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Calf Question

bills_tractor

New member
I bought a few 200lb calves last week and turned them out the feild has a lot of clover in it and we have had a lot of rain i noticed today one calf has a bad case of the runs. any one have any sugestions on what i should do.
 

the_jersey_lilly_2000

Well-known member
Put some Anti Bloat mineral out for them. It helps prevent them from getting stressed, bloat, and whatnot when put on new green pasture like that. Here we can only get the loose anti bloat mineral, can't find anyone that carries bloat blocks...but you might ask at your feed store or coop and see if they have bloat blocks.
 

Heel Fly

Well-known member
Clover is a natural blood thinner and some cattle will get photosensitivity when they over eat clover. Their skin will get a purpleish ting kind of like a bruise.
The reason for straw or grass hay is so that the body can use it to absorb the acids that are caused from grass tetnay. Cattle grazed on pasture with a lot of old grass seldom suffer from GT. They will seek out the old stuff when their brain realizes there is a problem.
 

the_jersey_lilly_2000

Well-known member
Yeap I failed to mention hay, that's a must too when puttin em out on somethin like clover. But that bag or block is a really good way to prevent bloat, right now all ya have is the squirts....but it could develope into somethin else. For about 20 bucks, all that can be prevented. Keep us posted on how they are doin.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Problem with the anti-bloat stuff is it needs to be in them BEFORE you turn out. At least a week before. Doesn't sound like you have a bloat problem, though. One thing, don't buy bloat blocks. Cattle can't get enough of anything in a block. They get tired of licking and leave before they get what they need. Many companies, ours included, will not make blocks because of this. Loose is much, much better. (Sorry, Jersey Lilly. Don't mean to go against what you said, but if you used bloat blocks and they worked, you most likely didn't have a problem anyway.)

The hay or straw will also provide dry matter, which is probably lacking.

Can you get by feeding 200 lb. calves just forage? They don't have much of a rumen at this point and I would think you would need to supplement them with something. I don't know that for a fact, understand. It just stands to reason they would need something they could eat less of that had more nutrition in it. As I say, I'm not sure about this. It will be interesing to see what others have to say. 200 lbs. isn't very big so they probably aren't very old. Yep, I would think they need more than just forage until they get some age on them. FWIW
 

WB

Well-known member
I agree with Faster Horses. I would supplement feed something with some grain in it for energy.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
It will surprise me if they eat hay now,not many of em will quit clover for hay.
The trick is to make sure they are full of hay,before you put them on clover....................good luck
PS if you can pen that one and force it to eat hay,should work,if you dont have any bloat,I would'nt worry a whole lot.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
When they do that though, TX Tibbs, they darn sure aren't gaining a thing.

Their rumen is UPSET. We have to remember, we are not in the cattle feeding business, we are in the RUMEN feeding business.
It's all about a healthy rumen. Acicdosis as these calves are showing
is happening because of an upset rumen.

And Haymaker, that is what we thought too. Cattle on green grass won't eat dry hay. WRONG!! They won't eat it like they do in the winter time, but they will eat it a mouthful now and again. If I was this man, I would put out a high calcium mineral too. The calcium in the mineral will help put the fire out in the rumen. Works kinda like tums do for us.

Even straw will work for dry matter. We have our customers doing this and getting positive feedback that the cattle bred up better. In the spring when we think cattle are chasing green grass, what they really are after is DRY MATTER. Green grass has everything a cow needs, but it also has too much moisture. Dry matter helps keep the feed balanced.
 

TXTibbs

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
When they do that though, TX Tibbs, they darn sure aren't gaining a thing.

Their rumen is UPSET. We have to remember, we are not in the cattle feeding business, we are in the RUMEN feeding business.
It's all about a healthy rumen. Acicdosis as these calves are showing
is happening because of an upset rumen.

And Haymaker, that is what we thought too. Cattle on green grass won't eat dry hay. WRONG!! They won't eat it like they do in the winter time, but they will eat it a mouthful now and again. If I was this man, I would put out a high calcium mineral too. The calcium in the mineral will help put the fire out in the rumen. Works kinda like tums do for us.

I guess I've never seen 200# calves on sweet clover by themselves....they've always had a mother to supplement somewhat with milk. And I beg to differ on the gaining....our cows turned out on pastures some years that is 80% sweet clover and nothing else and they get fatter than hogs and **** like geese and so do the calves.

But I do know what your saying FH. Gotta keep them rumen bugs happy. But I don't think they have a problem with sweet clover. The only problems I've heard with sweet clover is sometimes it may affect how cows breed back, and if they eat moldy sweet clover hay it can cause poisioning...also I've heard that if it freezes and they eat it, it can possibly cause problems.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
When they do that though, TX Tibbs, they darn sure aren't gaining a thing.

Their rumen is UPSET. We have to remember, we are not in the cattle feeding business, we are in the RUMEN feeding business.
It's all about a healthy rumen. Acicdosis as these calves are showing
is happening because of an upset rumen.

And Haymaker, that is what we thought too. Cattle on green grass won't eat dry hay. WRONG!! They won't eat it like they do in the winter time, but they will eat it a mouthful now and again. If I was this man, I would put out a high calcium mineral too. The calcium in the mineral will help put the fire out in the rumen. Works kinda like tums do for us.

Even straw will work for dry matter. We have our customers doing this and getting positive feedback that the cattle bred up better. In the spring when we think cattle are chasing green grass, what they really are after is DRY MATTER. Green grass has everything a cow needs, but it also has too much moisture. Dry matter helps keep the feed balanced.


Cattle on green grass may eat a lil hay,when they come up in the evening,these are 200# calves on clover good chance they will avoid the hay given the choice clover or hay, if theses calves are squirtin to the point they are gaunt,I would pen them with hay,after they cleared up and they were full of hay,put em back on clover..............good luck
PS I agree with the mineral
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
The rest of what you said makes good sense to me, haymaker. They might not know what hay is, hafta teach them. Good idea!! Get em full before drastically changing forage is always a good idea.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Grazing alfalfa gives the cows the green runs too... I generally don't worry about it because pretty much all spring pasture around here gives it... Come middle of summer it gets a little better unless you turn the out on Sudex nd than that is some of the most explosive poop you will ever see.. Very rich and lots and lots of water lol... About that time of year you long for the manure that the hay causes.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I'd be intersted to know what your calves gain a day on alfalfa all summer. Have you ever figured it out?
Our calves gain an average of 3 lbs. from the time they are born to the time we wean. March 25 to Oct. 10. That is an average and includes calves off 2 year olds. Native pasture, well, a little crested wheat in the early part of summer, like mid-May to mid June.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Most of our bottle calves are off of milk for the most part by 150-200 pounds but are being fed a concentrated pellet... The last batch we had weaned themselves out, didn't want the milk anymore as they wee minching on pellet and pasture..
 
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