Heifer with loose stool, wormer or diet change or something else?

[started*with*chickens]

We have 4 new minis. We noticed the 5 year old cow had loose stool starting on Wednesday (we got them Tuesday evening) and we contributed it to diet change. It's still thick, not watery. They were being fed beardless wheat, nothing else, no grain, no grazing. We have a little grass for them to graze and have been feeding them hay (I'm not sure what kind, it's on the greener side) nutrebeef and alpha/timothy pellets twice a day. We wormed them Thursday evening. The cow is still having loose stool and now the older heifer, between 12-18 months, is also having loose stool. The younger heifer who is almost 9 months and the 12-18 month old bull are having normal stool still. We didn't give them any feed this morning hoping they will eat more hay and it might help thicken things up. The older heifer is already starting to loose her 'bloated pregnant belly' look although the bull still looks 'pregnant'. Could the loose stool be from the wormer? Does it mean it's doing its job or is it more than likely from diet change? Could the cow have been sick and passed it to the heifer?

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Sounds like normal stool to me. If it's coming out in a sort of a "pie" type, and not as a pile, enough that you can see small fragments of plant matter in there, and not as a liquid green, then that's completely normal and something that isn't worth worrying about. From what I've seen in the steers we've had, this sort of pile is a sign that they're getting sufficient protein and things are starting to move like it should. Poop that is in a pile form (like you can see the striations or layers as the feces come out) means they're not getting enough protein. When it loosens up, then they're getting a healthy dose of nutrients including protein, something which is important for cattle, especially for the microbes in their rumen, because that's really what you're feeding.

However, a picture would be quite helpful at this point to see if what I'm thinking is really that...

 

[started*with*chickens]

I will get pictures tomorrow. I've already scooped and watered all of the evidence of today. From what your saying it sounds like the cow and older heifer are good, the bull is ok and the younger heifer is missing something. I knew when we first brought the younger heifer home hers was a little off because it looked exactly like goat poop. We thought it might have something to do with still nursing and it did become a little more patty like after a few days but still comes out with a mix of a patty and goat poop look. Most of the cow poo I remember from childhood was from pasture grazing cows. I've noticed the chickens don't like the looser stool but will scratch at the more formed patties. They might scratch at them once they've dried but we try to scoop/spray down twice a day so it doesn't get out of hand.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Yeah, when you get animals with the consistency of goat or sheep pellets that definitely means they're not getting enough nutrition. It's also odd that, when you had mentioned on another thread of yours, the younger heifer barely touched (or rather, just licked it a few times then left it) the mineral/salt block. Either she's being a real tough bug or something's wrong with her that she's not eating right. I don't know if you've already mentioned this before, but have you paid more attention to this young heifer to see how she eats or what she eats or anything like that. She's the one I'd be the most worried about over the others, and probably the one I'd be spoiling/doting over the most if I were you lol. Of course all animals are different and have different individual needs, and probably doesn't like to stay at the salt block when you're watching her or when the others are close by. It's possible that she's the lowest on the totem pole, gets bullied around a lot by the others (even if it may not seem like it to you), and thus is stuck with the lesser quality feed because she's got no choice but to pick at that because the others have been hogging the good stuff. It's nothing different from the steers we used to have: we'd get steers that were a little thinner than we liked and others that were fat and sassy, and it's all because of that darn pecking order!

 

[started*with*chickens]

I am still concerned with Dixie. We had her for 2 weeks before we brought the others home and even though her poo has started forming some she still has pellets mixed in. When it was just her and the goats we fed her seperate so I know she was getting enough then but I can't say for sure the last few days now that the others are here. I have noticed her mom won't bump her out of the way to eat and will leave her alone and bump the others out of the way. We still feed them out of buckets/hands and she's the first in line and you have to fight to keep her from taking it from the others. Her poop is dark too, not the same green as the others. It really looks like goat poop. She also wasn't really grazing until the others got here. Where they were before was nothing but dirt, nothing to graze on, and it never occured to me she might not know to do it. I would have thought it was just instinct.

I really need to get pictures. The chickens are crazy quick today and getting to everything before me!

I know we are on the right track but just not right where we need to be yet. Hopefully once I get the loose minerals we will be good!