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Big Dummy!!

R

Richard Doolittle

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
1,366
Location
Western SD
Don't you just hate it when you get one of those great big calves that doesn't seem to have much of a will to live?? This one was born yesterday morning in a bit of a mud hole so he was a little chilled before I got him in the shed. The chill wasn't terrible and all I had to do was bed him in some dry straw to get him warm. I tube fed him three times yesterday (twice with cholostrum) and finally got him to stand last night. I thought that was all it would take as the cow is in the shed with him and mothering him. Today isn't much better, although he will stand if I make him. He seems a bit weak, and takes no interest in sucking (bottle or mother). Consequently, I tube fed him again today. I don't want to force feed him too much because generally if they're hungry, they'll go looking for a teat but since he seems a little weak, I want to keep his strength up too. Think I'll put a couple shots of whiskey in his bottle tomorrow. Maybe that'll change his outlook on life. Works for me sometimes. :-)
 
Oh, you are talking about a calf. I thought you were talking about our Canadian friend, Big Muddy Rancher. Hay Maker is always calling him "Big Dummy."

Glad your calf is responding. Keep after him, and he will be strong and energetic someday--just like Big Muddy. :wink: :-)
 
Soapweed said:
Oh, you are talking about a calf. I thought you were talking about our Canadian friend, Big Muddy Rancher. Hay Maker is always calling him "Big Dummy."

Glad your calf is responding. Keep after him, and he will be strong and energetic someday--just like Big Muddy. :wink: :-)
Click to expand...

I thought the same thang too :D
 
Keep track of the mother....

We feed our own calves out. I give plenty of vaccinations, so ickness should never be a problem....e are going to start tracking the calves we doctor back to the dams. I read once where ther eis a tremendous amount of variability in the number of antibodies in Cholostrum from one heifer to the next. So, we will start using this as a culling tool,

PPRM
 
Those "projects" can be frustrating! I've noticed that a lot of my calves born in the second cycle are a lot larger than the ones born in the first. Same bulls, same nutrition. I'm over 90% done, and hope I don't encounter any big dummies now. Good luck with your calf.
 
Keep tubing that calf. Don't worry about the urge to suck, just keep it good and strong. Usually about the time you swear you'll be tubing that calf till weaning, it will take off and suck all by itself. I have done it up to 3 days or more. Vet told me once that the instinct to suck hadn't developed yet, but it will come.
 
Soapweed said:
Oh, you are talking about a calf. I thought you were talking about our Canadian friend, Big Muddy Rancher. Hay Maker is always calling him "Big Dummy."

Glad your calf is responding. Keep after him, and he will be strong and energetic someday--just like Big Muddy. :wink: :-)
Click to expand...

I was wondering what I had done now. :roll:
 
Give him a shot of B-12. The highest dosage stuff you can get at the feedstore. Cyanocobalamin (B-12) is an appetite stimulant. You might have to get in in a mix with other minerals, just get the highest IU you can find.


Badlands
 
I have had them respond in hours to 3cc of Vit E / Selenium. I use a product call Bo-Se. Can't think right now who manufactures it. I give all my calves a shot of that on day 1.
 
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. After 3 1/2 days of tube feeding, the big dummy finally decided to suck the cow and try to live today. He's still not really lively, but it is progress and I think he'll make it.

And BTW, of course I was talking about a calf!! I haven't been on here long enough to throw any insults to our good friends to the north :)
 
Had a calf that didn't start to suck until he was 6 weeks old. Healthy as could be. Would run around and buck and play. Just wouldn't suck a tit or nipple. Tried everything to get him to suck, including almost starving him until I felt sorry for him. Called him Tubulator as I had to tube him 2-3 times a day. He'd see me coming with the bag and would come running. got really good at swallowing the tube. I had so much time in him and he was getting so big I figured I'd keep tubing him until he was big enough to start eating dry feed. Put him in with the milk cow to keep him out of the way in the barn, as we were castrating calves,etc. Looked over and he was banging away on the cow. Couldn't believe it. Wished he'd started doing that a lot sooner.
 
order direct from the company.....you get mail, UPS or Fed Ex, surely

Or you can order it from me.........send me a PM if you are interested
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
Soapweed said:
Oh, you are talking about a calf. I thought you were talking about our Canadian friend, Big Muddy Rancher. Hay Maker is always calling him "Big Dummy."

Glad your calf is responding. Keep after him, and he will be strong and energetic someday--just like Big Muddy. :wink: :-)
Click to expand...

I was wondering what I had done now. :roll:
Click to expand...

Only the real guilty think that way Big Muddy :!: :wink:
 
Hey loomixguy--I've been checking out the Cellarator website. It doesn't say anything about the products being used for young calves. You've evidently experienced it working in these situations. Do you have any idea what the shelf-life of the stuff is? It looks like it might be worth ordering some to have around for these situations--but they don't happen very often. I don't want to order the stuff and end up throwing it away because I didn't use it right away.
 
Not 100% sure about the shelf life, but someone at the Company should know this.

What I do know is the Turbo, in high stress situations, protects the calf from pathogens, improves digestion, replaces lost fluid, and helps feed utilization and increases appetite. Many folks give each calf 2cc at birth, just to jump start them.

In addition, the Turbo increases the positive bacteria in the gut, antibody titers, and the white blood cell count.

The neat thing is, it's not just for cattle. Horses, sheep, and pigs have all benefitted from the product. For folks who are on the many show circuits doing a lot of hauling, it really helps.

Look at it this way, Rich...if you bought 3 tubes and only used one, the good you did to your critters with the one tube would surely outweigh the cost of the 2 tubes you didn't use. Call the company and find out for sure.
 

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