[scruffbag]

A month ago we bought three calfs to grow on, all did really well 2 weaned a couple of weeks ago the youngest about 7 days ago, for the last 2 weeks they have been in field with a shelter and all thrived till yesterday. The youngest now about 7 weeks was found tucked under a bush away from the others in the morning, the following evening he was up and running with the others at last light. I got him up and he followed the bucket back to the stable a walk of about 400m, he seemed fine at that point but decided to give him some 'life aid' and water via the bottle which he had happily, my thoughts were the high wind may have spooked him and given him a chill. In the stable I gave him his usual ration of concentrate which he tucked into along with some hay. In the field they had been going to the mineral bucket regularly but it was a mixed grazing bucket due to sheep being in the field with them, so I gave him some cattle GP lick as well, also went down. I left him thinking he would be fine but not so, by the evening he was very unsteady on his feet, again put a litre down him, but this morning he's yet worse still. Not standing very dehydrated and appear constipated and slightly bloated and keep shuddering, got another litre in him, a good dose of pen and strep, and eleaviated the bloating but don't know where to go from here or what it might be. Any ideas?

[landroverroy]

Difficult to put your finger on anything concrete.
However, I would be keeping a calf that age inside this weather anyway, as there's little goodness in the grass and it will just be getting muddy. To put a newly weaned calf outside in foul weather is causing unnecessary stress.
The good news is that he's still alive and feeding.
As you've given him antibiotics, I would now give him some live yoghurt to replace the gut bacteria that will have been killed off. This is fairly important as he appears to have some digestive problem. I would also give him a bottle of glucose solution - a desertspoonful to a pint of water, for instant energy. (Or is that what "live aid" is?)
Go easy on the concentates until he seems ok again, but give him good quality roughage - hay and maybe some sugar beet pulp. Anything with cereals in will encourage the wrong sort of bacteria, as will milk, so stay clear of these until he seems ok and is passing normal droppings. Keep giving glucose solution, again until he improves.

[fsmnutter]

As mentioned, sounds like you're doing the right sort of things, Pen and strep is a good general antibiotic that if he has caught a touch of pneumonia or any other bugs, a 3 day course of this should help fight that off. Liquid life aid is excellent stuff, really keeps them well hydrated and replaces a lot of electrolytes. It will be helping if he seems a bit dehydrated, and could help soften any slightly constipated faeces. Bloating is not great, and it is important to keep relieving the bloat, as this can kill if left. It may be worth getting some rumen powder, some liquid that helps with bloat, or some buscopan from your vet (this is a muscle relaxant that works on the guts, regularly advertised on TV for people now, which can help with crampy guts, constipation, bloating and general abdominal discomfort). As mentioned, probiotics are great, either regular live yoghurt, or there are some in the rumen powders, which also carry nutrients and vitamins, similar to the life aid, but a little more substance to them. I would also take it easy on the concentrates, as these can contribute to harder droppings and bloat, but hay and roughage are best for trying to get things back to normal. It isn't uncommon for artificially reared calves and lambs to get a bit of digestive upset and bloat when weaned, so this may be a part of it. Sounds like a bit of TLC and the treatments you have at the moment, plus some form of probiotic, +/- vitamin +/or buscopan injections from your vet may help. Also would be worth checking his temperature if he's shaking, may just be a sore gut, or it could be a fever, and alongside the antibiotic your vet may think an anti-inflammatory may help to bring down the temperature.
Hope he feels better soon
Suzanne

[Backinwellies]

Taking temperature is best first course of action with any animal off colour ... you will then know if you are dealing with a viral or bacterial infection.  Cold ears is a sign of illness. 

Do you know they had colostrum? 

7 weeks is a typical time for various illnesses to set in as immunity at lowest.

Speak to your vet an ill calf very rapidly goes down hill.

Good luck

[shygirl]

if he has been weaned, have you managed to monitor if he is actually drinking enough water?

[SallyintNorth]

You've had a lot of good advice, so yes keep them in on warm dry bedding, they're just babies and don't know how to keep themselves dry and warm outside.  Electrolytes, yoghurt - there's a post of mine somewhere about yoghurt, vegetable oil, ginger and bicarb of soda being brilliant for bloat in weaned calves.

Personally I wouldn't wean any calf at less than 3 months, and I prefer 4, so I have no experience of trying to get such a young animal to thrive without milk.  But as long as you are confident his rumen is sufficiently developed to handle the concentrate and forage you are feeding, once you have him back on an even keel?

[shygirl]

im no expert but 7 weeks does seem young - can you not re-introduce milk?
the ground is cold and wet to so i would keep them in if possible, as they would be lying down alot at that age surely?
goodluck

[Backinwellies]

6 week weaning is normal on dairy units so don't worry about that .... but they must be eating at least a Kg of conc a day before weaning .... it does need to be on adlib conc and adlib hay.
  I would say they are too young to be outside unless sucklers..  at least 2 to 3 months and when weather is spring like.



What breed are they?

[shygirl]

  I would say they are too young to be outside unless sucklers..  at least 2 to 3 months and when weather is spring like.

(can you elaborate as im wondering when to let my calf outside with his mum?) 

[SallyintNorth]

A calf with its mum will be guided into locations and behaviours that will protect it from the weather.  A calf without a mum has no such guidance.

Our woolly sucklers (Blue Greys and their Angus x offspring) are out all year round.  But if we had one calving say late November we might bring them in if the weather was wet and cold - and then we'd probably have to keep them in all winter as the calf wouldn't have acclimatised.  We also might bring a Blue Grey cow in if she was due to calve in February and the weather was evil (as it is now.)

Weaned suckler calves are generally wintered indoors if they are less than 8 or 9 months old.  Older than that they may be outwintered with plenty of forage and probably some cake too in a sheltered area with good drainage.

A baby calf has little resilience to being cold and wet.  Even a suckler calf with a mum to care for it would founder in weather such as we are having now. 

And, like plants, they need to acclimatise to the conditions when you turf them out.

[scruffbag]

Vet prescribed liquid paraffin drench via a colostrum tube twice a day to help get stuff moving along with a mussel stimulant to contract the mussels. We'll see how it goes!

[scruffbag]

Definitely doing a lot better today, up and about much steadier on its feet, not interested in hay but chewing down on grass, monitoring his water intake closely now, turned the trough off and using a 10l bucket instead. Thanks everyone.