Reading Time: 2 minutes A new video from the Beef Cattle Research Council demonstrates some simple ways to revive a calf that hasn’t taken a breath after having endured a tough labour. “The day a calf is born is going to be the highest-risk day of its entire life,” Dr. Claire Windeyer says in the video. “So it’s important that […] Read more
Video offers ‘911’ techniques for a newborn calf that’s not breathing
Use a recovery position or some water from a squirt bottle, but never hang a calf on a gate
Timing is (almost) everything when it comes to reproductive success
Pay attention to the length of your breeding season, calving distribution, and postpartum interval
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tackling reproductive failure in a beef herd starts with understanding what reproductive success looks like — and for most Alberta cattle operations, the usual measure of success doesn’t tell the whole story. “A lot of people might think, great, I got greater than 90 per cent (pregnancy rate), that might mean success,” said veterinarian Dr. […] Read more
The right time for calving depends on your farm — and you
While many producers are calving earlier, some have gone the other way
Reading Time: 4 minutes Calving season looks different on every operation — there is no one right method or time of year to calve a cow herd. While more producers in Western Canada have moved to later calving, some have gone the other way. Here are the experiences of three ranching families. Late summer/fall calving Taralea Simpson has been […] Read more
Now is a good time to check udders of cows and bred heifers
Paying attention to teat and udder conformation greatly reduces the odds of having a cow with mastitis
Reading Time: 3 minutes Before calving is a good time for scrutinizing the udders of cows and bred heifers. Occasionally chronic infected quarters (probably emanating from the year previous) are highly visible as large swollen quarters compared to the other three. They will often flare up a few weeks before calving as the colostrum is being formed. Usually the […] Read more
Inducing cows is always a risk-and-reward scenario
Many factors need to be considered and no two cases are exactly alike
Reading Time: 3 minutes There comes a time in cow-calf production to induce cows to calve for a number of reasons. This may be because there is an abnormal pregnancy, the cow has a life-threatening condition, the pregnancy has gone on too long leading to health issues or other reasons. All require careful thought and examination as every case […] Read more
Timely tips for calving season
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new Beef Cattle Research Council blog has a number of tips for having more healthy calves. The tips from Dr. Claire Windeyer of the University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine program include how to resuscitate calves, putting them into a recovery position, assessing a suckle reflex, and identifying health issues such as scours […] Read more
Doing the math on a straw-grain ration for pregnant cows
You need to ensure the mothers-to-be are getting what they need
Reading Time: 3 minutes Feeding a straw-grain ration to pregnant cows is a viable option, but you’ve got to do the math. The first step is to test the quality of the feed, but determining what type of supplements or mineral product must also be done, said provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “It is often a point […] Read more
Calf hutches provide many benefits for your herd
Beef 911: You will be amazed how many calves make use of these shelters and be pleased with the many benefits
Reading Time: 4 minutes 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
Improper cervical dilation at calving demands quick action
Beef 911: This is one of the hardest situations that comes during calving and recognizing the problem is the first step
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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
Don’t risk a wreck in your cow’s reproduction this spring
Breeding timing makes a difference in open rates and so do vaccinations and copper deficiency
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to make sure that you get calves on the ground, pay attention to body score, when you calve, and vaccinations. That was the message from Cheryl Waldner, a professor in large-animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. “You need to get the cattle cycling […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
