Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) on March 18 said it will provide up to $150,000 for a three-year research project led by Dongyan Xu Niu, a microbiologist and associate professor in the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine.

Niu’s project will look at a new and different way to fight Streptococcus suis, a bacteria well known to cause respiratory infections, meningitis and sudden deaths in piglets after weaning.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canada’s hog farmers are mindful of over-reliance on antibiotics and could benefit from another way to keep S. suis in check.

The Calgary researchers plan to engineer beneficial lactobacillus bacteria to deliver enzymes that can specifically target and break down the S. suis pathogen, SIP said.

The team plans to identify and optimize these enzymes, integrate them into lactobacillus strains and then evaluate their ability to protect piglets from infection.

S. suis bacteria are endemic to Canada, colonizing most hog barns and spreading through contact with healthy carrier pigs after weaning, when antibodies from mother sows are unavailable to piglets. The bacteria are also known to be zoonotic, meaning they can cause severe infections in people who’ve had close contact with infected pigs.

“Strategic research investments like this help ensure Canadian producers have access to innovative tools and solutions to address priority health challenges in the barn,” SIP chair Mark Ferguson said in a release.

The funding for Niu’s project comes via SIP’s Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, which backs one- to three-year projects and runs until 2028. SIP said its support for this project is expected to mobilize up to $419,580 in total funding for it.

The U of Calgary project “reflects the type of collaborative, forward-looking research we aim to support” through the call for proposals, SIP general manager Daniel Ramage said in the same release.

The post Research recruits beneficial bacteria against Strep suis in piglets appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Early weaning is talked about a lot, but not many people do it,” said Dr. John Campbell, a professor of large-animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and an expert in beef animal health and welfare.

“It’s sort of an exceptional circumstance for the situation.”

But if this turns out to be another drought year, he suspects more producers will try early weaning.

Campbell said he has read a lot of literature about it, but doesn’t have a lot of real-life experience.

“We traditionally wean calves at six to eight months of age,” he said. “I guess when we have limited feed resources, early weaning can be considered an advantageous strategy.”

Those who wean early tend to do it when calves are three to five months of age. The practice lowers overall forage consumption (because a lactating cow needs to eat a lot) while also helping to maintain the mother cow’s body condition.

“It will improve the reproduction the next year for the cows because the cows are coming through the winter in better body condition as well,” said Campbell.

Body condition is an issue in many herds this spring because feed was in such short supply this winter and that forced many producers to improvise.

“People have had to rely on a lot of weird and wonderful feeding strategies this winter, so we’re seeing a lot of cows in less than optimal body condition this year,” said Campbell. “Probably, we’ll end up seeing poor reproduction next fall when we do preg checking because a bunch of those cows just aren’t going to cycle like they normally would, or as early as they normally would if they came in with a better body condition score.

“That’s sort of the trickle-down effect.”

Cows that are not lactating do eat less — about 76 per cent of the forage compared to one still nursing her calf.

“You increase your carrying capacity by 25 per cent if you wean those cows early. That’s the big advantage,” he said.

What about the calves?

There are two options, said Campbell.

One is to sell them but that means finding a market that will pay a relatively high price for lightweight calves. Some feedlots will buy lighter animals, but the price may not be very attractive.

“That’s not uncommon to see, but the economics of the pricing of those animals, that may play a role in whether or not you can afford to market your calves, or whether you can feed them yourself,” said Campbell.

That second option — backgrounding them yourself — not only requires feed resources (which may continue to be in short supply) but also facilities (pens to hold and separate the calves), as well as some level of expertise.

“That’s the biggest issue with early weaning,” said Campbell. “There’s no doubt that it has a benefit for the (mother) cows, but what is your strategy for dealing with the calves at an earlier age?”

Early-weaned calves are usually good at gaining weight even if forage conditions aren’t optimal for the dam.

“You get more efficient feed use — those early-weaned calves are pretty feed efficient when they are young, so that’s an advantage and you can carry more cows,” said Campbell.

But the calves are also at a higher risk of contracting respiratory disease.

“You have to have pretty good management and calf nutrition if you are going to retain those calves yourselves,” he said. “It’s a challenging thing and I think that’s why we don’t see if very often. Those challenges keep people from doing it, even though there are obvious benefits to the cows.”

