# ahhhhhh scours ?



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

how many times can a calf get the scours fight it off just to get them again?
i posted a thread about bathin a little jersey calf and everything was gettin better till now, the jersey is up and about a whole lot better then yesterday, but the holstein who was doing the best ,apparntly got the scours  again yesterday while I was here at work, then when i got home early this mourning, his eyes where starting to sink into his head,  so i fed him his milk with anti scour med mixed in, then made sure he drank quite a bit of water, this afternoon before i came in (late)
i made sure he drank some more and the wife said he has been up and about drinking today,


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

i suppose the jersey will have it again  before too long


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 26, 2009)

Have you read this: http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=5-Misc_Info ? I would recommend you do so, if you haven't.


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

thanks i just read it im going to read it again, the holstein is in a stall in the barn in fresh bedding,
with water and the electrolytes, 
we aint sure whats causing it now.  up to now  we thought we had the scours beat but they just come back quicker then befor.

here is my theory
we live in the river bottoms, so with the weather conditions we have have the fog from the river (eccesive moisture in the air) creeps up and around the house, really no escape from it.

the calves themselves come from a friend of a friend (you now how that is )
I dont think the calves  has had the proper amount of cholstrum,  the guy we got them from also deals in cattle a lot so its probably just as well i bought them from an auction as this guy, (everything coming and going on his farm)
no weather its bacterial or virial im going to guess virel due to the circumstances.

so when i get home im going to take apropriate measures, (feeding tube if nessicary)(dont have the iv vet will have to do that)


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 26, 2009)

Make sure you get a plugger into him/them tonight. If they didn't get enough colustrum within the window it will be a constant battle with something or another. If you really suspect that then talk to your vet. They can give a blood transfusion from a healthy cow to them. Most who do not get the colustrum correctly end up dying otherwise.

Remember many bacteria love moist/wet conditions too.


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

wife just called he just took another 2 quarts, and is up ,towards the end he srarted to act better , if he will make it to the mourning i ll get the vet on him


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 26, 2009)

Good luck


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

reguardless of how it turns out 
thank you farmer kitty for the help, 
ill repost the out come wednesday.


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 26, 2009)

I hope it all goes well and will watch for your post on Wednesday.


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

yea, 1 min they seem fine the next hes gettin bad , the wife is checking on the every 1/2 hour or so till she goes to bed, she is also trying to make him drink as she is out there, so im hopin for the best


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 26, 2009)

If he just drank 2 quarts an hour ago or so he's good for a while. If offering more, make sure it's water as more milk will cause scours and you are already battling that.


----------



## cw (Jul 26, 2009)

no, its water loaded with electrolytes, she says she can make him get up and lead him to the water bucket lower his head towards it and he drinks, sometimes a lot sometimes a little, kinda scared to to put to much stress on him, to where they wont clear up, 

any other suggestions farmer kitty?
thanks


----------



## she-earl (Jul 27, 2009)

How old are the calves?  Just feeding electrolytes will not provide enough nourishment for them.  They should be feed electrolytes one feeding and the next feeding they should receive milk.  Are you feeding milk replacer or whole milk?  If you are using milk replacer, it would be better to give them whole milk and then gradually switch back to milk replacer.  On the rare occasions when I have had a calf unable to knock the "runs", putting them on whole milk makes the difference.  Is there a neighboring farmer who has milk that they are just dumping down the drain for whatever reason?  May be they would let you use the milk for your calves.


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 27, 2009)

she-earl, the calves are between 1o-14 days old. The feedings of water and electrolytes are in addition to the milk replacer/milk and treatment. The concern being dehydration.

In my experience, switching back and forth between milk replacer and milk causes/adds to the scours.


----------



## she-earl (Jul 27, 2009)

I am not continuing to switch back and forth.  Give them whole milk for a number of feedings upto several days.  Then give them 3 pints of whole milk mixed with 1 pint of milk replacer for each calf.  Feed them this mixture for several feedings and then use 2 quarts of whole milk and 2 quarts of milk replacer for several days.  Then decrease whole milk to 1 pint and add 3 pints of milk replacer for a number of feedings.  After this gradual switch, they should once again be ready for all milk replacer.  This is the way I switch all our calves from their mother's whole milk to milk replacer and it does work!


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 27, 2009)

That's still switching from one to the other and back again and hasn't worked for me. But, what works on one farm may/may not work on another.


----------



## bethinoklahoma (Jul 29, 2009)

so hows the calf ?


----------



## Beekissed (Jul 29, 2009)

I had great success with a scour calf by mixing buttermilk in his feeding, to re-culture his bowel.  My mix was whole Jersey milk, buttermilk, brown sugar.   I also gave some Immodium.  No scours within 3-4 days of this.


----------



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 29, 2009)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> I had great success with a scour calf by mixing buttermilk in his feeding, to re-culture his bowel.  My mix was whole Jersey milk, buttermilk, brown sugar.   I also gave some Immodium.  No scours within 3-4 days of this.


Cultured buttermilk, I'm assuming. That would work as a probiotic which the calves are on. This thread sort of continues from another. Just be careful with the buttermilk so as not to make the milk to rich (which obviously Beekissed didn't have a problem with  ).

Another probiotic is *live *cultured yogurt. Make sure the culture is live or it won't work.

Then there are the commercially prepared ones, such as Probios.


----------



## Imissmygirls (Jul 29, 2009)

There was research done at Penn State in the '60s using fermented colostrum as a calf feed. The object was to encourage good belly bugs 
You left the colostrum at room temp to sour and stirred it daily and fed it to the calves at normal rates.
Yes, I am serious-- I personally knew the Dr. studying this method and we used it at our farm.
The calves drank it, liked it and grew well. The problem was maintaining the supply. You weren't supposed to switch back and forth because the calves got used to one taste and didn't drink the other. A farm herd had trouble keeping enough colostrum in stock to feed the calves.
It was rather gross to deal with tho; I suppose that's another reason why it never caught on.


----------



## Thewife (Jul 29, 2009)

Imissmygirls said:
			
		

> There was research done at Penn State in the '60s using fermented colostrum as a calf feed. The object was to encourage good belly bugs
> You left the colostrum at room temp to sour and stirred it daily and fed it to the calves at normal rates.
> Yes, I am serious-- I personally knew the Dr. studying this method and we used it at our farm.
> The calves drank it, liked it and grew well. The problem was maintaining the supply. You weren't supposed to switch back and forth because the calves got used to one taste and didn't drink the other. A farm herd had trouble keeping enough colostrum in stock to feed the calves.
> It was rather gross to deal with tho; I suppose that's another reason why it never caught on.


One of the dairies I used to buy calves from would send me home with 5 or more gallons of bucket milk. A lot of the milk was not something I would want to drink! She told me it was good for them! The calves loved it and I had a lot less health problems with her calves than with the calves I got from other dairies!


----------



## cw (Jul 29, 2009)

i wish mine would have more milk and clostrum , and maybe they wouldnt be in the pickle there in


----------

