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The Daily Insight

How do I stop my calves from scouring?

Author

John Peck

Updated on April 03, 2026

Treatment of calf scours

  1. reversing dehydration by providing fluids (replacement electrolytes)
  2. meeting energy requirements (milk feeds or energy supplements)
  3. providing intestinal protectants such as kaolin.
  4. providing a warm, dry environment for the calf.

How do you treat scours in your calves naturally?

By adding 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to each calf’s milk bottle twice a day (each feeding), we have virtually eliminated scours. We may get a calf or two with some runny manure, but they never miss a feeding, never need to be treated, and it only lasts for a day or two.

What causes scour in calves?

Causes of calf scour. Scours can be classified into two types: nutritional and infectious. Nutritional scour is usually caused by stress due to a breakdown in management routine. Nutritional scour often progresses to become an infectious scour, which is caused by a high population of pathogens.

What does baking soda do for calves?

Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is a strong base that will help neutralize the acid. The electrolytes will also do this but the calf’s body must convert more bicarbonate and the process takes longer. Follow up with your regular electrolytes after the initial bout of baking soda. Do this only on very acidotic calves.

How much baking soda do I give my calf?

A recommendation of 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda in 2 liters of warm water works quite well. In moderate to severe cases of scours, often the calf doesn’t feel well enough to eat. Inclusion of an energy source is often beneficial.

What is the best treatment for calf scours?

The highest priority in treating scours is to give back to the calf the water and electrolytes that it has lost in scours – this is called fluid therapy. This corrects dehydration, restores normal acid-base balance, and replaces salts in the calf’s bodily fluids.

What can I give a calf for scours?

How do I get rid of diarrhea in my calves?

Probably the best thing producers can do for calves with diarrhea is provide a good oral electrolyte. “A lot of these calves are not drinking a lot of water. They start scouring. They go off milk — remember milk is 87% water and they are getting most of their fluid volume by drinking their milk,” Smith said.

Will calf scours go away?

Depending on the cause(s) and the severity of the infection, a case of scours in a calf can last 1-2 days or as long as 2 weeks.

When do calves get scours?

Scours is a term for diarrhea; another term that may be applied to this disease is “enteritis,” which means inflammation of the intestinal tract. While cattle of any age can develop diarrhea, most cases of calf scours occur under one month of age, with the majority occurring between roughly 3 and 16 days of life.

How long do scours last in calves?

Calves become too weak to stand. Left untreated, death typically occurs within 24 hours. Depending on the cause(s) and the severity of the infection, a case of scours in a calf can last 1-2 days or as long as 2 weeks.

Are raw eggs good for calves?

If your calf has scours, raw eggs added to the milk replacer provides extra protein and is said to help firm up stool. Also mix in some Karo syrup. If your using electrolytes, do not feed it at the same feeding with the milk replacer.

How do you get rid of scours in calves?

Calving Tips: Going To War On Calf Scours. The scours tend to be yellow and watery. Because viruses and cryptosporidia aren’t susceptible to antibiotics, the only treatment of this type of scours is nutritional and fluid support of the calf until the intestine lining is regenerated.

What does it mean when a calf has scours?

‘Calf scours’ (diarrhoea) is the most common symptom of illness in young calves and is usually a problem in the first month of life. The scour can be white, yellow, grey or blood-stained, and is often foul-smelling.

How to increase appetite in calf scours?

You can give appetizers to increase the appetite. Prevention is the most important in calf scours than treatment. The prevention measures are a year-round program for raising calves. The prevention measures include management, vaccination, feeding colostrum, housing, and hygienic measures.

Can I give my calf scours for diarrhea?

Scour boluses are available, but generally they’re for young calves with bacterial infection of the gut. You may also need to use electrolytes and make sure bedding is cleaned out regularly. Scours is diarrhea in calves, and you can’t go wrong when you see a calf have runny poop rather than the normal miniature cow-pat that they should have.