# New calf owner



## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

I've never had cows before. I've had goats for about 6 months. I bought two calves yesterday on a spur of the moment thing. One is a month old, the other about 2 months. One won't take the bottle this morning (the 1 month old) after she did fine yesterday. Neither had any meds from the seller. Where do I need to start? Tube right away? Shots? Vitamins? Coccidosis treatment?


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Hope somebody comes along soon that has experience with bottle calves to help. I don't, our calves are raised by the cows. 

But take the temp, listen to the breathing, check the poop, how droopy/listless is the calf?


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Use a soft brush and groom the calves. This mimics licking. 

Do you know anything about reflexology or pressure points? I would give each calf a good ear rub (each ear) beginning at the very tip. If you rub the very tip you will take them out of shock. This applies to any animal, including humans. 

After the ear rubs, make 3 firm strokes from the eye corner across the temple, past the ear, down the side of the neck to the shoulder, then down the lateral (outside) leg to the front of the hoof. This will reduce stress and calm them down. Do it to each side.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Sounds simple enough, I'll give it a try


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Are you feeding them the same milk replacer that they were getting from the previous owner? 

I've never had to bottle feed a calf, so I know very little about it, but the folks who have succeeded at this can advise you. I do believe it's a bit of an art.

Does your goat vet work on cows?


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

I bought the rest of the milk replacer from the owner. I just wanted to see if it were simple before I called in the vet


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Is there a chance you overfed yesterday? Does the calf look dull and how dehydrated is it?

A lot of folks new to bottle feeding calves assume the little devils will walk up and feed and I've found that more often than not, it takes a bit to get them in position and keep them in one place while feeding. As a rule, I found it easiest to straddle them and kinda pinch them between my legs which frees up both hands to get the nipple in their mouth and keep their chins up a bit.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

She seems kind of depressed and not wanting to get up. She didn't take any voluntarily yesterday and only a quart so far today. I hate to tube her so soon. At what point do I call in the vet? She does not look dehydrated.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Tomorrow marks 3 days, right? This is a very young calf; they can go downhill quickly. If she were mine, I'd call the vet and at least have a discussion, preferably a visit. Others may disagree, but you said you're new to cows so..........


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

What breed of calf? I've raised many dairy calves. Small breed 2 pints twice a day, large breeds 3 pints twice a day. If you are feeding more than those amounts you are overfeeding the calves. Of course this is just my opinion. The calf stomach will only hold so much liquid, if it's overfed the MR will spill over into the other stomach compartments and cause loads of problems. Breed? Topside


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

The calf more than likely has a mild fever, upset stomach and needs time to recovery. I'd feed powdered drink products such as gatorade, resorb, etc and small amounts of MR throughout the day. It's really a difficult situation once they get ill. Call a Vet and I think you will be glad you did....Topside


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

Did you feed the same amount of milk replacer mixed to same amounts as the previous owner and feed as often as previous owner?


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Well she started taking the bottle last night and this morning she took just over 3 pints. But now she has scours.


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## nate77 (Mar 20, 2013)

Get her on Scour Tabs, and replace one MR feeding with electrolytes, for a day or two. Also at a month old, she should be eating grain, solid feed really helps with scours.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Read post #10, I guess you missed my advice. A hungry calf is a healthy calf, an overfed calf is a miserable calf or worse....Nate 77 post #14 has good advice.....Topside


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Got it, that sounds good. She's a charalois/Brahman cross. I'll keep with the 3 pints morning and evening and I keep her water bucket with electrolyte in it.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

I'll pick up some scour tabs on the way home from work today


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

She likely has a case of shipping fever. She may need antibiotics, but it's good to try with electrolytes first. 

You should keep the electrolyte feeding separate from the milk feeding. I would take away the free choice water (you don't want them filling up on water and not drinking their milk. At least not until you're confident they're healthy and vigorous to consume both). Instead, you can feed milk AM and PM and at noon give electrolytes in a bottle of warm water.

