5 day old calf not eating, not active... Cause for concern?

[aggieterpkatie]

Definitely get him dehorned, and plan on getting him castrated too! I second the getting him off the tube idea. If he is hungry, he will eat. Keeping them on the tube isn't good for them. Also, most electrolyte solutions say do not feed with milk, so I would not recommend feeding him electrolytes and milk together. Check the kind you got and see if it says that. When our Jerseys would scour, we'd take them off milk for a day (or two, depending on how bad) and feed nothing but the electrolytes, then we'd go back to the replacer.

Also, it seems young, but most dairy calves never even nurse off their mom at all. Calves can do just fine that way. It probably upset his system a bit from going to his mom's milk to the milk replacer, so hopefully once his scours has calmed down he'll do fine on the replacer. Also make sure you're not feeding him too much, because that will make them scour too. At his age, I'd feed no more than 2 quarts twice a day.

 

[BigMac]

Ok, after reading Redtail's story about disemboweled horses, the wife has decided that, yes, she can stomach her new baby being dehorned. He has tiny tiny buds that don't show through the fur at all, and are only noticeable if you go looking for them, and even then look and feel like little bald spots on his head. Wife has decreed that paste is preferable over vet because of money and her perceived pain for the baby... [sigh]. (This is the same reason I ended up using bands to castrate him over cutting.) So she prefers a dull burn/ache over a period of days as opposed to a swift sharp pain followed by healing. I can't argue with her logic, but it looks like we'll be pasting his horn buds in the next couple days.

He is doing better, markedly so. However, he still refused bottle and bucket this morning. SO we took it all away and left him a bucket of water and will try the bottle again this evening.

 

[hydroswiftrob]

Boy am I glad I found this thread. Just picked up three bottle calves 2 days ago and we are having the same problems with one.

 

[BigMac]

I am still in the process of working through Baby Mac's feeding issues. But he has stopped scouring and is acting completely different! Thank you Redtailgal! He seems to be pulling through just fine, and I anticipate he'll take a bottle or bucket just fine tonight. I will probably swear by "Redtail's Scours Protocol" from now on!

 

[BigMac]

Ok, now I need a post-it about posting photos, because I can't figure out how to do it!

 

[BigMac]

SUCCESS!!!

 

[marlowmanor]

So where did you put the pictures? I see the one in your avatar, but that's it. It's a cute calf in your avatar BTW!

In case I haven't said it already

 

[redtailgal]

When you do the paste........

Wear gloves....several layers in case one layer gets nicked. You DONT want that stuff on your hands.

Shave around his horns. I usually shave a nice big bald spot from ear to ear, and several inches in front and behind the nubs. Yes, it's overkill, but you want to be thorough and only do this once.

Follow the directions on the past EXACTLY.

Keep him WELL away from other critters. If he rubs them wrong and gets it in their eye, you will be in a terrible mess.

Wear long pants when you are handling him, so it doesnt get rubbed off on your skin.

If you do get some on you, IMMEDIATELY wash the area thoroughly with some warm water and soap for at least 10 minutes. Again, this is overkill, but I have scars on my hands from the stuff, it's not altogether painful, but will leave a nasty wound.

 

[BigMac]

I have learned that Facebook pages is a wonderful tool for sharing photos, videos, etc... all in one place! I've posted a bunch of new photos and videos there of our success this afternoon with Baby Mac! Go check it out to see the "ah-ha" moment he started digging in! https://www.facebook.com/KaejjaFarms

 

[redtailgal]

I KNEW you'd get there!

COngrats! Love the halter........and the ride with the honey sounds like it was wonderful (love that pic!)!

I'm really glad to see you starting the halter already. It will make later on soooo much easier. You'll need to plan on castrating him soon. I'd do it as soon as both his.......um........."nuggets" are fully down. You'll have to get up close and personal. Grab 'em.......if you can feel both of them from top to bottom, it's time to castrate. When you band, get the band up high, and ease it down (dont snap it on him if you can help it). He may cry and walk funny for the afternoon.

I love to watch the littles ones grow, so keep us posted on him, and if you have anymore questions, be sure to ask!