AA calves turning brown

KatyMac

Has anyone come across this?? My AA calves have changed colour to reddish brown. The vet told me to get Tonovet and put it on their feed. I always thought it was a tonic to boost appetite, so what is it doing for these lads? They are out of AA stock bull from BR FR cows. I'm assuming it's some sort of lack in minerals, but why the colour change?

pakalasa

Down our way, they say it's a sign of copper deficiency.

According to this article, that could be the case.

See page 4 of;
http://www.sweetlix.com/media/documents/articles/Cattle_006.pdf

Figure 1. An example of a calf displaying a rough, discolored hair coat typical of copper deficiency.

Note the red tinge on the hair.

_______________________________________

We have always injected our cattle for copper.

Bizzum

pakalasa wrote: »

Down our way, they say it's a sign of copper deficiency.

Same our way.
If this is the case, we would inject copper (for the short term), and give a bolus (longer term/slower acting) at the same time.

overdebar

Would agree with the other two lads about a brownish coat being a sign of a lack of copper.
It might be worth talking to the vet about getting some animals in the herd blood tested.
As a lack of copper can affect cows going back incalf and cause poor thrive in animals
If your soil is high in Molybdenum and you apply a lot of lime at the one time it can lock up the copper
This has a bit of info on it
http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2003/May/CT271.shtml

blue5000

+1 on the copper, but can be caused by high molybdenum locking up the copper thats there in the soil, leads to same thing really,-low copper

jerdee

if i don t give copper to cows they will not hold to the bull.

all trace seem to work pretty good on all my angus cows

whelan1

jerdee wrote: »

if i don t give copper to cows they will not hold to the bull.

all trace seem to work pretty good on all my angus cows

our angus's dont get copper, just have the hi mag buckets and their coats are fine.... some times it can take the young bulls a while to loose theirs and we give them a beef booster bucket

KatyMac

Thanks lads! I'll organise some copper for my boys immediately. Can't figure why the vet didn't tell me that!!! I usually have licks around that the calves (and cows) have access to but this year I was a little remiss and it has obviously come back to bite me.

Bodacious

KatyMac wrote: »

Thanks lads! I'll organise some copper for my boys immediately. Can't figure why the vet didn't tell me that!!! I usually have licks around that the calves (and cows) have access to but this year I was a little remiss and it has obviously come back to bite me.

I had a black BB heifer calf this year with that dirty brown hair and I got those agri bolus small ones they fit into small section yellow garden hose and down the hatch, calf turned inside out after them... She jet black now

pakalasa

If you ever start feeding cattle meal, like when finishing at grass and you start to see a noticeable change in the colour and shine of their hair, that's a sure sign that they're lacking in minerals.
I'm a great believer in giving cattle copper.

KatyMac

pakalasa wrote: »

If you ever start feeding cattle meal, like when finishing at grass and you start to see a noticeable change in the colour and shine of their hair, that's a sure sign that they're lacking in minerals.
I'm a great believer in giving cattle copper.

I thought calf nuts had all the minerals etc that were needed. These lads are bucket fed and have been getting calf pencils/nuts since they were cupla weeks old. The only difference this year is the lack of mineral lick, but I won't be caught out again!!

dungfly

My fresian holestine calves are gone to grass about a month. About a third of them have brown coats. All animals were well fed milk, multivitamins, weaned properly. Land is a low selenium area. Is copper the issue? How best to treat? boluses or dose the drinking water with multivitamin & minerals?

kowtow

dungfly wrote: »

My fresian holestine calves are gone to grass about a month. About a third of them have brown coats. All animals were well fed milk, multivitamins, weaned properly. Land is a low selenium area. Is copper the issue? How best to treat? boluses or dose the drinking water with multivitamin & minerals?

We have the same problem with both FR heifers and calves - we put easi-trace in the water a couple of weeks ago and it does seem to be helping (along with the better grass). The Vet says it can be mineral / copper deficiency but can also just be a hangover from the poor nutrition in the winter.

The dams just have some copper in what's left of the old coat, but some of the calves appear almost brown (except for black 'spectacles' around the eyes)...

quadboy

One of my bullocks has gotten very brown since i moved them into a field 2 weeks ago, should i inject him with copper

mikeoh

quadboy wrote: »

One of my bullocks has gotten very brown since i moved them into a field 2 weeks ago, should i inject him with copper

Black hair always turns rusty before shedding very common in greyhounds ......I think the evidence of copper def is not the presence of this hair but the inability to loose it and grow a new coat .......the colour referance is just a confusing coincidence. Charlois and blues will never do rusty but still can lack copper.......this is only my understanding of it I could be totally off the mark

delaval

KatyMac wrote: »

Has anyone come across this?? My AA calves have changed colour to reddish brown. The vet told me to get Tonovet and put it on their feed. I always thought it was a tonic to boost appetite, so what is it doing for these lads? They are out of AA stock bull from BR FR cows. I'm assuming it's some sort of lack in minerals, but why the colour change?

Are you sure you didn't buy my Jex calves?

It's copper. Do not use Hi sulphur fert it locks up copper and an injection will sort coats. If your calves are deficient so are the adults