# getting small underweight calf back where she needs to be



## dragonmorgan (Feb 28, 2012)

I got some great advice on here when I asked about our bottle baby so I figured Id see if anyone might have any for a new calf we are getting. She another calf from our friend that was bottlefed (by my sister-in-law) Shes in the catch pen with some of our herd calves right now but me and DH noticed that shes very poor looking. Supposedly shes a year old but I think shes more like 9-10 months. Anyway she seems pretty small for that age and we noticed the other day when we went to feed the catch pen calves that she is kinda bony. Her winter coat is so thick and fuzzy that we didnt notice it until we went to pet her and could feel her ribs and backbone stickin out. She doesnt have diarrhea and seems to be eating the feed pretty good and she doesnt seem sick. We spent the past couple days expanding the pen out back of our house so that we can bring her home for some TLC and Im wondering what all we need to do to get her back up to weight. We plan to worm her and give her a b12 shot and she will be eating the starter feed our bottle calf is eating and hay. Is there anything else we need to do or give her?  Its hard to tell by lookin at her that shes thin. Shes a hereford mix just like our bottle calf.


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## WildRoseBeef (Feb 29, 2012)

She is quite scrawny, it looks like she needs a bit of grain or a blood/fecal test to see if she has coccidiosis or worse.  Being thin with diarrhea isn't a good thing, but it could be that she just needs some groceries to get back on track again.


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## redtailgal (Feb 29, 2012)

Since she doesnt have diarrhea, I'd go ahead with worming her and give her plenty of good hay and pasture.  I'd probably add a little calf manna to her grain ( I like a 25% calf manna 75% calf starter ratio).  She does look wormy to me, so It may be worth your while to have a fecal done to make sure you are using the best wormer for the job.  If the vet is too expensive, call your ag extension office.......sometimes they have someone that can do a fecal (or they do here anyway)

Start her out easy on the grain, though.  Give her only a cup or so at first easing up a little at a time so she doesnt get the squirts.

I'd want her taking a couple pounds of grain a day until the pastures put on good, then I'd ease her back down a little.  It takes time for them to gain weight, so be patient.

Do you know what else she has in her besides hereford?  She is thin, but I'm wondering if part of her scrawniness isnt conformation.


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks. Im not sure what the bull was. Ill have to do some asking around. All i no for sure is that the mom was a hereford. Ill call our co-ops around here and see if any do any kind of fecal testing. Hopefully its nothing common wormer wont take care of. Im hopin that her growth/development isnt stunted because of bad nutrition. Shes such a sweet calf.


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## redtailgal (Mar 1, 2012)

I wouldnt think she'd be stunted, she's thin, but I've seen worse.

Worm her and feed her up,  and I think she'll be ok.  (course, I'm not a vet)


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Mar 2, 2012)

She looks as though she has long legs.  Maybe the bull was in the milk line?


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 2, 2012)

Stubbornhillfarm said:
			
		

> She looks as though she has long legs.  Maybe the bull was in the milk line?


Doubt it.  It's the lack of depth and frame that's making her look leggy.  Heifer just needs more groceries to fill out a bit more.  Don't think I'd keep her as a replacement heifer, though, she's one that may be better for the freezer than producing calves. JMHO.


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## redtailgal (Mar 2, 2012)

i dunno Wildrose.......I thought I saw a little dairy in there too.  Maybe I am wrong.  

I'd love to know what her parentage looks like.  She is thin, but she not full hereford either.  A little bit of dairy in that bloodline will change conformation quite a bit.  

We keep a couple with some diary way back.  They are excellent producers, the richer milk seems to grow out some nice beef.  If she has a good disposition, I would be curious to grow her out and see what I get.  Might could get some nice commercial beef.

lol, Wildrose.  It's a good thing we dont co-own a farm.  We are complete opposites on a lot of things.


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 2, 2012)

Lol 

I think the pic itself can warp the image of what kind of calf we're talking about here.  Maybe the OP should get a nice side-view of her before any real decisions can be made. Just from the front makes her look poorer than she probably is.  The angle the pic was taken of doesn't help matters either.  So dragon, if you could get a nice pic of her just like what you did with those two cows you posted on another thread, maybe then we can take another stab at her.


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## redtailgal (Mar 2, 2012)

Well, the op just wanted advice on how to get some weight on her, and we've hijacked the thread into a breed/conformation debate.  

 sorry OP, hope your not upset!


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Mar 5, 2012)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> Well, the op just wanted advice on how to get some weight on her, and we've hijacked the thread into a breed/conformation debate.
> 
> sorry OP, hope your not upset!


X2


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## Akpahsj (Mar 13, 2012)

I know nothing about cattle, but I just thought I'd tell you she's a very good looking calf LOL
Best of luck.


