Scouring in Hand Reared Animals

Diarrhoea (or scours) is a common issue in hand-reared young animals, especially during the first week or two of life. It is much easier to prevent scours than to treat it, and prevention starts with high-quality nutrition, correct feeding techniques, cleanliness, and warmth.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

Very young animals are particularly vulnerable to scours. Good colostrum intake, quality milk, and proper hygiene significantly reduce risk.

Key prevention tips:

• Use species-appropriate milk powders (e.g. sheep milk powder for lambs).

• Follow feeding guidelines for concentration, volume, and frequency.

• Maintain a warm, dry, low-stress environment.

• Keep feeding gear clean and sanitised between uses.

Scours is more likely to occur if milk is too cold or too hot, or if too much is fed at once. Sudden changes in feed can also upset digestion.

Causes of Scours

Scours can be nutritional or infectious.

Nutritional causes:

• Poor quality or unsuitable milk replacers

• Overfeeding or incorrect temperature

• Sudden changes in feed

• Poor-quality supplements or stale calf starter meal

Infectious causes:

• Viruses such as rotavirus

• Parasites such as cryptosporidia

• Bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella

Avoid giving silage or chaff to very young animals.

Signs of Scours

Scouring animals typically show:

• Runny or watery faeces, sometimes with mucus or blood

• Soiling down the back legs

• Disinterest in feeding

• Straining or tail lifting

• Bloating or abdominal pain

• Dullness, dehydration, or sunken eyes

If left untreated, scours can lead to rapid decline and death.

How to Treat Scours

Mild cases:

• Reduce milk concentration slightly for 24 hours

More serious cases:

• Replace milk feeds with warm electrolyte solution

• Ensure access to clean drinking water

• Seek veterinary advice early

Signs such as watery or bloody faeces, bloating, refusal to suck, or lethargy require urgent attention. Early treatment improves the chance of recovery.

Hygiene and Isolation

• Always clean bottles and teats thoroughly between feeds

• Use a dilute bleach solution once a day and rinse well

• Isolate affected animals and feed them last to avoid spreading infection

For more information see our guide on Hand-Rearing Lambs, Kids, and Calves. For more support on managing young animal health, check out our Livestock Courses, which include practical information on nutrition, parasites, and disease prevention.