The most common cause of scours in our domestic farm animals (and many other diseases of the new born) is insufficient colostrum absorption in the first few hours of life. Even with timely colostrum it would be unusual if your hand raised calves didn't the scours sooner or later. However with enough colostrum and early enogh it will probably be a mild condition. There are a few common causes of diarrhoea in young animals. If you don't get a quick response to treatment below then get on the phone to your vet. There is a faeces test available now that may help diagnose the other more difficult to treat causes.
With simple dietary scours (overfeeding usually) the first indication you often get (even before diarrhoea starts) is that the calf is a bit disinterested in its milk. It's not knocking you down to get at its food as per usual. At this point stop feeding milk while the calf is still strong and change to glucose/electrolyte mix in warm water. (Glucose and a mixture of at least three important salts, see below. You can buy it or you can make it. This glucose/electrolyte will starve the gut pathogens (germs) yet still giving some energy food. The electrolytes (salts) are needed to replace those lost in the diarrhoea making the animal weak. Most vets and stock and station agents carry a super expensive ready mix brand of them but all ingredients are at the supermarket too. The reason for the high cost is that the makers can't help putting in costly un-needed ingredients as extras. Home mix can be:... 

Glucodin (glucose powder)(also called dextrose) or glucose syrup;
Bicarb soda (sodium bicarbonate)
potassium chloride; (ie. "lite" salt vegie salt, K salt)
sodium chloride (common salt)

all in about equal amounts. Mix the dry powders very well or even better make it up from the 4 basic ingredients plus warm water each feeding. Keep them all dry and in sealed containers. Use a tablespoon of the 4 in 1 mix per litre of warm water ). If you've got glucose syrup and not powder put about an equal amount of it to the three salt mix. Don't get stressed over exactness. The glucose doesn't feed the gut bacteria in the lower gut (where they are causing the trouble) because it is absorbed very early in the intestine...from the stomach itself. Give this mix in place of milk for up to three days maximum but usually two is enough (4 feeds or more if dehydrated). This alone treatment may be sufficient and usually is. If the calf does not respond quickly (by next feed) or goes downhill over a short time then call us and we'll prescribe something else. The speed of "crash" depends on a few things... the potency of the "germ" involved, dehydration from the loss of body water, loss of electrolytes or the lack of enough colostrum or all. You really should NOT reach for the strong antibiotics at the first sign of a dietary overfeeding scour or you'll quickly find that none will work when you really need them as will the rest of the community including the human hospitals. However don't muck about if the calf is really depressed, call us or your usual vet. Assuming that the milk substitute (glucose/electrolyte) has worked then after three feeds gradually re-introduce milk back into the electrolyte solution over a couple of days until you are back to full strength. (quarter/half/three quarter/full strength). Some of the bagged calf feeds are very prone to cause dietary scours so if it happens again consider a change to another type or the purchase of milk or colostrum from a farmer.

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