Any suggestions on what to do for show steer with runny loose stools?

This guy has had loose stools since I got him in October of last year consistently.  He is on some pasture at night, or what is left of it with this drought!  And gets a little grass hay during the day.  And on feed with cottonseed hulls, corn, oats, barley, CTC 50, HMC 32% cattle concentrate,etc.in  it.  Our breeder suggested taking away his hay and giving straw instead, but he won't eat the straw.  Would a differernt feed work, just oats or ??

The fair is approaching quick and would like to harden up the stools before that.

Thanks!

If it has been going on that long I would talk to your vet. If the grass was green I would say that is contributing but its basically dried up everywhere. In the past if I had one come down with runny stools sulfur boluses usually do the trick.  What is the percent protein?has he been gaining and on track with finish?

Yes, he has been gaining like crazy............I am guessing he probably weighs somewhere in the 1300# range.  In March, he was 1050#. 
I will have to check the percent of protein that he is getting.................thanks for the advice!!

It sounds like his diet is a little rich in protein, and if that's the cause, I would say it's been that way since you've had him. He doesn't sound sick, and the only other explanation is something squirrelly with his digestive system. So if it IS the ration, you may be lucky you haven't had more serious issues with him before now. It isn't normal, and in future, I would address an issue like this long before now.

You don't want to make sudden, drastic changes to the ration for fear of knocking him off feed during the adjustment period. Try to tweak it slightly by lowering the concentrate level or increasing the fiber/roughage just a little & see if that helps. It sounds like he isn't getting enough hay to me...or maybe the hay is contributing to the richness of the diet. You're sure it's regular grass hay?...not alfalfa or a high content clover mix? Legumes will increase the protein level of the hay & that should be considered when you figure how much total protein he has in his overall ration.

If he is finished and ready I would back off the grain and feed him a low protein mix with oats, beat pulp, soy pellets (for protein) ,stabilized rice bran (for fat) and grass or oat hay.

Ok, thanks all.............I am waiting on the vet to call me back and talk with him about it.

HillTopFarms said:

This guy has had loose stools since I got him in October of last year consistently.  He is on some pasture at night, or what is left of it with this drought!  And gets a little grass hay during the day.  And on feed with cottonseed hulls, corn, oats, barley, CTC 50, HMC 32% cattle concentrate,etc.in  it.  Our breeder suggested taking away his hay and giving straw instead, but he won't eat the straw.  Would a differernt feed work, just oats or ??

The fair is approaching quick and would like to harden up the stools before that.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

If I read this correct the 32% concentrate makes up too much of his diet.  Too rich, as others have stated.

HAB said:

HillTopFarms said:

This guy has had loose stools since I got him in October of last year consistently.  He is on some pasture at night, or what is left of it with this drought!  And gets a little grass hay during the day.  And on feed with cottonseed hulls, corn, oats, barley, CTC 50, HMC 32% cattle concentrate,etc.in  it.  Our breeder suggested taking away his hay and giving straw instead, but he won't eat the straw.  Would a differernt feed work, just oats or ??

The fair is approaching quick and would like to harden up the stools before that.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

If I read this correct the 32% concentrate makes up too much of his diet.  Too rich, as others have stated.

Click to expand...

I guess from what I read there is no way to know really much about this diet B/C we don't have any of the inclusion rates @ all. Impossible to figure out the ration actually from the info. Most 32% beef protein supplements are put together with the idea that the feeding rate per head per day would be 1lb. Without knowing inclusion and consumption can't tell.

CAB said:

HAB said:

HillTopFarms said:

This guy has had loose stools since I got him in October of last year consistently.  He is on some pasture at night, or what is left of it with this drought!  And gets a little grass hay during the day.  And on feed with cottonseed hulls, corn, oats, barley, CTC 50, HMC 32% cattle concentrate,etc.in  it.  Our breeder suggested taking away his hay and giving straw instead, but he won't eat the straw.  Would a differernt feed work, just oats or ??

