to get them to eat it.
If you need more help just ask
Bob