Our Jersey calves start out at 4 pints twice a day, especially in winter months (if cold weather, they get 2 pints at noon). Calves don't tend to be real thrifty on replacer, so the three pints might suffice, but you'll want to start them on a little calf grain. The unfortunate side to MR is you often have to feed a lot of grain to the calves to make up for milk replacer not being a perfect replacement to milk. You'll likely need to feed grain 5-6 months or more to keep them at a healthy weight. If they start to get big bellies (pot belly) then they're not getting high enough nutrients and will need more grain. You can start them on a little hay around 3 months and by 5-6 months can transition to an all hay diet, if the quality is high enough. Otherwise, continue to supplement grain.

Any transitions you do in the future should be as gradual as possible - that will help prevent more scours.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Ok, sounds doable. However we all work during the day so no noon time bottle.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

The scours are very light colored. I read this might now be a severe enough case for medication and to just push electrolytes. The light color coming from undigested milk passing through.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Do you have a large animal vet with cow experience?


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

She's doing much better this morning. She woofed down 3 pints, moo'd at me, licked the feed bucket clean over night, and her poop is firming up a bit. Even though it was only 44 last night, I left a heat lamp in her stall.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Thanks to everyone with helpful information and tid bits.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Stick with the 3 pints and don't vary from the amount no matter how tempting. The calf will make up the nutritional difference by offering a high protein calf starter type grain...Smile.......Topside


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

How's the calf business going....Topside


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Doing well, she's perked up a bit and started eating feed too. I. Having a hard time finding calf starter feed in my area for some reason. TSC is out, my regular feed store doesn't carry it, and the last resort store only has 16% heifer feed. He says he can special order starter, but its only 14%.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

You need to seek out a new feed store. Good to hear the calf doing much better, don't overfeed, develop a routine, and you will learn that raising bottle calves can really be rewarding....Topside


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## randm12 (Dec 2, 2015)

How is the calf doing shaky?


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Well, things have been progressing. The heifer is doing really well since the initial issue. Now it's the older bull calf with the issue we're working on. He had a bought of serious scours for 6 days. Bad. He lost a lot of weight and had a nasty discharge from his eyes. 

So, 4 days ago we started him on some scours pills. He was "weened" when I got him but he had no problems going after a bottle. So we washed the pills down with a pint of milk. Also gave him 3 pints of electrolyte each afternoon and kept electrolyte in his water pot. 

His poo started firming up today and he took to pasture also. We also washed him down and cleaned up the matted, dry poo on half his body. So I think we rounded the bend and he's coming back also.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Update, things seem to be going well. We just weened the heifer (Bonnie) and she's gaining better than the bull calf (Clyde). She's energetic, jumps, runs, likes to butt heads. Takes to the pasture munches away most of the day. Lots of green with rye grass and clover. 

Clyde is pretty laid back. After his bout with scours and such he's having a slow time coming back I think. Or maybe he's just a chilled out guy. He seems to eat pasture well, also hay and his grain feeder. No more scours for a few weeks now. No eye discharge. He is smaller now than Bonnie. Breed maybe? She's a charbray and he's an angus bull supposedly. 

I keep the hay rack in their pen filled, they eat all the pasture they can handle during the day, and they get a pound of calf starter each in the evening. Plus a mineral block in the pasture which they both do go after. I sometimes wonder if the grain ration isn't enough but I'd rather them go the pasture route than grain-fed route. Plus I'm not trying to win any growth speed records or hit a certain butcher date.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

sounds like your making progress. I would suggest LOOSE mineral and LOOSE salt .


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

ok. I've only ever used loose mineral with goats and used it as a top dressing on their feed. Half of it eneded up at the bottom of their feeder and caked up hard. Southern Alabama and the loose mineral soaks up the humidity like concrete mix. I think I'd basically end up with a mineral block. Thoughts or input?


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## randm12 (Dec 2, 2015)

On a 50lb block only 1lb is actual mineral, even if your loose caked up more mineral would still be available to the animal. However I dont know if water affects the quality, you may check into Purina Wind and Rain mineral.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

Shaky6, I am very familiar with your environment I work in DOTHAN and live in FL. You don't have to put the whole bags out just put out 10# under a covered feeder . they will clean it up. after a very humid period of excessive rain I just take a hammer and break it all apart. wind and rain does a good job of with humidity. the KEY is Free choice .


