2 week old calf off bottle

[dixiegal62]

My brother in law gave us a black angus calf last week who's mom had died. We got her when she was 5 days old. Has been very alert and took right to the bottle but was thin. Started feeding her 2 bottles of milk replacer a day and she's been doing fine.

My dear husband who is bored from being home a week decided to help me by giving me advice since the calf has been here he has kept an eye on my feedings and her progress and has kept telling me I'm not feeding her enough..... his brothers all raise cattle and feed calves and feed 3 times a day 2-1/2 bottles, like a dumb bunny I gave in an added 1 pint for a noon feeding for 2 days and now of course she's sick. She is thinner than the others I've raised but not painfully so, I totally blame myself for giving in to what I knew was wrong.

She was off her bottle last night but I wasn't sure if it was because the grand kids where with me at the feeding and she seemed distracted. She drank about a quart and wouldn't have anymore so I let her be and checked on her this morning. Loose stools but not watery, a tiny speck of blood, maybe a nickel size. Added electrolytes to bottle but could only get a pint down her. She's still very alert and curious and perky, she gave me a kick while cleaning her pen.

Should I go ahead and give her antibiotics? The posts I've read are so confusing and it seems everyone has a different approach.. milk...no milk. Meds... no meds.

[Allen W]

Honestly the answer comes down to what do you think should be done. How bad is she scouring, any respiratory problems, how alert she is, weather changes and past experience with your personal location all come into play.

The distracted when drinking and not finishing the bottle is a fire alarm for me here. Time to pull out the pneumonia medicine and scour pills but your experience may be different.

[dixiegal62]

Originally Posted by Allen W

Honestly the answer comes down to what do you think should be done. How bad is she scouring, any respiratory problems, how alert she is, weather changes and past experience with your personal location all come into play.

Bowels loose but not watery with some blood. Nose not dry can't hear any problems breathing, eyes look good, neck skin bounces back. Still very alert and She refuses bottle which she's been taking very well until now. Had to straddle her to get her to suck any and was only able to get a pint in her. She's in a protected building in a small pen I made for her with hay as bedding, it's rainy and cold here. This is my 5th bottle baby since we lived here.

[dixiegal62]

Met a man at the feed store who raises BA and he was giving advice. He also told me I wasn't feeding enough, said he fed his calves 2 bottles, 2 times a day. Seems like way too much for me, he was very nice and helpful with other advice though. Nice to see people will take the time to help someone still.

[Allen W]

No way do you want to feed a gallon twice a day to a 2 week old calf. A thin calf takes a long time to fill up and look better.

[dixiegal62]

Originally Posted by Allen W

No way do you want to feed a gallon twice a day to a 2 week old calf. A thin calf takes a long time to fill up and look better.

Sorry that was a miss type on my part he said 2 bottles twice a day.

[dixiegal62]

Ended up giving the calf an antibiotic shot and an antiviral shot. Kept offering her a bottle ever few hours with milk replacer and electrolytes which she would only take a few sucks of. Found that rubbing her down helped her to take a few sips. She ended up taking a full bottle about 9 last night and seems fine this morning.

[G. Seddon]

dixiegal62, I've never had a bottle calf, but I'm reasonably sure that you don't mix milk replacer with electrolytes...I believe they're fed separately.

As for antibiotics and antivirals, you'd best check with your large animal vet for advice.

If you're feeding milk replacer, be sure it's a good one. You'll pay dearly for it, but you cannot skimp on this. This is a good one:
http://www.lolmilkreplacer.com/stell...p2-0155078.pdf

And "bottle" is not a measurement....cups, pints, quarts, gallons are.

I hope your calf makes out okay.

[Allen W]

Glad she is doing better. The little buggers don't have enough reserves to fight sickness very long.

She is about big enough to start nibbling starter feed that will help her put on weight and catch up.

[ufo_chris]

Most people feed 2 quarts a feeding,twice a day. If u have the time its better to feed 3x a day 1 1/3 quarts each time.
How big are your 'bottles'? The regular 2 quarts ?
I would also introduce calf starter pellets,they will usually eat some by now .
Good luck,hope he's still doing better.

[Cheribelle]

Well, dead mama, did he get colostrum? I have seen many "healthy, alert" calves go downhill fast about that age if not.

[dixiegal62]

She's doing better, eating fine. One thing I notice about her that didn't come up with our other bottle babies is a foul odor. I keep her hay bedding cleaned but this calf stinks and it's not the normal cow smell, it reminds me of the rotten meat smell sick dogs have. I'm assuming the odor means she's still sick even though she's not showing outward signs.

[G. Seddon]

Here's a link to a Novartis chart on scouring calves that might be useful:

http://www.livestock.novartis.com/li...0534_FEB09.pdf

[haypoint]

Anyone that utters the words, " But he is still so hungry." , hasn't had a case of scours kill a calf as it lays in your lap.

[tab]

I thought the same thing, electrolytes should not be mixed with mr. After doing a lot of research and seeing what two feedings a day did, firmly believe three smaller feedings are better for the babies. Also, did she get colustrum? That is crucial as another poster pointed out. Hay and water should be offered as well. A nibble and a tiny sip start the whole eating process.

[tab]

Also, have you taken her temperature?

[Jennifer L.]

As long as you have it on antibiotics, finish up the course of treatment if you think it's pneumonia. The stinky smell is for sure scours. As long as the calf is doing halfway decent, feed it lean for awhile and let the guts heal. It's easy to overfeed a scouring calf and kill it, so better to feed it lean for awhile rather than to think "it needs to eat" and give it more than it can handle. If it is limping along still on the sick side but not sliding downhill, it will most likely gradually keep getting better each day. But avoid at all costs over feeding! Sometimes it feels like walking a tightrope, not giving it too much, worried that it's not eating enough, but if it's looking better that's great.

[Gretchen Ann]

I mix yogurt in with the milk to help a scouring calf gut heal. I add once a day for a week or so after completing the use of antibiotics. You need to get the good bacteria built back up in the intestines.

[dixiegal62]

She's doing much better. No more stinking but she's so painfully thin. I keep fresh hay, calf starter and water in her pen. The milk replacer I give her is the kind with milk and not soy.

[haypoint]

did he get colostrum?