Campbell said last fall would have been the time for early weaning, but if it’s another drought year, some people might consider trying it this year.

“We might see more of it,” he said. “To me, it’s always about the logistics of having feed and facilities for the calves, and having a market for them. That’s the biggest challenge with doing it and what makes it most challenging for most producers.”

A lot of producers don’t have extra holding areas or capacity for calves because they sell calves directly to the market. (A 2015 study found 70 per cent of producers do abrupt weaning, which involves taking the calf off the cow and selling it right away.)

Even if you plan to stick with your regular weaning practice, remember that both feed issues and the cold weather this winter have taken their toll, Campbell added.

“Vitamin A is a major issue if they (cattle) haven’t been supplemented well,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of green forage for the grazing season and now through the winter, so there’s vitamin A deficiency.

“We’re seeing some weird and wonderful metabolic things because we’re feeding a lot of greenfeed or… unusual winter feeds that might not have been used in other years. That can create potential problems.”

The post Weaning calves early isn’t normal but is an option in a time of drought appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

While herd health veterinarians and feedlot production specialists can each have slightly different approaches to getting new feeders ramped up to the intended full-feed ration, all have a common starting point — get calves unloaded into a receiving pen, don’t overcrowd them, make sure they have access to good-quality grass hay, are drinking water, the lot is well bedded, and the cattle get a few hours of rest before processing.

It sounds like a simple enough plan when introducing newly weaned calves to the feed yard, but it takes both planning and management.

Here are the views of four Alberta experts.

Let them rest

Calves need to have at least a few hours of rest in a well-bedded receiving pen before being processed, said Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed, a veterinarian with Alberta Beef Health Services in Coaldale

“The key is to get them eating as soon as possible,” said Van Donkersgoed. “They are tired after being trucked and most likely hungry and thirsty. At the receiving pen you don’t want them overcrowded. They should have access to as much good-quality grass hay and fresh clean water as they wish, that is easily accessible. They should be allowed to eat, drink and rest for at least six hours, if practically possible, before being processed.”

Knowing some background on the calves can help considerably.

“Are they coming directly from a ranch or auction mart? Were they still out on pasture? What were the pasture conditions? Was creep feed or loose mineral available? Vaccination history? That’s some of the information that can help the feedlot better manage calves when they do arrive. The more you know about the calves the better.”

If they are straight-from-the-ranch calves that have not been preconditioned or pre-weaned, the feedlot operator may need to show the calves the basics of finding food and water in a confined feeding pen.

“Some operations use round bale feeders in the receiving pen while others only have a feed bunk,” said Van Donkersgoed. “Make sure there is plenty of good-quality grass hay and keep it fluffed up and visible so the calves can see it.”

It’s important to make sure feeders and water bowls are at the proper height so even the smaller calves can reach them. If needed, she has used her hand to splash water and make some noise just so curious calves will come by and check out the water bowls.

Dr. Steve Hendrick likes to see freshly weaned calves have at least a day of rest at the feedlot before being processed.

“If they are auction mart calves I would recommend at least 48 hours of rest before processing,” said the veterinarian with Coaldale Veterinary Clinic.

“And if they are cold weaned ranch-direct calves I would increase that to preferably four days of rest before being processed. Some research has shown that having sufficient rest may help to improve the efficacy of treatments when they are processed.”

It’s also important to have properly trained feedlot workers to minimize handling stress, he said.

Effort should be made to encourage calves to find the feed bunk and the water, said Hendrick. For the first three days after arrival fresh hay can be placed on top of fresh silage ration “so they have to nibble through the hay to find the ration.” And while pens should be properly bedded, especially if conditions are cold and/or wet, it becomes a management balance to ensure calves gravitate toward the hay for feed and don’t just eat straw.

After three days, as the calves transition to more of a silage-based ration some grain is needed to provide energy, but at the same that ration shouldn’t be “hot.” A hot ration generally refers to a ration with a high grain component and not enough fibre. As grain is rapidly digested in the rumen it converts starch to acid. Without forage fibre to buffer the acid the increased acid is then absorbed through the rumen wall, causing metabolic acidosis, which in milder cases can put cattle off feed and result in weight loss, while in severe cases can lead to shock and death.

