# Baby calf poo question (warning: gross description)



## BeardedChick (Feb 17, 2009)

Question about baby calf manure - is it sometimes kind of mucousy and yellowish/green?  Or is this an early sign of scours?  It wasn't squirty diarrhea...

My calf's manure today sort of reminds me of baby goat manure, when it looks like mustard.

I know, it's gross, but I want to know if my calf is normal or something is wrong and an internet search about calf manure didn't return any helpful information about what it should look like...


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## Farmer Kitty (Feb 18, 2009)

If it's normal consisitancy I would just watch close. If on the other hand, it turns loose, I would treat for scours.


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (Feb 18, 2009)

It sounds like the normal poo for that age.  The first day or so, the calf is still cleaning out it's digestive tract.  That poo has a special name, I just forgot it.


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## BeardedChick (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks!  My cowboy friend will look at her tomorrow if I have ongoing worries.  He thought it sounded normal, too.  

I think meconium manure is usually black - I saw some of that the first couple of days.  Maybe this is the first of the milk and colostrum making it's way through.

She has been nibbling at poo around the corral, I think a dose of priobios might be in order...


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## Farmer Kitty (Feb 18, 2009)

BeardedChick said:
			
		

> Thanks!  She has been nibbling at poo around the corral, I think a dose of priobios might be in order...


It won't hurt! I really like the stuff and will give it to our new calves to help get their stomachs going. They really do do better with it.


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## Farmer Kitty (Feb 18, 2009)

BeardedChick said:
			
		

> I think meconium manure is usually black - I saw some of that the first couple of days.


Correct.


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## BeardedChick (Feb 18, 2009)

Farmer Kitty said:
			
		

> BeardedChick said:
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One more thing for the shopping list...


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## jhm47 (Feb 18, 2009)

Baby calf poo question (warning:  gross description)

No need to warn us about poo.  We're cattle people, and nothing you could write about would bother any of us.  We've all had the stuff splattered on us, splashed up into our noses, and probably even had it in our mouths.  However, you could really gross me out with a dirty diaper.


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## Thewife (Feb 18, 2009)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> Baby calf poo question (warning:  gross description)
> 
> No need to warn us about poo.  We're cattle people, and nothing you could write about would bother any of us.  We've all had the stuff splattered on us, splashed up into our noses, and probably even had it in our mouths.  However, you could really gross me out with a dirty diaper.


Yep, I guess I'm a cattle person, you can describe any should be gross thing you come across, in detail, while I'm eating dinner, that's fine! 
But, please don't put a tomato near my plate, YUK!


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## WildRoseBeef (Feb 19, 2009)

thewife said:
			
		

> But, please don't put a tomato near my plate, YUK!


 What?? Is that a figure of speach or you literally don't like tomatoes?


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## BeardedChick (Feb 19, 2009)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> Baby calf poo question (warning:  gross description)
> 
> No need to warn us about poo.  We're cattle people, and nothing you could write about would bother any of us.  We've all had the stuff splattered on us, splashed up into our noses, and probably even had it in our mouths.  However, you could really gross me out with a dirty diaper.


Thanks -  I put that in after reading the dehorning thread and people possibly being upset about blood?

I find slimey baby cow poo a lot grosser than blood! 

And mayonnaise is worse to me yet!!


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## Farmer Kitty (Feb 19, 2009)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

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I'd say she doesn't like tomatoes.


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## Thewife (Feb 19, 2009)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> thewife said:
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Tomatoes gross me out, big time!

Another thing that really gets me, is when people let my dogs lick their face! I've seen what my dogs eat, and sometimes I can even identify what it once was!


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## WildRoseBeef (Feb 19, 2009)

thewife said:
			
		

> WildRoseBeef said:
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This is where I have to ask: why? how?? (sorry, my curiousity is getting the best of me)



> Another thing that really gets me, is when people let my dogs lick their face! I've seen what my dogs eat, and sometimes I can even identify what it once was!


  That I can't argue with!!


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## Thewife (Feb 19, 2009)

> This is where I have to ask: why? how?? (sorry, my curiousity is getting the best of me)


Sorry about this, but tomatoes remind me of little slimy smelly blood clots! I ain't eating them and even watching others eat them, grosses me out!


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## WildRoseBeef (Feb 19, 2009)

thewife said:
			
		

> > This is where I have to ask: why? how?? (sorry, my curiousity is getting the best of me)
> 
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> Sorry about this, but tomatoes remind me of little slimy smelly blood clots! I ain't eating them and even watching others eat them, grosses me out!


It's fine! I was just wondering because it was the first time I heard of someone really dispising (sp?) tomatoes!  I don't like eating tomatoes myself, the way they suddenly burst in your mouth when you chomp on one...


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## youngsfarmland (Feb 19, 2009)

Yeah my 2 new baby bulls have yellowish crap to. i was wondering what and if it is normal? if not then what do you give a cow for the scours? and what exactly is priobios ?


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## BeardedChick (Feb 19, 2009)

Probios (sorry, I spelled it wrong the first time):

http://www.probios.com/beefGels.html

Most feedstores carry it.  It's an oral dose of probiotics, to get the good tummy bacteria going...  Kind of like yogurt.


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## Farmer Kitty (Feb 19, 2009)

CALF SCOURS

Scours are the diarrhea in calves. Scours can be caused by bacterial, viral, and enviromental conditions. Treating scours with an antibiotic if it's not caused by bacterial just produces bugs that are antibiotic resistant so, please becareful in your treatment.

First, you need to do a supportive thereapy.

1. Vitamins and electrolytes.

2. A probiotic-Some use live culture plain yogurt. I use Probios. It comes in many different forms and is easy to store and have on hand. 

3. A plugger. If the calves scours are in a liquid form you need to use something to gel or solidify it in order to help prevent dehydration. I use Deliver which gels their manure and I've had really good results.

4. I also will use Raw Apple Cider Vinager with the Mother. (Wal-mart does not sell this.) It helps create an enviroment that the bugs can not live in.

Second, you need to figure out what is causing the scours.

1. Enviormental-Are the calves wet? Wet conditions produce all sorts of illnesses. Add bedding and get/keep them dry.

2. Viral-Calves can get different bugs that will cause scours-just as we get different bugs that cause diarrhea. Here you mostly need to support them and treat them for their symptoms. One of the more common viral indictors is the manure will look "sour". This I use peptol bismal for. There is a calf version sold but, I like to use the peptol tablets. Place it in the back of their mouth and usually they will chew &/or swallow it. Calves love to suck even when they don't want to drink their milk so this works great.

3. Bacterial-This is where you use antibiotics. I have used many things and will list some I've found to work but, each farm/place is different and different bacterial will react different.

a. Penicillan- 10cc for a 100-115 pound calf once a day until symptoms clear-usually only a couple days.

b. Neomycin Sulfate (commercial grate) Antibacterial (NeoVet)-follow label directions.

c. Oxytetracycline HCI 500mg (Oxy 500 Calf Bolus)-follow label directions.

There are many more out there these are just what I have found to work for us.

Some products say to withhold the milk/milkreplacer from them for a certain time but, our vet says no they need the nutrition and energy they provide to help fight the scours. I keep ours on their milk/milkreplacer. If you are worried about dehydration give a pail of water on the side.


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (Feb 20, 2009)

BeardedChick said:
			
		

> I think meconium manure is usually black - I saw some of that the first couple of days.  Maybe this is the first of the milk and colostrum making it's way through.


Meconium!  That's it!


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