Bottle calf not drinking

[Meghan Agner]

He will be 2 weeks tomorrow. He's been on a bucket bottle thing for almost the same amount of time and has done wonderful. I started giving him a full bucket since he wasn't drinking it all at once. Then he quit drinking l. He is probably drinking the equivalent of 2 qts a day, if that. I started giving him less and changing it out more frequently. His poops aren't horrible yet. Yellow, a little formed but mostly unformed. We gave him a shot of LA300 hoping it would help. No change. Help

 

[cjc]

I know a lot of people use buckets but I use a bottle for the first 4 weeks. I don't measure in quarts but I measure by the milk replacer recommendation. With mine I think its 200grams of powder that mixes up about 2 quarts. I feed that 2x a day for a calf under 100lbs and 3x a day for a calf over.

Have you checked this calf's temperature? If not do that right away. 101 to 102 would be normal.

Have you checked it's navel for navel ill? The navel will feel hard like a bullet under the skin if there is an infection.

Check it's joints, do you feel any gushy spots? Fluid under the skin near its back hocks?

How is the breathing? Any wheezing? Listen to it breath in and out is it raspy at all? Any coughing?

If you haven't started, try feeding some electrolytes. I would try one small milk bottle in the morning, electrolytes at lunch and a small milk bottle in the evening.

Yellow stool that is somewhat loose is normal for the first few weeks. It will slowly harder up by the time they are 3 weeks old. But something has obviously gone on here. Once they stop drinking they can turn VERY QUICKLY. A temperature check is critical when they stop drinking.

If it is cold outside bring this calf into the barn and keep it warm. Do not let this calf get cold.

 

[Meghan Agner]

Normally I would have bottle fed longer but with the holidays and running around I thought it may be better for the bucket. I will go back to the bottle for now.
Someone suggested probiotics and so I did that today. He's pooping several times a day so I know he isn't dehydrated yet.
It will see what the milk replacement says but when I looked before I don't remember much on the way of suggestions based on age.
Thanks for the help. Also will try to get his temp.

 

[Meghan Agner]

It may be worth noting, the calf limped for a couple of days when he was about 3 days old. His knee looked swollen. Could this be related? It cleared up when I started making him move around more

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH. Sorry you're having issues with your calf. I hope it's nothing serious and rights itself quickly. Trouble with baby animals is stuff can go wrong and they can lose it so fast. I'll tag a few others with cow experience who may also be able to provide insight. @farmerjan @greybeard @WildRoseBeef Additionally, there are other threads dealing with similar issues. Look toward the bottom of the page (right below this post) and you'll see similarly titled threads you can click on to read. There is quite a bit of shared knowledge and experiences in the various threads. Please browse around and join in where you feel the call. Make yourself at home! I hope you'll stay with us and maybe post some pics of your animal(s)... we're all a bunch of pic addicts here.

 

[cjc]

When I see a swollen knee and a limp I usually think joint ill but he would be pretty young to have it at that point. Usually shows up around 2 weeks old. Because it cleared up and he stopped limping I would assume an injury, something like joint ill would progressively get worse and pretty fast.

Do check his navel and read up on signs of navel ill. And yes, check his temperature ASAP.

Although he isn't showing signs of dehydration I feed all my calves electrolytes when they act even the slightest bit off. It is over kill sometimes but ever since I started doing this it has been easier for me to keep them hydrated if they do turn.

 

[greybeard]

Sorry, but I can't help. I am NOT a bottle feeder. If I have one without a momma and can't graft it on to another, I'm on the phone finding someone that wants to raise a bottle calf even if I have to give it away. Just don't have the time or energy to do it.

 

[cjc]

Sorry, but I can't help. I am NOT a bottle feeder. If I have one without a momma and can't graft it on to another, I'm on the phone finding someone that wants to raise a bottle calf even if I have to give it away. Just don't have the time or energy to do it.

@greybeard I love neighbours like you! That's where all the good bottle babies come from. Wish I was closer!

 

[Meghan Agner]

Sorry, but I can't help. I am NOT a bottle feeder. If I have one without a momma and can't graft it on to another, I'm on the phone finding someone that wants to raise a bottle calf even if I have to give it away. Just don't have the time or energy to do it.

If I was closer I would talk it also. Hope you find someone soon. Someone gave this one to us for the same reason. We raise them, teaching our son about it as we go (he's 19 months) and sell the calf putting the money in his savings

 

[Meghan Agner]

When I see a swollen knee and a limp I usually think joint ill but he would be pretty young to have it at that point. Usually shows up around 2 weeks old. Because it cleared up and he stopped limping I would assume an injury, something like joint ill would progressively get worse and pretty fast.

Do check his navel and read up on signs of navel ill. And yes, check his temperature ASAP.

Although he isn't showing signs of dehydration I feed all my calves electrolytes when they act even the slightest bit off. It is over kill sometimes but ever since I started doing this it has been easier for me to keep them hydrated if they do turn.

What kind of thermometer? Or does it matter?