Lower the stress

With young calves coming into the feedlot, possibly from several different sources, Bob Lowe said his priority is to make sure they have feed “and do everything possible to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

The first order of business is to get calves vaccinated, fed and rested, said the owner of Bear Trap Feeders at Nanton.

“The biggest challenge you face is that these calves have been taken away from an environment where they had their mother, milk and grass and you’re putting them in a setting where they have none of that,” said Lowe. “They are stressed and tired, so you try not to do anything that’s going to add to that.”

From processing, calves are moved to a feed pen with a large round bale of good-quality grass hay, water is accessible and there is already a forage ration in the feed bunk as well.

“We want them to have a full belly and get rested,” said Lowe. “They can eat and lay in the hay and I’ve seldom had any problem with calves finding the water bowl. If it is a concern we keep them pushed up toward the water, and once they see one drinking the rest will follow.”

Lowe tries not to overcrowd calves — give them space to eat, rest and become familiar with new surroundings.

“That bale of hay is the last hay they will see in our yard, so we begin probably that first day to encourage them to find the feed bunk as well,” he added.

Quiet handling is important as calves are moved to the bunk area to discover the new type of feed. The starter ration is a combination of silage, straw, as well as some barley.

“They have hay and they’re eating, but you encourage them to find the bunk and start picking away and learn to like the ration as well.

“We’re expecting by day four or five these calves should be eating two to 2.5 per cent of their body weight.”

Get off to a good start

Knowing as much as possible about the background of calves arriving at the feed yard will help managers understand risk levels and apply appropriate handling and processing measures, said Matt May, feedlot nutrition and production consultant with Feedlot Health Management Services in Okotoks.

If hay is an option, it should be available for the first three to four days after arrival and as calves move into their home pens, he said. He prefers to have the hay topped with ration so they become familiar with silage and grain from the start. Again, pen checkers need to be paying attention from the outset to make sure calves are finding hay and water and becoming familiar with the feed bunk and waterers.

With most feed yard pens holding between 200 to 300 head, May prefers to close a pen off to new arrivals after no more than seven days.

“Within that first week the first calves in will become familiar with the bunk, their penmates and the first level of ration so if at all possible I don’t want to be adding new fresh calves to that pen after a week,” he said.

After new arrivals have had about three to four days of largely a forage-based diet, May recommends removing top-dressed hay from the diet and provide calves with the starter diet primarily based on small-grains silage-based ration with some grain for energy.

Over the next 25 to 30 days he will transition calves to a new ration about every five to seven days. “They will be on their first ration for about five to seven days after the pen is closed, for example, then transition them to the next ration which generally means replacing 10 per cent of the forage component with 10 per cent more concentrate,” he said.

The post The basics for handling freshly weaned calves at feedlots appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“If calves were not provided with creep feed over the summer, weaning weights will be lower than in most years — as much as 150 pounds per animal,” said Barry Yaremcio.

He suggests weaning calves 30 to 60 days early if cows have lost condition and are thin.

“The calves can then be put on a good ration to maintain good rates of gain,” he said. “Nutrient requirements for a dry cow are 25 per cent lower than for a lactating cow. Having lower requirements may result in the cows gaining back the weight prior to the cold setting in. It is much easier for a cow to gain weight in the fall than in the cold winter months.”

Thin cows are another concern.

“If a cow is 200 pounds lighter than normal, a majority of the weight loss will be fat,” said Yaremcio. “The loss of fat reduces the amount of insulation the cow has to shield itself against the cold. Heat loss increases energy requirements, which in turn requires the animal to eat more feed.”

A thin cow will need an extra 1,400 pounds of hay just to stay warm over the winter.

“For every 10 C drop below -20 C at noon, an additional two pounds of grain above the regular ration should be fed,” he said. “Over a three-week cold spell, it is possible for cow weight to drop 100 pounds or more if additional grain is not fed.”

Poor conditions this year may have lowered vitamin levels in hay.

“Instead of waiting until the cows are in the last trimester, feeding of vitamins should start now to prevent deficiencies and nutrition-related problems.”

Another issue is that most forages are very low in protein and energy this year. In addition to supplemental feed, consider “feeding of an ionophore such as Rumensin or Bovatec (that) will improve digestive efficiency and allow the animals to get more out of the feeds they are eating.”

