# Highland calf with protein deficiency



## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

I was given a 3.5 month old Highland calf who was diagnosed with a protein deficiency. Her mother had mastitis. The baby was bottle fed as well as being left on the mom. She was increasing loosing weight. The owners noticed and asked me to take her because I can keep her alone and feed her. They were only getting about 1 quart of milk into her. She is bony and weights about half of what she should. She also has a slight malocclusion. I have had her 2 days. Yesterday I got her within a few oz of 2 quarts of milk down her, but we had to break it up into 3 feedings. She eats hay fine. She needs to realize grain is food. I got some 22% grain and am offering it to her. 

Anything else I can do?? Will she reach close to her full potential or be stunted???? Will she grow out of the malocclusion or will it get worse???


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## greybeard (Feb 3, 2017)

I'm sure you know the overbite is hereditary and is often more than just a teeth problem when it is caused by an abnormal length mandible. 
It's very possible the malocclusion is causing nursing problems due to pain as she works her jaws and thus the undernourishment and protein deficiency. You may have to tube feed her, but keep in mind, that if it is a pain problem, that you need to consider long term, the quality of life she will have. I certainly wouldn't keep her for breeding stock. 

Will it get better?
I doubt it. May even get worse. 

Getting them started on grain is often difficult, and there is a big difference in how they eat hay and how they eat grain too. 
I've never used it, but I know there is some wetable beet pulp that may be softer and easier for her to eat. You really need to have a vet look at the inside of her mouth and make a determination on her future prognosis.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

Only slight overbite less then 1/4 inch. Maybe 1/8. She is doing better with the bottle, so I don't think we will have to tube her. I'm going to try getting her to eat more grain. I agree, as far as her future, we'll see how she grows. May not be a good cow for the breeding program. I have some beet pulp, but she really needs the high protein grain. Ok We will see.


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## greybeard (Feb 3, 2017)

Yeah pulp is pretty low in CP. My thoughts on it were just to try to get her to start eating something solid if she wasn't finding grain palatable. 
3 1/2 months--what does she weigh?


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

Good idea. She might be 80 lbs. She's small. I just want to try to get her through. Maybe she can be a pet for someone.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

heres a photo


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## frustratedearthmother (Feb 3, 2017)

Oh my goodness - she's so cute!  Really hope you can get her turned around.


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## NH homesteader (Feb 3, 2017)

I don't know anything about cattle except that is the CUTEST THING EVER! I want to hug her. I am in love!

I hope you are able to help her!


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## farmerjan (Feb 3, 2017)

A calf that small is not going to just jump into drinking 2 qts a feeding.  Her stomach has not developed at all due to the lack of milk and as you said, she is protein deficient.  Also, you have only had her 2 days?  She is adjusting to the complete upheaval of her life as she knew it as well as no momma and I am assuming no other "buddies"?  Cattle are herd animals, so she is lonely on top of everything else.
  Several feedings a day will do more good than a couple of big feedings. A qt a feeding 3-4 times a day is plenty for a calf that size as she is adjusting to it.  If she was trying to suck an udder with mastitis, she was literally drinking infection in the form of staph and/or strep so her gut tract is not in the best of shape either.  Get some milk into her and get her energy and strength up a bit.  Beef animals stay on their dams for 5-9 months as they learn to eat "real food",  so a few weeks of mostly milk won't hurt her.

Try putting a little grain in her mouth  after each bottle feeding so that she is "mouthing it",  playing with the texture in her mouth.  Let her continue to eat the hay it will help develop her rumen.  Do you have any high protein hay like alfalfa, real leafy kind not stemmy?  give her A LITTLE of it is you do.  Also realize that increasing her milk at this point will cause her to get loose, even scoury,  but unless she is acting sick, don't give any anti-biotics as that will deplete the microbes in her gut tract.  In fact, a good dose of some Pro-biotics would help her and I would give it to her several times.  The tube kind that is a gel/paste will be more easily assimulated and with her little size should not be too hard to give. 
Make sure she has unlimited access to water.


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## babsbag (Feb 3, 2017)

What an adorable little calf. I always thought that Highlands were cute but she CUTE!!!!!!! and huggable. She can come be my pet


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

What you said is pretty much what we were doing. Breaking the feeding into 3x a day. With the goal of getting 2 quarts a day in her. We are using human size bottles, so that's 2 bottles a feeding. Today she took 4 and a half bottles. I have been putting grain in her mouth too. She does not seem stressed at all. No mooing or looking for her mother. We are leaving free choice hay and a little grain. She's eating hay and drinking a lot of water. I thought about alfalfa, but someone told me with everything else we were doing, that would be too rich. I'll do probiotics in the morning.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

she is pretty stinking cute. And friendly too.


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## farmerjan (Feb 3, 2017)

Well, it seems that you are doing everything pretty "right" so keep on keeping on....If she is not looking for her mother then that is good, and is friendly then I would just give her some time.  If you were to give her a little alfalfa I would give her a handful once or twice a day.  Like a "candy bar" treat so that you didn't upset her gut too much or get it too rich too quick.  The probiotics certainly won't hurt her so don't be afraid to give them.  Since she is so little  AND VERY CUTE TOO   I would use the dosage for a newborn calf.  Usually like 5cc worth or something, it will be on the tube.  If you have never gotten them before, most of them are in a tube that is about as big around as a toilet paper roll and has a graduated marking on the side that you use for the age or size or whatever.  Very self-explanatory and easy to use.  Make sure you get it on the back of her tongue so she swallows it.  It doesn't taste all that bad but is just different and they usually try to spit it out.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

What are the chances that she will reach a near normal size??


