Post by simplynaturalfarm on Oct 8, 2020 20:51:15 GMT -5
Yes, I'm here with a "what the heck?" Dh is gone again and I have off calves.
I'd say it was milk, or maybe bottles not clean enough (kids are in charge), but I have a calf nursing his dam sick also.
Calves are 4 and 5 months old. 6 feedings ago the oldest bottle calf (5 months) wasnt interested in her milk. I had a delay between heating and feeding, so figured she was really fussy about temps. Next morning she wouldn't even come up from field to drink any milk but was not punky, so I just went and scratched her. She ate treats and was normal. The other bottle heifer (4 months) was stuffing herself and running to drink so I want concerned.
Then healthy heifer stopped running for the milk and just chewed teat, drank a bit and walked away. Older heifer slow and just punky, so yesterday morning I took them from rotational grazing and they followed me to house. Dh was gone and I told him nasty gray scours in two bottle girls and one older dam raised calf. While very unlikely, he suggested coccidia so since he was gone I treated and dewormed. Last night we convinced them to drink one bottle each and they ate treats from our hands, but no hay or grass and we never see them ruminate. Temps 102.5 and 101.7 the whole time and I'm not treating bull calf as he is nursing and fine now, but still stinky scours.
3 days ago I put two bales in for cows - purchased hay that was not nice. I am dealing with moldy hay that somebody sold me and I let cows pick through it. Supposed to be 2nd cutting alfalfa but there's no alfalfa and it's thick stalks prickles and weeds. So I give them one good we made and one bad to pick through. I wondered was something weirdly toxic in bale, but why didn't cows get sick . .
Milk tastes just fine. It can't be milk scours as the older heifer hadn't had milk in 2 days.
No temp, no rattling lungs, but bottle heifers just lay in pen not wanting to do anything. No energy or bouncing and no interest in grain, bottles, hay etc. This morning we got one bottle milk in them with scour guard, gave flunuxin and neither fought shots ( I did them without halters even on). This afternoon they won't get up without extreme effort on our party, no interest in food of any kind and just dumpy. Dh not home till Saturday but told us to do abx and amplimune because they have extreme gutache from something. They drink water on their own and are not very dehydrated.
The pictures are of their poop - seriously the weirdest thing ever! It's just thick mucous full of what looks like chia seeds. Yes, gross, stinky nasty scoury gritty seeds.
They have me very worried. It's been a stressful year with weird cow issues...
Oh they've been on rotational grazing pasture for at least a month now, milk tad (2.5 gallons each), we are dry as a bone so no nasty puddles or gross ick they could get into. I haul water from well for all cows.
Any ideas or suggestions?
I'd say it was milk, or maybe bottles not clean enough (kids are in charge), but I have a calf nursing his dam sick also.
Calves are 4 and 5 months old. 6 feedings ago the oldest bottle calf (5 months) wasnt interested in her milk. I had a delay between heating and feeding, so figured she was really fussy about temps. Next morning she wouldn't even come up from field to drink any milk but was not punky, so I just went and scratched her. She ate treats and was normal. The other bottle heifer (4 months) was stuffing herself and running to drink so I want concerned.
Then healthy heifer stopped running for the milk and just chewed teat, drank a bit and walked away. Older heifer slow and just punky, so yesterday morning I took them from rotational grazing and they followed me to house. Dh was gone and I told him nasty gray scours in two bottle girls and one older dam raised calf. While very unlikely, he suggested coccidia so since he was gone I treated and dewormed. Last night we convinced them to drink one bottle each and they ate treats from our hands, but no hay or grass and we never see them ruminate. Temps 102.5 and 101.7 the whole time and I'm not treating bull calf as he is nursing and fine now, but still stinky scours.
3 days ago I put two bales in for cows - purchased hay that was not nice. I am dealing with moldy hay that somebody sold me and I let cows pick through it. Supposed to be 2nd cutting alfalfa but there's no alfalfa and it's thick stalks prickles and weeds. So I give them one good we made and one bad to pick through. I wondered was something weirdly toxic in bale, but why didn't cows get sick . .
Milk tastes just fine. It can't be milk scours as the older heifer hadn't had milk in 2 days.
No temp, no rattling lungs, but bottle heifers just lay in pen not wanting to do anything. No energy or bouncing and no interest in grain, bottles, hay etc. This morning we got one bottle milk in them with scour guard, gave flunuxin and neither fought shots ( I did them without halters even on). This afternoon they won't get up without extreme effort on our party, no interest in food of any kind and just dumpy. Dh not home till Saturday but told us to do abx and amplimune because they have extreme gutache from something. They drink water on their own and are not very dehydrated.
The pictures are of their poop - seriously the weirdest thing ever! It's just thick mucous full of what looks like chia seeds. Yes, gross, stinky nasty scoury gritty seeds.
They have me very worried. It's been a stressful year with weird cow issues...
Oh they've been on rotational grazing pasture for at least a month now, milk tad (2.5 gallons each), we are dry as a bone so no nasty puddles or gross ick they could get into. I haul water from well for all cows.
Any ideas or suggestions?