Post by rence on Jan 10, 2010 0:34:31 GMT -5
I don't know much about him. He's from the farm next door. I was told his mother has three bad quarters and the farm manager didn't think he was getting enough milk. So he tried to milk out the mother's only quarter, and got maybe 3/4 cup of milk. So he sent the calf to me to be bottle fed. This was the day after Christmas. So that's his history. I have no idea if he got colostrum, or enough colostrum. They said he was 4 days old when he came to me.
Since then he's been unlike the other bottle calves I've raised. When I first got him, he was able to take two bottles a day, and he did pretty well. He's being kept in a birthing pen, it's a three sided structure with hay bedding. He shivers a LOT. Since the weather got really cold, he hasn't been able to finish a bottle, and he looks like he's going to shiver out of his little skin. Yesteray, I tried to give him some kick-start, but he wouldn't take it. He took most of his milk yesterday though. Today, he only had 3 pints in the morning and 2 pints this evening. He definitely doesn't have a good appetite and he definitely isn't an aggressive eater.
And I think he's scouring. I'm not sure. It's not loose like water, and it doesn't shoot out like I've seen scours. It's yellow like milk and now it smells like kickstart-poo (Bleah!! )
Has anyone else seen a calf shiver like this, and not have a good appetite? I feel like he's going to go down any minute. I think he's cold-stressed. Is there anything I should be doing for him?
Thank goodness the weather is supposed to break after monday. I don't know how you guys in the colder climates do it...
Since then he's been unlike the other bottle calves I've raised. When I first got him, he was able to take two bottles a day, and he did pretty well. He's being kept in a birthing pen, it's a three sided structure with hay bedding. He shivers a LOT. Since the weather got really cold, he hasn't been able to finish a bottle, and he looks like he's going to shiver out of his little skin. Yesteray, I tried to give him some kick-start, but he wouldn't take it. He took most of his milk yesterday though. Today, he only had 3 pints in the morning and 2 pints this evening. He definitely doesn't have a good appetite and he definitely isn't an aggressive eater.
And I think he's scouring. I'm not sure. It's not loose like water, and it doesn't shoot out like I've seen scours. It's yellow like milk and now it smells like kickstart-poo (Bleah!! )
Has anyone else seen a calf shiver like this, and not have a good appetite? I feel like he's going to go down any minute. I think he's cold-stressed. Is there anything I should be doing for him?
Thank goodness the weather is supposed to break after monday. I don't know how you guys in the colder climates do it...