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## farmerjan (Feb 3, 2017)

I would say the chances are fair to good if she "gets with the program"  and gets to eating and growing.  I am not real familiar with the breed, never having raised them but had some friends that had some years ago.  She will probably be a little behind, but could pretty much catch up. She is still young enough that most of the lack of feed can be negated.  I would say if she starts to eating and gets the protein she needs, that she will be about 6 months or so behind; but ought to get  up to a decent size.  This is just an opinion.... 
I find alot more stunting happening with heifers that get bred too early;   they cannot grow and "grow a fetus" at the same time so their own growth suffers and they never do catch up.


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## farmerjan (Feb 3, 2017)

Don't skimp on the milk either, that will help with the calcium and bone growth, along with the protein in the feed.  It is a pain but it might give her the extra edge that she was shortchanged.  Too bad they didn't pull her sooner....


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

THANKS. That gives me hope. She's eating well. I'm already getting sometimes half a quart more in her then they were getting. I'm using whole cow milk, not milk replacer. If we need to bottle feed her until 6 mos, I'm ok with that.


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## farmerjan (Feb 3, 2017)

That's great that you are giving her whole milk rather than milk replacer, just seems to "do more", and she will be less likely to scour...and I know I will get flak for that but I have raised hundreds of calves over the last 40 + years and real milk just does better....I'd keep the milk up for awhile and just moniter her progress...
Where in Va are you?  I'm in the Raphine area...


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

Bowling Green, Between Richmond and Fredericksburg.


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## GLENMAR (Feb 3, 2017)

farmerjan. are you going to Va Beef Expo??


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## farmerjan (Feb 4, 2017)

Hadn't thought that far; it's in April maybe?  I didn't get to the Va farm show, had several farms that were scheduled to test that week,( I am a DHIA milk tester),  and the one day I might have managed it was raining.  Right now with my joint issues, it hurts to do much walking so I have been trying to take it easy.  But yes, I do try to go to most of the different "offerings" to see things and people and it is good to get out and do some mingling.  Keep me posted on it and if you are going to go I will make it a goal to go and meet you.  It would be great to be able to spend a bit just talking and sharing "tales"...


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## GLENMAR (Feb 6, 2017)

It's the weekend before Easter. I'm going to try to go. The Highland Show is not going the be here this year. They scheduled it for June and about 6.6 hours away from me, so I won't be going there. 

The calf is eating a whole 2 quarts now, still broken up into 3 feedings.


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## cjc (Feb 7, 2017)

A lot has already been said about this but I get my bottle calves on grain at 7 days old. I do it a few ways.

I have a grain bottle that attaches to the fence that I always leave full of grain, its always there... they see the bottle and  often they will suckle and they will get grain. I always offer free choice grain from a week old but leaving it in a pale never works.

After every feed I put grain handfuls into their mouth. I keep feeding until they starting spitting out all the grain.

With some calves I actually put grain in the bottle with their milk. Gets it in their bellies.

Buy the highest quality calf grain you can buy with the highest protein %. Its usually a difference of a dollar or two and when you're only feeding one the increase is so minor you don't notice it.

I always feed 3 feedings a day rather than 2 until they are 2 months old. 6am, 12pm and 6pm. My calves that got 3 feedings a day grew bigger and then I had the opportunity to get more grain in their bellies.


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## GLENMAR (Mar 30, 2017)

Calf is doing great. She's eating 2 quarts of grain a day and getting 2-3 quarts of milk. Starting to fill in around the ribs. It's been slow going for her, but she's finally on the fast track.


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## Latestarter (Mar 30, 2017)

So glad to hear! Hope she continues to grow out well and fast.


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## farmerjan (Mar 31, 2017)

Sounds like you have hit the right "formula" to get her going.  I am really glad she is doing good and sounds like she is really eating.  I probably wouldn't push too much more grain as you can cause her to get a "ph" imbalance and her gut tract to get too acidic.  If she seems to be improving then I would kinda hold it where it is and if anything maybe add a little alfalfa for the protein and the roughage.  With the weather being warmer than normal, I image you are seeing a bit more grass over there than we are.  I know that you run 2-3 weeks ahead of us in temps and garden season.  If she gets to eating some grass that will help to encourage her eating/grazing.  It will make her loose for awhile.  Also, if you feed loose minerals, make sure it is Hi-mag to offset the lush grass.  
Any new pics?  Also, I am hoping to go to the Beef expo, either that  Fri or Sat. Maybe we can catch up?


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## GLENMAR (Apr 3, 2017)

Good point about not over loading her. I may have pushed it the other day, then backed off. 
I'm going to get her out on some pasture this week. I'm trying to halter break her some too.
I'm going to the beef expo on Thurs, because that's my only day off. I was hoping to show,but they moved the Highland show. So I'm going to shop. Need a chute. Photos soon.


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## farmerjan (Apr 4, 2017)

Sorry to not be able to go to the Expo on Thursday but I have a 250 cow dairy to test that afternoon and they start at 1:30 pm so it would be next to impossible for me to get my own chores all done and get there before I would have to leave.  Maybe another time....


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## GLENMAR (Apr 6, 2017)

That's a lot of chores farmerjan.   Here's a few recent photos. She had a very good vet appt the other day.
She's almost doubled her weight in 8 weeks.


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## farmerjan (Apr 7, 2017)

She is soooooo cute.  Makes me think of the "baby doll sheep" that are popular.  Funny thing is, before they became the "rage" we called them  "southdowns"  up in Ct where I was from, and they were popular due to their easy care, and good growth, and great dispositions.   And of course their easy handling size.  
Great that the vet appt. went well and she's growing.  Her pictures just makes you want to pick her up and hug her!!!!!


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