Post by farmerswife on May 1, 2012 21:52:41 GMT -5
well..... you've all read my posts on the scour issues I have with newborn calves and how they just DIE and DIE no matter what I do or who's advice I take...... they still die.
about a month ago I was struggling with rich milk scours and overating...... well..... seemed logical- but at the same time it was like it was something more-- something more like what i have dealt with for the last year or more. I have had nurse cows for 2 years now-- the first 6 months were easy (they were at a different pen altogether)-- second 6 months I got all split pair calves that had been on their own momma for a while.... no problems with scours (only pneumonia!) then..... local ppl started knowing about me-- I start getting newborns- I put them in the barn..... they die...... they die--- almost EVERY newborn calf I would get would DIE-- even if it had colostrum- if it was under 2 weeks old--- DEAD.
so.... I took some advice from here..... started taking my newborn babies to a separate pen and raise on milk replacer for the first week or two and would also give them scour halt twice a day for the first 3 days ..... problem solved--- livability went from about 2% on those new fresh babies to 97%....... well...... after that round a month ago-- I completely strip out my barn down to the bare naked scraped ground-- disinfect every square inch of floor and penning and walls with a livestock facility approved disinfectant-- same kind we put on dirt floors in our chicken houses (kleen krees).-- I cleaned all feed and water bowls with a different disinfectant and put down fresh shavings and had let it air out for 2-3 weeks--- first week we rock along good with the new babies..... and then---- 2 get scours and are dead within 24 hours...... and it has went down hill ever since. I have now lost 6 calves and # 7 is on her way downhill. the #6 and #7 calves are the ones born on my farm that are on my fresh Holstein heifer. one of them is her calf-- they both got colostrum..... the problem-- I put them IN MY BARN! -- my gut told me not to do that.... but I was trying to be confident in my disinfectant.
so now...... we either give up or we build a new facility with a concrete floor. Here's what we have in mind.
26x30' barn- closed on 3 sides with possible 6" breeze gap at the top and ends of closed sides-- the narrow side of one end open. have a 6' path in the center with 3 - 10x10 pens on either side. we were thinking by concrete floors we could easier disinfect a pen if a calf was to get sick--- with dirt floors--- i might deal with the same problem again that I have now--- have somehthing that won't wash away?? wish there was an answer for my problem....... this is the only suggestion I have gotten that we haven't tried (except one other...... to have a calf that we did not treat for the symptoms and take him for autopsy for a cause of death...... we would have to drive a ways and...... I don't know- afraid we would do all that- take the time and money and sacrifice-- and still not have an answer)
wanting some suggestions for a new calf nursery that would help with my problem.
about a month ago I was struggling with rich milk scours and overating...... well..... seemed logical- but at the same time it was like it was something more-- something more like what i have dealt with for the last year or more. I have had nurse cows for 2 years now-- the first 6 months were easy (they were at a different pen altogether)-- second 6 months I got all split pair calves that had been on their own momma for a while.... no problems with scours (only pneumonia!) then..... local ppl started knowing about me-- I start getting newborns- I put them in the barn..... they die...... they die--- almost EVERY newborn calf I would get would DIE-- even if it had colostrum- if it was under 2 weeks old--- DEAD.
so.... I took some advice from here..... started taking my newborn babies to a separate pen and raise on milk replacer for the first week or two and would also give them scour halt twice a day for the first 3 days ..... problem solved--- livability went from about 2% on those new fresh babies to 97%....... well...... after that round a month ago-- I completely strip out my barn down to the bare naked scraped ground-- disinfect every square inch of floor and penning and walls with a livestock facility approved disinfectant-- same kind we put on dirt floors in our chicken houses (kleen krees).-- I cleaned all feed and water bowls with a different disinfectant and put down fresh shavings and had let it air out for 2-3 weeks--- first week we rock along good with the new babies..... and then---- 2 get scours and are dead within 24 hours...... and it has went down hill ever since. I have now lost 6 calves and # 7 is on her way downhill. the #6 and #7 calves are the ones born on my farm that are on my fresh Holstein heifer. one of them is her calf-- they both got colostrum..... the problem-- I put them IN MY BARN! -- my gut told me not to do that.... but I was trying to be confident in my disinfectant.
so now...... we either give up or we build a new facility with a concrete floor. Here's what we have in mind.
26x30' barn- closed on 3 sides with possible 6" breeze gap at the top and ends of closed sides-- the narrow side of one end open. have a 6' path in the center with 3 - 10x10 pens on either side. we were thinking by concrete floors we could easier disinfect a pen if a calf was to get sick--- with dirt floors--- i might deal with the same problem again that I have now--- have somehthing that won't wash away?? wish there was an answer for my problem....... this is the only suggestion I have gotten that we haven't tried (except one other...... to have a calf that we did not treat for the symptoms and take him for autopsy for a cause of death...... we would have to drive a ways and...... I don't know- afraid we would do all that- take the time and money and sacrifice-- and still not have an answer)
wanting some suggestions for a new calf nursery that would help with my problem.