Puzzled about a calf

RedBuffalo · #1 02/04/13, 10:04 AM

We purchased 4 bottle calves from the sale barn about a month ago. We lost one after three days from phenumoa (?). And the other three have been doing good. I came home from chruch yesterday and one was laying down and acted sort of weak. His nose was normal temp and he was not scouring. I gave him a bottle and he started coming around. Then he started eating grain and later on he started eating hay and drinking water. Then last night he was running around back to his normal self. And he ate some more grain mixed with dry milk and was drinking water. I woke up this morning and he was laying in the stall dead. What happened? What could I have done to prevent this? The other two calves are still doing great. Should I expect the other two to do the same thing?

Calfkeeper · #2 02/04/13, 08:25 PM

I am by no means an expert on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come down with something. Bottle calves from the sale barn are notorious for dying soon after coming home.

I believe there is a sticky up top of this cattle forum somewhere that addresses sale barn/bottle calves. They have reams of advice that could help you with this issue.

Callieslamb · #3 02/05/13, 08:16 AM

Could he have eaten something he wasn't supposed to? Wire? String?

RedBuffalo · #4 02/08/13, 09:00 AM

We are not sure what happened to him but the other 2 I still have are still doing great. I know that him and the other one that died were the smallest of the two that we got at the sale barn. This has definitely been a lesson for me. I have learned a lot from reading what others have written on here. When we go to the sales again I am going to make sure that I do a little more inspecting of the calves before buying. It was my first sale and my first calves. So I guess it was an expensive lesson learned. Now I am keeping an extra eye on the other two calves I have left. Thanks!!

bigmudder77 · #5 02/08/13, 12:08 PM

When you got them from the sale did they offer shots to them? And did you get the shots?

How was his poop any blood in it?

Calves are hard to raise in general with this weather we have had nothing but sick calves we lost 2 out of 10 not bad but not good (well 3 one broke out and somehow made it out side and froze by the door made me mad the best one biggest one and dumbest one we thing he somehow made it past the gate and then pushed the sliding door just enough to get out side and with the wind and the cold he was frozen some time between 10-3 at night cause I get up and leave at 3 and he was frozen solid by then)

Might not be a bad idea to have the vet come out and check out the other 2 and give them the shots needed to help them fight the sale barn crap

RedBuffalo · #6 02/08/13, 01:15 PM

They did not offer us shots. But we took our own shots with us. My uncle raises cattle and goats. We gave all of them shots before we loaded them in the trailer. We purchased the medicated milk replacer. As soon as we got home with them and got them unloaded, we gave them each a bottle of milk.
I have them in stalls that are out of the weather with a heat lamp at night when it is really cold. I let them out during the day so that they can eat the hay and then put them up every night. But I am still learning and trying my best or atleast I think it is my best.

Copperhead · #7 02/08/13, 07:04 PM

It's all in the colostrum . . . and buying calves from the sale barn means you have no control or idea in the colostrum department.

We bought 4 bottle calves last spring. 3 were healthy, the 4th was questionable. The 4th died the first week, #2 and #3 got sick and died over the next 2 weeks just like #4. #1 never got sick or even slowed down: HE got his colostrum.

If I decide to do it again, I'm going to try Save-a-Calf AND Bovi-Sera for a week or two to simulate the immunity provided by the colostrum. Stuff ain't cheap!

In my dreams, I pick up a couple 2 week calves that have been on their mother until the day I take them home. . .

RedBuffalo · #8 02/11/13, 05:57 PM

I hear you Copperhead. It is definitely rough on a person and then for it to be your first time. I have looked back on the entire situation thousands of times in my head. And I don't know what I could have done any different, except paid more attention when purchasing the calves. I think next time I will take the take the shots with me, milk replacer, bottles and anything else I can think of with me. And make sure they have a dose of everything before we leave the sale...LOL

haypoint · #9 02/11/13, 06:30 PM

Dry milk? This is new to me. Since over feeding of milk causes scours and that kills calves, would dry milk and plenty of water be the same as too much milk?
How old are these calves to be eating grain and hay?

RedBuffalo · #10 02/11/13, 07:50 PM

I have no idea how old these calves are. We bought them at a livestock sale. I started them off on the bottle twice a day. Then they started knocking the goats out of the way to eat their grain. So I started giving them a bottle in the morning and letting them eat all the hay that they wanted in the day and then mixing the powdered milk with grain when I put them up at night but they have access to all the water they want to drink all day long. Then they started on their own passing up the bottle to get out to the grain and hay. So I just started feeding them their grain mixed with the powdered milk. They do not have scours.

bigmudder77 · #11 02/11/13, 07:55 PM

Now see that's what I don't get about over feeding causing scours cause some of mine got it with the right amount of milk so we just wing it when it comes to feeding milk any more if they act and look still hungry we give them more milk but I'm also using dump milk not replacer and they have been doing fine now with this weather change we will see since it went from 50 to 30 today

But really how much is too much? Since some farms leave calves out with the mothers for a while how much milk is he getting

topside1 · #12 02/12/13, 07:30 AM

Bottle calves do not consistanly eat grain or hay until they are 3-4 weeks of age...Topside