Does he look sick?

[milkmaid]

He looks kinda ugly in the first pictures... but ugly is not a disease or reason to give antibiotics. He might just need some decent feed...what is he eating at your place?

[milkmaid]

Saw your other post... 6 month old calf weighing 392 and you want to "bulk him up"... what's the goal with this poor beast? 4H? FFA? your freezer? lawn ornament?

He sounds stunted, may or may not have been sick in the past, probably just needs decent feed, worming, and minerals. Do you have a veterinarian you use or one recommended by neighbors who can look at this calf and visit with you about cattle feeding and management?

[mightyarrowsfarm]

Yes, we live in South Florida and the temps are in the mid 80's. No winter for us here.

So, chronic lung damage...great! We have a vet coming next week, so we will see what he says.

[mightyarrowsfarm]

He looks kinda ugly in the first pictures... but ugly is not a disease or reason to give antibiotics. He might just need some decent feed...what is he eating at your place?

really not sure how that helped, but thanks for your wisdom.

[milkmaid]

He looks kinda ugly in the first pictures... but ugly is not a disease or reason to give antibiotics. He might just need some decent feed...what is he eating at your place?

really not sure how that helped, but thanks for your wisdom.

Oh my....... simple simple simple then....

1. Some calves are born ugly (poor conformation, genetics), some calves become ugly (chronic illness, poor feed, etc).
2. Ugly calves tend to catch people's eyes... "he looks off/sick/something isn't right with that animal."
3. Ugly calves are not necessarily sick and sick calves are not necessarily ugly.
4. Ugly calves do tend to get treated more than pretty calves.
5. Ugly is not a disease.
6. Calves do not necessarily stay ugly - good feed and management will make most of them look okay in the end.
7. When you treat a calf with antibiotics you should be treating a *disease* - i.e. the calf has _________ and the antibiotic _______ is labeled to cure that. I don't read that in any of your posts.
8. I am - and all cattlemen should be - very much against the unnecessary use of antibiotics. It costs money, can lead to antibiotic resistance, and will eventually result in increased restrictions on our/your use of it (over the counter and prescription medications) - just look at the recent VFD.
9. You cannot treat your way out of bad genetics.
10. You cannot treat your way out of a management problem.

Treat sick calves. Not ugly ones. And learn everything you can about feed and management...

[True Grit Farms]

He looks kinda ugly in the first pictures... but ugly is not a disease or reason to give antibiotics. He might just need some decent feed...what is he eating at your place?

really not sure how that helped, but thanks for your wisdom.

Oh my....... simple simple simple then....

1. Some calves are born ugly (poor conformation, genetics), some calves become ugly (chronic illness, poor feed, etc).
2. Ugly calves tend to catch people's eyes... "he looks off/sick/something isn't right with that animal."
3. Ugly calves are not necessarily sick and sick calves are not necessarily ugly.
4. Ugly calves do tend to get treated more than pretty calves.
5. Ugly is not a disease.
6. Calves do not necessarily stay ugly - good feed and management will make most of them look okay in the end.
7. When you treat a calf with antibiotics you should be treating a *disease* - i.e. the calf has _________ and the antibiotic _______ is labeled to cure that. I don't read that in any of your posts.
8. I am - and all cattlemen should be - very much against the unnecessary use of antibiotics. It costs money, can lead to antibiotic resistance, and will eventually result in increased restrictions on our/your use of it (over the counter and prescription medications) - just look at the recent VFD.
9. You cannot treat your way out of bad genetics.
10. You cannot treat your way out of a management problem.

Treat sick calves. Not ugly ones. And learn everything you can about feed and management...

Excellent post, sure nice to see you around again Milkmaid.

[Son of Butch]

ALWAYS temp a calf when in doubt. It will tell you more than just looking at him.

[Son of Butch]

ALWAYS temp a calf when in doubt. It will tell you more than just looking at him.

[Workinonit Farm]

He looks kinda ugly in the first pictures... but ugly is not a disease or reason to give antibiotics. He might just need some decent feed...what is he eating at your place?

really not sure how that helped, but thanks for your wisdom.

Oh my....... simple simple simple then....

1. Some calves are born ugly (poor conformation, genetics), some calves become ugly (chronic illness, poor feed, etc).
2. Ugly calves tend to catch people's eyes... "he looks off/sick/something isn't right with that animal."
3. Ugly calves are not necessarily sick and sick calves are not necessarily ugly.
4. Ugly calves do tend to get treated more than pretty calves.
5. Ugly is not a disease.
6. Calves do not necessarily stay ugly - good feed and management will make most of them look okay in the end.
7. When you treat a calf with antibiotics you should be treating a *disease* - i.e. the calf has _________ and the antibiotic _______ is labeled to cure that. I don't read that in any of your posts.
8. I am - and all cattlemen should be - very much against the unnecessary use of antibiotics. It costs money, can lead to antibiotic resistance, and will eventually result in increased restrictions on our/your use of it (over the counter and prescription medications) - just look at the recent VFD.
9. You cannot treat your way out of bad genetics.
10. You cannot treat your way out of a management problem.

Treat sick calves. Not ugly ones. And learn everything you can about feed and management...

Well said, very clear and succinct.

[greybeard]

9. You cannot treat your way out of bad genetics.

And tho good feed can help, you can't often feed your way out of bad genetics either.

[BRYANT]

''Cattle Broker'' is that the same as what we ''Okies'' call a ''Cattle Trader'' if so he probably bought him from some sale barn and doesn't have a clue about the calf.

[Luckiamute]

Has your vet been out to check on him yet? Just curious how the calf is doing and looking for an update on his condition. Good luck with everything!

[mightyarrowsfarm]

He's doing great! He's gaining 3lbs a day now and the vet checked him and said he's just young. We cut him and officially made him a steer now. He didn't even flinch. He's about 420lbs now, so that's good. He got all his vaccinations and seems to really turned the corner.

Thank you all for your help and explanations...we are new to all this and won't be buying from the cattle trader again. ;)

[farmerjan]

Glad that you had the vet and got an educated opinion from an up close and personal observation. He might have just been stressed and was feeling under the weather when you got him. Good luck with him hope he continues to do well and glad you have a vet you can rely on. That's always a plus.