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Problem weaning calf off milk

  • 24-04-2011 9:53am
    #1
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭


    We have weaned our current batch of calves off milk and they were all doing well on meal and free access to barley straw and hay added occasionally..

    However one calf refused to take anything only meal, now he has a scour..
    Had to put him back on milk and reduced meal ration but still not interested in anything only milk & meal... Scour is easing but he's got thin

    Put some hay in his mouth and he chewed it up and swallowed it so I know he can..he just won't.. Have him isolated and he's sulking now too:rolleyes:

    They're due to go out to grass next week, he will pick at grass if I bring it to him but I reckon if he went to grass it would run through him as I feel he hasn't eaten enough roughage..

    Currently mixing hay through his meal to encourage him but I don't really know what to do next ??
    Any suggestions


Comments

  • #2
    5live
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,438 ✭✭✭5live


    You might be better off leaving him on milk and meal until he gets a bit of condition back and try him again:confused:


  • #3
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    Well i tried him out with the rest...
    No go... as I thought he scoured badly on and off.. No bother taking meal or grass but just scoured..

    Have him back in on the milk again, scour already drying up..
    Me thinks maybe he didn't get much beastings in the first 24 hours, the other 13 in the group are all fine and thriving..

    Have him in with a 7 week old HEX heifer we bought (€200) so they'll be on milk for 2-3 weeks and then we'll see...


  • #4
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    what type of a scour is it... did he get vecoxan or similar ?


  • #5
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    whelan1 wrote: »
    what type of a scour is it... did he get vecoxan or similar ?
    Didn't get vecoxan, vet saw him and recommended Stimulex which definitely helped cleared it up for a time..
    When on milk it looks like a nutritional scour, no blood, no temperature. On grass he's dirtying right from the tail down the legs, green of course..

    Has a savage hunger for milk and meal but he doesn't even pick at hay or straw, even when he isn't scouring, I've never seen that in a suck before :confused:


  • #6
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    Well the calf is doing great again.. no scour at all for a week now :D
    Has been back on the milk and for the first few days I gave him natural youghert as well.. He's finally eating hay/straw and have been slowly building back up the meal, now on .5kg a day.
    Reckon next weekend will see one milk feed cut out and we'll see how it goes..


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  • #7
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Have you a paddock near the yard that you can let him out to and still feed him milk? Is he on a teat or bucket? If he is on a teat you could hang one on a gate for him, eventually he will start eating. He should be eating 2kg meal/day before weaning.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #8
    zetorman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 157 ✭✭zetorman


    Going off on a tangent here ......but how do ye actually wean the bucket fed calves ???? I gradually decrease the amount of milk fed and increase the amount of nuts fed ??? How much nuts should they be eating before you withdraw the milk completely ??????


  • #9
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    zetorman wrote: »
    Going off on a tangent here ......but how do ye actually wean the bucket fed calves ???? I gradually decrease the amount of milk fed and increase the amount of nuts fed ??? How much nuts should they be eating before you withdraw the milk completely ??????

    We make sure there is plenty of barley straw in the manger, some hay too but not much, this is from they arrive.. fresh water all the time even though the just nose through it..
    About 4 weeks into feeding we introduce pencils, again not much or the crows take over :rolleyes:
    By 8 weeks of milk they are on 1kg meal and we half one of the daily feeds for a week, then stop it. Half the remaining feed for a week and then stop it...
    Keep them on 1kg meal and lots of barley straw/hay/silage...
    Train them loose in the yard with the electric fence..
    Then to grass with the 1kg meal all the time..


  • #10
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    bbam wrote: »
    Well the calf is doing great again.. no scour at all for a week now :D
    Has been back on the milk and for the first few days I gave him natural youghert as well.. He's finally eating hay/straw and have been slowly building back up the meal, now on .5kg a day.
    Reckon next weekend will see one milk feed cut out and we'll see how it goes..

    Well, this calf has been off the milk now and out with others on grass, eating 1kg meal/daily and dunging like a trooper:D
    While he has been stunted growth wise he has a good appetite and will hopefully come into something at some stage..
    As the father used to say, "if he lives he might cover his costs at least, a dead calf is dead money"


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