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

you need to go to the piggly wiggly feed store on south oates ask for Christy she can help you get the correct feed,


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

I know of the one up on the north side of town, didn't know there was one on south Oates.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

There is only one, you will have to forgive me I call everything from 231 north to 231 south (thru town) south oates . the Pig is a stones throw north of the over pass on reeves st.


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Just gonna update this. Recently banded my Angus a few days ago so I officially have a steer now. He seems to be doing pretty well. I'm a little uncertain about his coat color though. For being a black angus he sure does have a lot of red/brown mixed in his coat. I read that a copper deficiency will do that but I've got plenty of free choice loose mineral as well as a mineral block out for them. I have to because they're in with the goats. We built a covered mineral feeder in each paddock. I'm assuming that once the red gets into that winter coat that its there to stay until he sheds it. 

My charbray is the one with the digestive issues now. She's constantly got loose stool. Her poor rear end is caked with dark green poo. Its not water runny, its just loose and her tail then smears it back and forth. She acts fine, eats well, looks fine other than that, drinks lots and lots of water, and goes to town on the mineral. I guess I'll just let her be until something else starts to seem off. Now that I think about it, neither one of them really 'moo' at all. They're pretty quiet critters.


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

Depending on the age of the Angus, the red may be normal. We have some calves born very reddish, but by a few months old, they lose that color and their permanent black comes in. No deficiency, just a change in coloring as they age. 

Also keep in mind there is a thing called red angus.  I know a family that has all red angus, but sometimes they get a black or mottled calf. Ends up being pretty darn cute!!


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

shaky6 said:


> My charbray is the one with the digestive issues now. She's constantly got loose stool. Her poor rear end is caked with dark green poo. Its not water runny, its just loose and her tail then smears it back and forth. She acts fine, eats well, looks fine other than that, drinks lots and lots of water, and goes to town on the mineral. I guess I'll just let her be until something else starts to seem off. Now that I think about it, neither one of them really 'moo' at all. They're pretty quiet critters.


How old is she now? It may be time to transition her to grain and hay and take her off milk replacer (some calves don't do real well on replaced and their manure firms up once they're off it).

If she's under 60 days, you might want to continue the replacer. Is she getting probiotics with it to support her gut?


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

She is right at 12 weeks old. We weened her at 7 weeks. She's been on calf starter since the weening began and green pasture and hay ever since we got her.


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## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

If your water is high in iron content you may need a higher percentage of copper in your minerals.....

We had sort of russet colors on the backs of our animals until we started using minerals with higher copper...i have also found that the rusty looking calves usually grow out to be much darker...unless of course they are destined to be very dark brownish black


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

shaky6 said:


> She is right at 12 weeks old. We weened her at 7 weeks. She's been on calf starter since the weening began and green pasture and hay ever since we got her.


Hmm, almost sounds like it could be the green grass. You might want to try taking her off grass and just going with the calf starter and a little hay. Once her manure's firmed back up, you could transition her back onto grass, but most bottle raised calves aren't put out to pasture until they're at least 6 months or older to ensure they're getting primarily the high energy feed (milk at first, then grain for some).


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

shaky6

As I was reading down through the post I was about to suggest that you band the bull. Glad to see you have already done that. I cannot give explanation as to why but read just recently that bull Angus calves have a much higher death rate than steers when they are marketed to a feeder operation. The article was in an Angus magazine so I have no idea if this is true to other breeds. As feeder calves nursing their mom IMO the bulls grow faster. I do try to neuter my bull calves because as the grow they want to concentrate on annoying the heifers as well as following the cows. Neutering definitely takes their mind off ----- and puts in on grass


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## shaky6 (May 15, 2015)

Yeah, I was on the fence about neutering until a guy I bought some hens from gave me a number for a beef cow breeder and said it was fairly inexpensive. That and he had straws from proven bulls. That got me off the fence and focused on putting Angus in the freezer.


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