The fair is approaching quick and would like to harden up the stools before that.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

If I read this correct the 32% concentrate makes up too much of his diet.  Too rich, as others have stated.

Click to expand...

I guess from what I read there is no way to know really much about this diet B/C we don't have any of the inclusion rates @ all. Impossible to figure out the ration actually from the info. Most 32% beef protein supplements are put together with the idea that the feeding rate per head per day would be 1lb. Without knowing inclusion and consumption can't tell.

Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, and are correct, we have no idea what ingredient makes up what portion of the ration.

I look at it this way...the steer appearsto be gaining well, so not sick.  Of the ingredients listed he would likely go off feed if too much grain was the culprit.

In all honesty, we really don't even know how "loose" the stool is.  Maybe it isn't that bad, and the poster just thinks it is.

It is pretty loose................so bad he needs to be rinsed off every time after pooping.  Then he smears it with his tail.  Sometimes, even hitting hard surfaces it will splatter 5 feet or more.  Definitely not liquid but not solid either. There are times when it is worse than others but I would say for the most part semi solid to loose.  I have the grain ration made in 500 # at a time.  My last statement shows that the 32% HMC Cattle concentrate used was 50#.

HAB said:

CAB said:

HAB said:

HillTopFarms said:

This guy has had loose stools since I got him in October of last year consistently.  He is on some pasture at night, or what is left of it with this drought!  And gets a little grass hay during the day.  And on feed with cottonseed hulls, corn, oats, barley, CTC 50, HMC 32% cattle concentrate,etc.in  it.  Our breeder suggested taking away his hay and giving straw instead, but he won't eat the straw.  Would a differernt feed work, just oats or ??

The fair is approaching quick and would like to harden up the stools before that.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

If I read this correct the 32% concentrate makes up too much of his diet.  Too rich, as others have stated.

Click to expand...

I guess from what I read there is no way to know really much about this diet B/C we don't have any of the inclusion rates @ all. Impossible to figure out the ration actually from the info. Most 32% beef protein supplements are put together with the idea that the feeding rate per head per day would be 1lb. Without knowing inclusion and consumption can't tell.

Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, and are correct, we have no idea what ingredient makes up what portion of the ration.

I look at it this way...the steer appears to be gaining well, so not sick.  Of the ingredients listed he would likely go off feed if too much grain was the culprit.

In all honesty, we really don't even know how "loose" the stool is.  Maybe it isn't that bad, and the poster just thinks it is.

Click to expand...

Harley I was thinking along the same thing. The steer seems to have done well & has been "loose" since Oct. why worry now?
I had this image of a poor doing, thin calf in my mind until HTF stated that the steer is doing and has done well. My first thought was Coccidiosis or scours @ a young age and that the villia of the intestinal walls had been scarred over so that the calf could not absorb nutrients correctly, but doesn't seem like the case as futher described.

I contacted the feed mill and found out that his feed is only 10% protein, so we aren't suspecting the feed right now.  The vet did not call me back today unfortunately.  I have tried different things over the months to try and firm him up but to no avail.  One last ditch effort before the fair! 

Thanks all!

Well first off, if you switched him to straw and he quit eating roughage that is part of the problem. Switch him back over to last year grass hay. NO green hay or alfalfa. Take away his beet pulp that makes them loose too. This can help in the mean time until your vet helps you figure out a more final solution.

you could try giving him chorid. he could have picked up coccidia in the pasture, that usually causes loose stool. it is probably his feed. but the chorid might help some. my steer stays on a maintaining dosage of the chorid as well as my show heifer, because of going outside and being in the same area all the time they keep picking up the coccidia. its in soil and they can get it if they eat off of the pasture or off the ground at all. try the 5 day treatment and then reduce but i'd keep him on it, if it helps anyway. otherwise take in a stool sample to your vet cliinic and have them test it for other bugs.