The post There are extra challenges in wintering cows this year appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The question of what the next wave of culls should be goes beyond reproduction — the fall is also an ideal time to consider culling problem cows. The yearly cost to maintain those cows is at least $350 each on the Prairies when hay prices are average. This year, it will be considerably higher than this.

Reproduction is the biggest loss to the cow-calf operator, so timely pregnancy diagnosis by your veterinarian will save considerable dollars in feed. Your profit is derived by pounds of beef sold, so open cows contribute nothing to that pool.

While palpating the cows, internal pelvic size can be assessed in heifers. Internal infection in abdomen (adhesions), tumours, as well as infected kidneys, can also be detected. In 95 per cent of cases, these cows will never breed.

Later-bred cows can also be detected and marked. If all calves are weaned together, these late-bred cows will wean smaller calves since the calves will be much younger. They may, however, fit well into another producer’s program and could be sold as bred cows. Since most herds average five to 10 per cent open or late cows, this procedure (pregnancy diagnosis) is an invaluable and necessary part of any beef operation.

Many other conditions can be eliminated at the pass through the chute, such as cows with vaginal prolapses, arthritis, bad feet, and poor udders (coke bottle teats or swing bags) should be marked out as well.

Remember that vaginal prolapses are generally hereditary, and it is wise to not keep any female offspring off that cow. Uterine prolapses, on the other hand, are not hereditary and this cow can be kept as long as she has rebred with the group. The likelihood of her re-prolapsing the next year is no more likely than any other cow.

Caesarean sections are an automatic cull the following year and many producers don’t even run them with a bull. Cracks, long toes, or other foot problems need either culling or attending to in order to enable them to be productive the following season. Again, some foot problems such as corkscrew claws and corns may be hereditary, so don’t retain their daughters in the herd.

Poor udders with large teats or broken-down suspensory should be closely scrutinized. Some of these develop over time in older cows. These cows are more prone to get mastitis, plus getting newborns to suckle on these large teats or low bags can be a formidable task in the spring (especially when producers’ time is at the premium).

Temperament is a definite consideration for culling.

My attitude is always, “There are too many quiet cows in the world to keep the wild, hard to handle, or fence crawlers.” Some cows, of course, are quite possessive right at calving but if they endanger workers, culling should be a consideration. The ladies on the farm usually have a temperament culling list and if they help at calving or do the calving, heed their suggestions and cull those cows.

A scale is a very valuable aid in selecting unproductive cows.

Remember the age-old rule of cows weaning at least half their body weight. Large cows need to wean larger calves in order to be profitable. Weighing calves at weaning and knowing the cow’s mature weight makes this decision very easy. Unproductive cows may be poor milkers or have some underlying disease resulting in unthrifty calves. A mature cow with chronic diarrhea, especially if losing weight, is a likely candidate for Johne’s disease and is best to ship for slaughter immediately after your veterinarian makes the diagnosis.

Older cows will start to lose teeth at about 10 years of age making it difficult to graze efficiently. Mouthing of some cows allows you to estimate age and cull while salvage is still an option. All cows should have all their eight front incisor teeth. If the neck is visible on the outside incisor, the cow is about nine years old. If you have birth dates, culling all older cows before a certain year of birth may be necessary. Usually their productivity will go down and odds of being open in subsequent years is higher. Cattle diseases (such as kidney disease, peritonitis from hardware) are more likely, so older cows are good candidates for culling.

Producers must record potential culls during the year as memories fade by fall. The cow that almost did your wife in at spring calving should not be forgotten about during fall culling. Producers may have questionable potential culls where the final decision is made at pregnancy checking time. If the open or late rate is lower than expected, this is an ideal time to cull for these borderline cases.

In a year like this one where feed may be short, extra culls should be thought of. It is far better to cull early and maintain good salvage value. By doing this, the younger, more productive cows are maintained in your herd.

You cannot make these decisions without clear records. For that, proper identification tags must be maintained in both cows and calves.

If you have access to a large herd liner, loads of cows may be able to be shipped directly to the plant. Inquire about this as transportation and other costs are saved.

Marketing ahead of time can have rewards. Remember to check to make sure all have RFID tags. If feeding cows for a short period, select appropriately based on body condition score, and discuss with your veterinarian any implanting, deworming, or external parasite recommendations to maximize growth.

