Bottle Calf Question

[MamaWolfInWV]

I purchased a Holstien calf Friday night from a sale barn, I don't know anything about it really. It looked pretty healthy and its cord had already fallen off so I am thinking around 7+ days old? Anway, yesterday morning I got calf replacer from the feed store, they were out of Land O Lakes so the only thing avalible was medicated Purina. The calf took 3 pints early yesterday morning, drank a small ammount of water throughout the day and pulled a very small ammount of grass. During the day it had two stools which the first was kind of mushy and brown, the second was a little runny but still brown. Yesterday evening the calf refused to eat at all and this morning it had passed some stuff that looked like milk. Very watery and white in color. It gets up and moves around but does lie down most of the time. What would you guys say is wrong? Scours? Bad replacer? Anything?

[Sarah J]

Is this the first time he's had a bottle? Any change can make a difference. The milk replacer could be bad (is it soy based??). It could be his body rejecting the change in diet.

I'd say get some whole milk from the grocery store and fill him up quick. If he isn't eating like he should (at one + weeks he should be getting two quarts, twice a day to equal one gallon a day) then he can go downhill fast!

If he doesn't take the bottle you may have to tube feed him. It isn't difficult but can be daunting for the first time or two...

Sarah
(certainly not the expert here!)

[SHELBY]

How much does he weigh.??? If he has white scours that is very bad...You will need to get some electrolytes in him and now...Being he has only had one bottle or 2 of milk replacer I would think that that should have not effected him like this this fast..Do as suggested and give whole milk do this for about 3 to 4 days then gradually start mixing with milk replacer to get them switched over...I do this with mine when I get them and you don't know what they were getting fed before it seems to help their little tummys ... Hopefully someone else with more calf experience can let you know what could have caused it...

[renabeth]

Maybe too much milk replacer. That will give them the scours. I would mix it exactly like it says on the package and give no more than what is recommended. I have raised calves on cheap replacer and never had a problem with it. It also could have picked up something from the sale barn. I would give it some type of antibiotics. They also have scour pills at the co-op, but go easy they can stop them up too much. What type of place is the calf sleeping, it needs to be warm and dry. I tried to raise one on a concrete floor one time and it died. Maybe just a coincidence, I don't know? One more thing make sure the nipple you have has just a tiny hole. It needs to work to get the milk, I think that makes for a better calf in the long run. That's all I know, good luck.

[SHELBY]

Haven't heard anything more from you How's the little one doing??

[MamaWolfInWV]

:worship: Thank you for all of your help everyone, I really appreciate it. To answer all of the questions I did make sure the replacer was milk based before I bought it (had terrible experience with soy before and lost two that way), he sleeps on a wood floor covered with hay in the barn, I guesstimate he weighs around 60-70#s, I don't know if that was the first bottle he had or not. He is doing much much better though.The feed store was closed over the weekend (only one store within 100 miles of me) but I did manage to borrow some electrolytes and scours powder from a friend and gave that to him. Later that evening he started to perk up, started eating again, drank a little water, and nibbled maybe a few bites of hay, the white stuff turned back to brown mush, tried to chew my arm when I took his bottle away :haha: , and has been bouncing around since then. I am really trying here and hope everything works out with this one. He is a really beautiful calf and later on may make a good playmate for my heffer. Thanks again everyone.