calf won't eat

Help Support Steer Planet:

mp

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
73
About a week ago one of my calves lost interest in feed, gave him probios and b-12, and all the hay he could eat. 2 days later still not much interset in feed. So I washed his feed pan, and started mixing white cake mix in with his feed, still not much interset in feed. So I started mixing in a different brand of feed, gave him some appetite express and champions choice, and still not interseted in feed. His stool is good not runny or bloddy and he eats hay, just not interseted in feed. All my other calves eat like theres no tommorow. I have done everything I know to do. Any more suggestions?
 

txguy

Active member
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
26
Try mixing in about a 1 scoop to 1 1/2 scoops of winning fill in with his feed. We tried winning fill this year and before the steer was decent eater but after we mixed in a little winning fill he ate like it was his last meal.
 

herefordfootball

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Messages
1,912
Location
Northern, Indiana
We use vitaferms sure champ pelletes never had a calf come off feed yet and rate of gain is always 3.5 to 4lbs a day. also you might find some thin liquid molasses, put it in a spray bottle and spray a coating over his feed in morning and night. good luck.
 

mp

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
73
I had also thought about winning fill but there's not a dealer any where remotely close to me. What about chaff hay?
 

ic

Member
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
6
What weight calf is this?  How long has he been on grain?  How many lbs has be been eating?

Rather than changing too many things I would simply make him hungry.  Is he in a group of calves or eating alone?  Is he drinking enough?  Have you temped him just to make sure there isn't something going on?
 

mp

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
73
He weighs 625, been on feed since february, he is in a pen by himself, he drinks, and he doesnt have a temp. When he first began to loose interst in feed I would take his feed away after an hour thinking he would be hungry by the next feeding, I did this for about 3 days. No results, so now I keep feed in front of him all day and free choice hay.
 

GoWyo

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
1,691
Location
Wyoming
Sounds like he got an overdose of grain and it made him sick.  I would pull all of the grain products and let him eat only hay for 2 or 3 days.  Then gradually start on grain again with only a pound or so per feeding.  If he won't clean up a small dose of grain, then feed less the next time until he cleans it all up in 15 or 20 minutes, then increase only a half pound per feeding until you get him back up.  He should stay on the hay - maybe feed hay only to what he will clean up in 45 minutes so that he is hungry by the next meal.  You could also go to smaller doses of grain 3 times per day with a little hay if he gets going on the grain again.
 
Top