Cows that have nice red leaner meat are very desirable for the ground beef market so let’s not forget that.

Again, years of feed shortage may be ones to tighten up culling of any older bulls or ones with issues. Ones with borderline semen tests, temperament, and a myriad of other reasons are grounds for culling bulls. The feed saved can go towards the purchase of a younger, potentially better herd sire next year.

Maximize your culls — bulls, cows, and heifers — when feed is in short supply by making well-thought-out decisions.

The post When feed is in short supply, it’s time for extra culling appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“There was a lot more variation in what bulls were actually doing and which bulls were siring calves than we thought going into this,” Stacey Domolewski said during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar.

As part of a three-year project with the Western Beef Development Centre, Domolewski worked with six commercial producers in Saskatchewan. Both bulls and calves were DNA tested in order to precisely determine the number of offspring per bull.

“The average was around 21 — that was around the bull-to-cow ratio recommended for mature bulls,” said Domolewski, the beef council’s science and extension co-ordinator, who recently completed her master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan.

But that average was misleading — the number of calves sired per bull ranged from a low of one to a high of 53.

The research team calculated a bull prolificacy index (BPI) which allowed them to account for pregnancy rate and the number of bulls in a pasture (which influences the bull’s ability to sire calves). This was calculated by the number of calves sired, divided by the number of calves that they are expected to sire, and the bull-to-cow ratio.

“If there were two bulls in a pasture with 50 cows, each bull would be expected to sire 25 cows,” said Domolewski. “A BPI greater than one meant that the bull was siring more calves than we expected; a BPI of one meant that the bull is siring the number of calves expected; and a BPI of less than one meant that the bull was siring fewer calves than expected.”

Two-year-old and mature bulls sired the most calves but, again, there was a lot of variation.

“What I found most interesting is that even in the mature bull group, we have a lot of variation,” said Domolewski. “The lowest down here was siring a quarter of the calves we expected him to sire. The highest was almost three times what we expected.”

In the second year, the two-year-olds had the most variation, but also sired the most calves.

“This just kind of complicates things a bit,” she said. “It isn’t quite as cut and dry. Just because a bull is older, it doesn’t mean that he will sire more calves.”

Some producers in the study thought that more bulls in a pasture might produce more calves, but that may not be the best route to go.

“What we saw is in the pasture with a lower number of bulls is that bulls tended to sire roughly the same amount of calves,” she said.

More bulls meant more variation. A pasture with nine bulls saw one bull that sired three times more than expected, and one bull that sired three times less.

A sire who is only producing one or two calves costs as much to feed and care for as one that is much more prolific, noted Domolewski.

“That calf essentially comes into the world owing you $1,400,” she said. “That’s just the bull cost, not the cost of maintaining the cow herd for a year.”

That, of course, is only if the bull only sires one calf. If a bull sires 35 offspring, then the cost drops to about $40 per calf. And while culling underperforming bulls decreases costs, researchers are also digging deeper by looking at weaning weights to see if bulls were siring a lower number of calves, but passing on great traits.

One of the operations in the trial followed its calves until weaning. On that ranch, bulls that had the highest bull prolificacy index had the highest total pounds of calves weaned, which meant it makes sense to keep them around.

“That extra calf or two was made up for in the total number of calves weaned,” said Domolewski.

The post Who’s your daddy? appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Producers who participate in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey will receive a complementary report that allows them to compare their own operation with benchmarks.

The survey takes about 45 to 60 minutes to complete and asks questions related to the 2016 breeding season all the way through to weaning of 2017 calf crop, as well as typical management practices.

The deadline to participate is Feb. 28. For more info or to complete the survey, go to the WCCS website.

The post Producers wanted for cow-calf survey appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

By the time calves land in the feed yard, they have often been handled and transported several times. How they fight off disease during that extraordinarily stressful period is related to their age and weight. Light calves are more challenged and confused.

The previous history of a calf impacts its future. Vaccinated calves have a better chance of surviving as long as they are not mixed with non-vaccinated calves. Long hauls on the truck are tiring and standing on cement without feed and water triggers shrinkage. Weight can be lost both through excretory or tissue shrink. When it’s the latter, and dehydration and starvation have set in with moisture being pulled from internal tissues and organs, it is more difficult to keep that calf well and eating.

