Botlle calf questions

TbarM Ranch · #1 03/12/14, 10:43 AM

I have a Jersey bottle calf that is 2 weeks old, raising on goats milk. Finishing up the last 2 days of corid for coccidian treatment now. Can I give vaccinations now or should I wait? I want to disbud him this weekend and band 3 weeks after vaccine. Can I disbud before vaccine kicks in? Just don't know if it is safe to give vaccines at this age, mainly tetanus now so it will be in him for banding in few weeks. I don't feel any testicles yet. What vaccines are folks in Missouri giving to bottle calves?

Thanks,
Tom

sammyd · #2 03/14/14, 03:17 PM

We usually band near birth and dehorn at a few weeks once we can feel the buds.

TbarM Ranch · #3 03/14/14, 03:20 PM

Thanks DoubleR, yes I am going to use the electric iron to disbud and I was planning on using tetanus antitoxin. Just didn't know if there are many risk involved at this young age with the shot. I don't need to use the antitoxin or anything when I disbud do I?
I think he was sucking his testicles up, we are going to check him this weekend. Is it too stressful on him to do the dehorning and banding being he has just been treated for coccidiosis? We gave the last dose of corid last night. He seems very healthy and energetic.

DJ in WA · #4 03/14/14, 09:35 PM

Just a note on coccidiosis.

A calf cannot show illness from the coccidian until 3 weeks after it is exposed to the bug. That is the length of time it takes for it to complete its life cycle.

So if your calf is only 2 weeks old, likely any diarrhea you are seeing is not coccidiosis.

Corid does have some benefit in preventing the illness, assuming the calf was exposed to the bug from another animal that is shedding it, and it is early in the life cycle.

In fact, it is better for prevention than treatment. Once a calf shows diarrhea from coccidiosis, the life cycle is complete and it is too late.

In most cases, they recover from coccidiosis without treatment, and are then immune.

TbarM Ranch · #5 03/15/14, 12:04 AM

Thanks guys for all of this information it helps a great deal. As far as the coccidiosis, he had yellow diarrhea with blood and mucus in it. I treated him for coccidiosis because of the information I got about bloody stool from various sources. His stool is now darker and no signs of blood. He never acted sick or off his milk.
The other calves that he was with had bloody stool also. The lady I purchased him from said he was 2 weeks old as of last weekend. Maybe I jumped the gun on his treatment.

TbarM Ranch · #6 03/16/14, 11:45 PM

DoubleR, We got him banded and dehorned today and gave the antitoxin to him. He didn't seem to mind any of too much either. He is up and acting normal this evening. He doesn't have much of his umbilicus left and it is dry. Thanks so much for your help. Yes, I did get both testicles under the band I checked several times after I released the band.

Tom