Beef 911: You will be amazed how many calves make use of these shelters and be pleased with the many benefits
Calf hutches are utilized by many producers at calving season and for very good reason. They are especially imperative if calving early in inclement weather and with the increasing size of our herds, young calves need to get away from the stress of crowding. Even summer-calving herds will make use of hutches for shade and […] Read more
Beef 911: This is one of the hardest situations that comes during calving and recognizing the problem is the first step
One of the hardest calving dilemmas you face as producers, or we face as veterinarians, is improper cervical dilation. When going through the stages of labour before expulsion of the fetus, the cervix relaxes, softens, and opens up (essentially as wide as the vagina) to allow the fetus to enter the vaginal vault. When this […] Read more
Beef 911: Calves need adequate amounts of high-quality colostrum after birth and substitutes are a good option
There have been many articles written over the years on the value of calves receiving adequate amounts of good-quality colostrum. Also over the years, colostrum substitutes have come into greater and greater usage. Several things have led to this change. Colostrum substitutes have become higher quality and are more convenient than using frozen colostrum. As […] Read more
Beef 911: A feed supplement that counteracts dehydration offers animal welfare benefits and an economic return
We all know that when handling, transporting and shipping cattle, stress is increased and weight loss and carcass changes occur. A new, or should I say reintroduced product, is back on the market after having been shelved by Agriculture Canada for many years. The product is called DeStress and is currently being marketed by a […] Read more
Beef 911: Charges that beta-agonists caused severe lameness prompted a study that found a very different reason for fatigue cattle syndrome
A few years ago cattle in an American feedlot went down during transport to a packing plant and others developed severe lameness. This condition was eventually labelled fatigue cattle syndrome and became a huge animal welfare issue due to the appearance of severely lame, non-ambulatory cattle. Initially beta-agonists were incriminated but numerous studies have essentially […] Read more
Beef 911: Producers are doing a good job of caring for their cattle but often this information is not passed on to buyers
When purchasing or selling livestock, their health status — preventive shots given, deworming, and other relevant information — can be determined by a few simple questions. But these questions are seldom asked in cattle transactions these days. With cattle being of higher value, and often traversing long distances through different geographic areas, this information is […] Read more
Beef 911: There are a multitude of benefits but producers need to be compensated for the extra work and risk
Older producers may remember a preconditioning program implemented by the provincial Agriculture Department in the 1980s. There were criteria for procedures and shots, while veterinarians certified that procedures such as dehorning and castrating were done properly and correct pre-immunization shots were given properly. Two categories of calves (either pre-immunized or pre-immunized and weaned a specific […] Read more
Beef 911: Developing and using good protocols will keep these valuable treatments working for you and your herd
We heard years ago about resistance with fly tags. I believe the first one was called Bovaid and with no other tags on the market, researchers noticed resistance developing after a few years. Soon other companies were making tags with a different family of chemicals in them, so producers could rotate them and not allow […] Read more
Beef 911: This fatal disease is very rare, but animal owners and rural residents should always be on the lookout for telltale signs
We don’t hear this disease mentioned very often, but when we do there is a very scary connotation attached to it. Rabies is virtually always a fatal disease to all mammals, and zoonotic to humans with no curative treatment once clinical signs develop. Only prevention through vaccination and a strong surveillance program have kept incidence […] Read more
Beef 911: Calves that get sick early in life struggle to catch up with their herdmates and are prone to getting ill again
Over the years, many of the effective treatments for bacterial scours and some for pneumonia in newborn calves have been taken away from us. You all remember products such as synergistin, gentomycin and baytril which have either been discontinued or prescribing them is highly frowned on for a number of reasons I won’t get into […] Read more
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