Our 10wk steers have the runs--oh, no!

[WildRoseBeef]

16% is certainly considered a "hot" feed. And since it's for goats and not calves, what else could be in the feed that may be causing this gastric distress, if I can call it that? Maybe it's best to lay off the goat feed for now, or cut amount you're feeding by half to see if that helps. And, increase the amount of hay if the calves are cleaning up the hay right away and not leaving any waste behind. Increase in roughage might help them out a little.

But I agree as well that it's time to call the vet out and get a full work-up (fecal and blood) on those calves to see what's ailing them. The coughing could signal an underlying case of respiratory illness, and may be a secondary symptom to something that's more serious and underlying.

 

[Qchickiemama]

Thanks, guys. Putting a call to vet in the morning.

 

[elevan]

How did this turn out?

 

[Qchickiemama]

They're looking healthy now! The vet came & treated them for pneumonia and scours. I've learned how to give them shots of antibiotics and B12. They're acting much more active--out in the pasture gobbling up grass. We're slowly starting back on 16% calf grain with probiotics added. When they see us, they come in to the barn and mooo at us. I think they're asking for grain but they're eating hay & grass mostly for now. Bummer for expensive vet visit but it was beyond what we could do ourselves.

 

[babsbag]

Glad to hear that that had a good ending. I understand the vet visit thing but sometimes we have no other options if we want to get the animal healthy. Glad that they taught you some skills too.

 

[Latestarter]

Glad to hear things have resolved themselves. Vets get paid for the knowledge, training and experience that us lay-folks don't have. Sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet and call in a professional to get things sorted out. Still not sure about 16% grain for calves though... seems a bit over the top to me. Anyway, good luck going forward!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

@Qchickiemama is there any way you can post the label of the 16% feed? I would love to know what's in the feed as far as energy content, fat, fibre and other nutrients are concerned.

Am too glad that things have turned out for the better, hopefully it stays that way for a long while now.

 

[Qchickiemama]

We got this feed at the local mill. It's in an unlabeled bag with a tiny handwritten tag that says "16% calf" on it. Since we're giving them only a very small amount right now, it's not a huge percentage of their diet and therefore the % protein isn't that big of a deal. They're mostly eating grass and hay.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Good. The grain will come in handy when they're needing the energy, if not the protein already.

 

[jhm47]

If these are 10 - 12 week old Holsteins, they will be needing grain to grow normally. Holsteins are dairy cattle, and are not able to do well on JUST grass/hay. I'd get them up to at least 1% of their body weight in a high quality, nutrient dense grain mix ASAP.