what is a motherless calf called

A motherless calf is called a dogie, which is a term used in the American West. The origin of the word is uncertain, but it is believed to have come into use in the 1880s when a series of harsh winters left large numbers of orphaned calves. These calves, weaned too early, were unable to digest coarse range grass, and their swollen bellies "very much resembled a batch of sourdough carried in a sack." Such a calf was referred to as dough-guts, which later morphed into dogie.