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 19, 2012)

Sorry guys. We got some chickens recently and its been pretty hectic around here. We only meant to get 12 and we ended up with 17 lol. Anyway, we finally got the calf moved over to the pen behind our house the other day so I can take some much better pics of her if yall are still interested in helpin me out. I dont mind the thread hijacking lol. If she does have some dairy cow in her thatd be all the better. Her personality is very sweet although shes not the walk up to ya for a scratch kind of gal. She will let me pet on her tho, and the has the softest curliest fur ever. Ill see if I can get outside and get some better pics of her once my little one wakes up from his nap. It should be easier to get some now that shes over here and our pen is much smaller than the catch pen she was in so I can get alot closer. Weve got her eatin the bull feed that our bottle calf is on and we got them some good hay from the feed store that they seem to like. Plus my kids like feedin her handfuls of tall grass they pick lol.


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 19, 2012)

ok I managed to get some better pics of her. It was tough to get her to hold still because the flies around here are horrible since we didnt have a winter this year. I think I got a couple that might help. Even after only a couple days out here shes lookin better I think. If anyone has any thoughts on her or suggestions about what else we might can do Im happy to hear. DH says shes a year old but Im skeptical about that. I think shes more like 10-11 months or something. I wish there was a better way to know other than her teeth. She wont exactly let me go pokin around in her mouth just yet lol. Hopefully this weekend we can start halter training her.


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## redtailgal (Mar 19, 2012)

She really doesnt look terribly thin.

I'd make sure that she is not wormy, give her a solid calf starter grain, plenty of hay and pasture.  I think that alot of what you are seeing is just conformation. (that head looks very dairy).

What are your plans for her?

Also, remember if she is being kept in a smaller area, she will not have the larger muscle development that one might expect from a heifer.


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 19, 2012)

Shes goin to be part of the herd we are building. We have about 10 acres and want 4 or 5 cows. We sell calves and I may end up milkin her some. We dont need alot of milk so its no biggie that shes not a dairy cow, altho it would be nice if she was part dairy. Right now they are in a smallish pen until we get their bigger area fenced in. We may end up puttin them in one of my in laws smaller fields that isnt bein used but its got a bunch of sticker weeds in it so we have to get out there and plant it and fence it in. Shes mainly over here so my bottle calf will have some company and she can get fed better. She doesnt look very skinny she just feels boney. I dont know if her winter coat is makin her look fluffy. She def seems healthier since we moved her to our house. How big should their pen be since its just them 2 right now? Once shes halter trained we are gonna make it so she can graze some in the yard. I can get a pic of their pen tomorrow if thatll help. Shes gettin the bull feed and plenty of hay. We have some wormer for her but I forgot to ask the feed store how to give it to her. Its something they are sposed to eat and we got enough to worm her and our bottle calf but I forgot to ask if we give it to them by itself or if we mix it in their feed and Im not sure how to make sure that one doesnt get more than they need. I think DH is afraid to go back to the feed store to ask since every time we go we leave with more chickens lol.


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 19, 2012)

Now that I see a better picture of her she definitely has some dairy in her.  Most obvious indication is her funnel butt (or, not as much muscling in the rear like with beef calves).  I'm thinking she could have some Jersey in her, and white face being Hereford.  Because she's got what I suspect is some Jersey in her, she probably looks a little younger than what she is.  I think she's around a year old too, between 10 and 12 months of age.


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## Cricket (Mar 20, 2012)

She is cute!  My first thought was some Jersey, too.  (But I thought 'look at those elegant legs', NOT 'funnel butt', WRB!).  She has a longer face, too.  Most of the Jersey heifers I see, inc. my own, tend to look potbellied and ribby at that age, so she actually looks pretty good!  We have a cow by the same name where I work, but it is spelled differently!  (I'm trying to give it a French accent--doo maas, but it isn't catching on.)


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 20, 2012)

awsome. Im so used to seein our beef cows that anything else just looks odd. It makes me feel better knowin she may have some milk cow in her and that she looks like shes sposed to. Thanks everyone.

lol on the french accent.


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Mar 20, 2012)

I can only speak for myself after going through our first year of cattle ownership;  when I pat my two dairy(Jersey) steers and feel their ribs, sometimes I still think "oh, my goodness!" "they are so thin!"   And then I remind myself that they are getting the same food as the two beef cattle, they've been wormed, they are healthy, etc.  It is just that their build is different.  I think that once you rule out worms or sickness, and know that you are providing her with proper food and shelter, it will be easier for you to know that it is just her build.  It sounds like you are doing a great job!  Keep up the good work.


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 20, 2012)

Cricket, the dead give-away for me to come to the assumption that she's got Jersey and not Holstein in her is her dished face.  Holsteins don't have dished faces like Jerseys do.  The dark hooves, pigment around the eyes and a little on the nose also tells me she's got a bit of Jersey in the wood pile.  And she is a bit leggy too, though I think the funnel butt on her makes her look all legs than anything.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 20, 2012)

I think her petite legs and feet and small size are a Jersey trait, plus she's just not big enough to be a Holstein (or other large breed) cross.  I'm thinking she's not even that old, because of her small size, but it's hard to tell without having anything in the pics to really compare to.


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## dragonmorgan (Mar 20, 2012)

I can get a pic of her next to my 3 month old bottle calf but they are the only 2 in the pen right now. Maybe I can get DH to take a pic of me and her together if shell let me close enough and be still lol.


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