# Urgent help needed for skinny calf



## Fairlight (Jul 5, 2009)

Hi, 
We bought 6 dairy x beef bull calves from the calf sales 7 weeks ago. 5 are growing well and have stopped bottle feeding them when they hit 6 weeks. One calf who is the same age as the rest of the calves is so skinny and looks half starved. I had continued to bottle feed this one but ran out yesterday

I got up this morning to let them out into the paddock ( we live in an area prone to wild dog attacks so we lock them up at night) and Pumpkin, the weak skinny calf could hardly move. He collapsed this morning and wouldn't feed. He tried to stand up but kept falling down.  I have been syringe  + bottle feeding it a homemade electrolyte solution. This has perked it up and it is now wandering around our front lawn grazing.

There is no way to deny it that he is a very sick calf. When we bought him and up to this post he has been a very quiet, mellow calf. But he isn't growing. He seems so weak.

Can anyone tell me why he isn't gaining weight and is so skinny. We have a ton of feed on the ground, living in a high rainfall area. The rest of the calves and cows are fine except this one. 

I am just wondering if he has got barbers pole worm. The calves were all drenched just before we weaned them too.  I do not know if the drench covered barbers pole though. He was sick just like he is now, unable to stand and very weak then but was able to stand and walk around after he had a days of  electrolyte solution. 

I am really worried he will die as he is my son's calf and this little kid has been through a lot. 

Fairlight


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## she-earl (Jul 6, 2009)

What is his temp?  If it is over 103, he needs antibiotics.  If it is under 101 that isn't good either.  Have you had a vet look at him?  They could diagnose the prolem and give IV's if needed to support him through this tough time.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 6, 2009)

You need to get milk/milk replacer for him as it sounds like he is going to need the energy it will provide.

Then call the vet this is something that a vet needs to diagnose and treat as it is hard to do over the net. 

One thought is maybe he didn't get colostrum milk when he was born. It is to late now to give it to him but, the vet can pull blood from one of the healthy ones and give it to him. Make sure if they do this to keep track of the fact that it has been done. You can give blood to cattle *once* without having to blood typed. There could be a whole host of reasons he's not doing well too.

 and good luck. Please, let us know how he does and what the vet says.


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## Fairlight (Jul 6, 2009)

Hi,
thanks for the advice. Vet is out. Too far away.  I can do the milk replacer though. I have been giving him a electrolyte mix with molasses in it.

Will start the mr today. 

Many thanks

Fairlight


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## wynedot55 (Jul 6, 2009)

hows your calf doing tonite.


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## jhm47 (Jul 6, 2009)

Are you feeding any grain to the calves?  If not, you would be well advised to start.  Even the most nutritious grass is rarely enough for 7 week old calves alone.  I would start the whole bunch on a good quality calf starter, and keep them on it for at least 3-4 months.  

As to the weak, skinny one, he may do better on a combination of replacer and grain.  If he were mine, I'd haul him to a vet somewhere to find out what is really wrong with him.  

It would help if we knew where you are located.  Good luck, and keep us informed.


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## Fairlight (Jul 10, 2009)

Hi,
just an update on pumpkin. We eventually ook the looooong drive into town and the vet put him to sleep. She said that he was probably taken from his mama too early. Poor little mite.  He had bacterial pneumonia and it has damaged his lungs too badly. I told the vet we had bottle fed them up to six weeks, gave small amounts of grain and we lived on beautiful lush pastures. Every night they were brought inside under our house out of the wind and rain. It was so warm and cosy down there. I would often find my five kids all snuggled down with the calves!! Anyway I Cried all the way home. I swear I make a terrible farmer!

We live in rural Queensland, Australia. We use to live in the outback on a sheep station that was running about 10K head of sheep to about 80K acres of. Now we live on 40 acres and I am trying to learn about cows. I read and read all I could lay my hands on but when pumpkin failed to thrive and started coughing I knew it would most likely be pneumonia. being relatively skinny in the wallet department we hoped that it was viral and with extra botle feeds, keeping him warm and toasty and lucerne he would recover. The vet said she thought he probably didn't get his colostrum.

Off to feed the younger three. They are ok and thriving but I don't want to risk it.

Could I ask some more experienced farmers:

1. How long should I give them milk replacer in your experience....what I have read sems to vary so much.

2. How much grain should I feed them and how often/ long in your experience. Once again what I have read varies from book to book.

Sheep are so different to cattle. I am learning this very quickly!

Many thanks to all who wrote in and gave such wonderful advice. very much appreciated

Fairlight


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 10, 2009)

1. I feed milkreplacer to my calves for 2 months.

2. I offer grain from newborn on. At the time of weaning they are eating 6-8 pounds of grain/day/calf of a good calf starter.







 Pumpkin.

 to you.


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## WildRoseBeef (Jul 10, 2009)

Fairlight, don't ever say you make a terrible farmer!  Bad things happen and you can't do a darn thing about them.  When me and my folks had calves (not bottle babies, mind), we lost a couple in one year to something akin to coccidiosis or pnuemonia, which ever it was.  We didn't see the calves go down until too late, much like in your situation.  The only thing we could do was to put them down.

Being a terrible farmer means not being passionate nor caring about one's livestock or crops, and not doing everything you can to take care of them until it's time to say good-bye or harvest them.  Terrible farmers don't care about anything except the money they get from their harvests/animals.  Terrible farmers shouldn't even be farmers.

YOU, are NOT a terrible farmer.  You did everything you could for that calf, despite the sad ending.  You didn't know why the calf was going downhill so fast like it was; all you could do was guess and treat him like it was.  AND, the number one thing here, you CARED about him.  THAT's being a good farmer.

Now go wipe those tears away and give the rest of those calves some lovin' from me and the rest of us on BYH.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 10, 2009)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> Fairlight, don't ever say you make a terrible farmer!  Bad things happen and you can't do a darn thing about them.  When me and my folks had calves (not bottle babies, mind), we lost a couple in one year to something akin to coccidiosis or pnuemonia, which ever it was.  We didn't see the calves go down until too late, much like in your situation.  The only thing we could do was to put them down.
> 
> Being a terrible farmer means not being passionate nor caring about one's livestock or crops, and not doing everything you can to take care of them until it's time to say good-bye or harvest them.  Terrible farmers don't care about anything except the money they get from their harvests/animals.  Terrible farmers shouldn't even be farmers.
> 
> ...


Well said! And I agree!


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## Imissmygirls (Jul 10, 2009)

*** applause***
The only thing i'd add to that is that Terrible Farmers think they know it all and never ask for information and don't try to fix a problem.  Sorry, Fairlight, you don't qualify as a terrible farmer. You asked and  tried.


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## ARose4Heaven (Aug 12, 2009)

We just started this past month with 8 calves... we have lost 2 already.  My husband is an experienced cattleman, and takes it hard to lose an animal.  The 2nd calf went down this morning...we tried B12 and Penicilin, but it was too late, and we didn't get a reply back from the forum quick enough to know to give it Drexill.   I can understand your feelings of helplessness.  Our vet is only 9 miles away, and Hubby has years of experience, but that didn't save our calves.  Sometimes animals just die.  Take encouragement that your remaining animals are well.  I know we will be watching our other bottle calves much more closely.  Good Luck.


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