Post by Jessika on Aug 4, 2011 8:52:08 GMT -5
They have had this about a month. The calves are 8 weeks and 11 weeks old. Initially I talked w/ the vet. He said viral, and if they are too quick to catch don't worry about it. They had yellow , NOT watery diarrhea with some mucous in it off and on the first week or two. Literally the same calf would have diarrhea at am milking and completely normal poop at pm milking. No fever, all nursing and grazing well.No droopy ear, No dirty butts. No eye drainage except some tearing from the flies. Very rarely one might cough but they still run and buck without inducing any coughing at all. i think it is purely upper respiratory. There is one calf that if he gets stressed, will make this balling- crying noise that is not normal. It sounds like he is in pain But he does it very unpredictably. Noses look like this in the morning but much better or no snot at pm milking.
I'm stressing because my 1st calf heifers are gonna start calving any day now, and I don't want all the calves to be like this. Let me tell you these three are not at all punky enough to even let me catch them. I think injections may be near impossible, certainly not on a daily basis.
How should I treat these guys? I'm thinking about butchering the 2 bull calves soon--but it still won't be until after the next calf is born. Is there anyway to medicate them through the water trough.
By the way a warning---I've NEVER had sick calves EVER. These guys all caught this from a foster calf obtained at the local organic dairy. I will never again bring another calf not born here onto the property.
Help, anyone?
Oh and I have Cattle master Gold and Covexin 8 to vaccinate with--I just don't know when. I plan to breed the 4 cows with nursing calves in September.
Jessika