weak 10 day old jersey calve

[Cathy ruiz]

I just got my first calves last week and one of them is geting weak. I feed them ultra milk replacement from a bottle. I gave him a pill the vet. gave me to give him for the loose bowls. Is there anything I can give him to help build his energy. He trys to walk but his legs shake to much.
Please help my son is real sad because it was a gift from his grandfather.

[thequeensblessing]

Originally Posted by Cathy ruiz

I just got my first calves last week and one of them is geting weak. I feed them ultra milk replacement from a bottle. I gave him a pill the vet. gave me to give him for the loose bowls. Is there anything I can give him to help build his energy. He trys to walk but his legs shake to much.
Please help my son is real sad because it was a gift from his grandfather.

Tell me more about the calf. How long have you had them? Is the weak one still eating okay? Does he have scours now?
How much are you feeding him? Maybe I can help you out if I know a little more. We raised 4 jersey bottle calves last year, and lost one. It's heartbreaking, I know, but it's all a part of the lifestyle.

[Donna from Mo]

Originally Posted by Cathy ruiz

I just got my first calves last week and one of them is geting weak. I feed them ultra milk replacement from a bottle. I gave him a pill the vet. gave me to give him for the loose bowls. Is there anything I can give him to help build his energy. He trys to walk but his legs shake to much.
Please help my son is real sad because it was a gift from his grandfather.

Does he have scours (diarrhea)? If so, it sounds like you've waited too long. When a calf gets scours, I always take them off milk or milk replacer, and give them electrolytes for a couple of feedings. But if he's that weak, I don't know. Is he still taking the bottle?

[dosthouhavemilk]

How much are you feeding? If you are feeding the recommended amount on the bag you are most likely feeding the Holstein serving and that is too much for a little Jersey.
If he is still drinking well, it would be a good idea to cut his milk replacer in half but keep his liquids up at a full bottle each feeding. When his manure gets more solid, then slowly increase the ratio of milk replacer to water until you have acheived the best ratio. This depends on what type of milk replacer you are feeding..and honestly, we don't use milk replacer here very often, so I don't have a huge amount of experinece with it..though I have some.
If he is extremely weak, they make powders like scour guard, sav-a-calf, and others that you can either mix with the milk replacer or use in place of the milk replacer. This helps to stiffen up the manure and they are not at risk for dehydration then. At this point that is going to be your biggest problem, unless it is a serious bug and not just caused by overfeeding.

Another thing to keep in mind is that they have been stressed. Not only have they been taken from an environment they were used to, bug-wise, but they are probably on a new form of milk replacer.

Give us some more information and hopefully you can get through this.

[JeffNY]

Are they breathing alright as well? If the calves appetite is not diminished, it may not be pneumonia, if it is, and his breathing is shallow and rapid, it could be pneumonia. Take his temp, get a baby digital thermo, being carefull of his anus's lining (use vasoline), and check his temperature. Insert the thermo 2" or so, and if you feel too much resisitance, don't force it. We just went through pneumonia, with 4 Jerseys, and learned a lot. Its a silent little deal, and smacks them. Ours were 4 months, but it can happen. Either way, the other option are vitamins.


Jeff