Preventing shrink (and subsequent health problems) requires care when handling and that starts with cattle on pasture. Rough-and-ready roundups are stressful and a loading facility that is in poor order and allows for shadows and noise adds another level of stress. The density on the truck makes a difference as does diet, dust, cold, heat, and the length of travel. At all times, strive to keep calves clean and dry.

If cattle go to auction they may stand for long periods and lose weight from shrinkage while they do. Unable to readjust quickly because of age, temperature, density or diet change, they may ignore water or feed that is provided to them, thus magnifying the problem.

• More with Brenda Schoepp: The making of a true – and enduring – love story

As the process is repeated again, the calves are challenged and ready to host a variety of pathogens that are shared via air, contact, feed, or fecal matter. Hungry and tired, their immune system compromised and often with elevated temperatures, they arrive in the feed yard where all efforts are made to ensure they go on to feed quickly and not succumb to disease.

All of this history plays a part in the survivability of the calf. It is like getting through customs with the determining factors like who you are, where you came from, and how you got to this point.

As not every calf has the same background, sex, age, or weight, they are sorted into same like pens on arrival. The social order needs to be established and the youngsters will share their germs like it’s a giant outdoor daycare. It is at this point that the accumulation of all the marketing events evolve into symptoms of disease, usually a respiratory problem.

Commingling has been last on the research list for many years as scientists focused on the diseases that were active in the pen. I have always found this curious because responding to active cases leaves little time for addressing the cumulative cause. Addressing commingling when thousands of calves are arriving is tough, but there are strategies from the farm to the feedlot that mitigate the related risks.

Starting at home or at the community pasture is important. Groups of calves are best kept separate and provided water and feed, room to rest, and not left standing for long hours. Loading should be done quietly on a non-slip floor and the ride time should be as short as possible, preferably direct to the feedlot pen. If going through an auction, there will be additional weight loss and there will likely be commingling. Sorting at home — something I term the ‘power of the sort’ — is the best option.

Communicating the background of those cattle — including feed and vaccination, implants, weaning dates (please wean 45 days or more), and age verification — are selling points and that information is helpful at the feed yard. As cattle shed pathogens they have been exposed to at 14 days after arrival, sorting quickly and quietly (preferably from the processing barn), and then sealing the pen is vital. Never introduce cattle into an established pen at any point. Treated and finished cattle also must re-establish the social status in the pen and are at risk.

Several feed yards have ‘opened the gate,’ allowing for low-density grazing or low-density feeding on arrival in a very large space. Others have reduced the overall pen space to have smaller, tighter groups. Both reduce morbidity and mortality.

For those calves that do become ill, sick pens need to be away from the processing and arrivals area to mitigate commingling and the continuous transfer of pathogens. Sorting by a set of specific genetic traits (genomic testing) is also a predictor and helps the sorted cattle to stay together as a unit for the duration of their stay.

Commingling is one of the major stresses that are a precursor to morbidity and mortality on the ranch, farm, and feedlot. As calves are entrusted to your care, please remember to mitigate these risks this fall.

(To view the preparation of one Alberta feed yard prior to calves arriving, go to www.youtube.com and search for ‘kolkfallrun.’)

The post The fall run is tough on calves but we can do better appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Beef producers like Alberta’s Darren Bevans, Tyler Fulton in Manitoba, and Murray Shaw in Ontario know replacement and first-calf heifers need some extra attention heading into winter, but that doesn’t mean over-the-top management.

Bevans and Fulton manage heifers separately in order to give them extra feed, while Shaw moves the whole herd on to a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) in early December. The hay and corn silage ration may be a bit more than the mature cows need, but adequate to meet heifer requirements.

• Read more: Three approaches to managing first- and second-calf heifers

Heifers aren’t as competitive as cows especially in limit feeding situations on swaths, corn grazing, or bale grazing. Even in drylots, competition can be an issue around feed bunks and round-bale feeders. And when the weather gets particularly cold, it is important to meet the energy requirements of these young females to ensure their body condition doesn’t slip. For every 1 C drop in temperature below 0 C, the beef cow’s TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients) energy maintenance requirements increase by about two per cent. Nutritional requirements, just due to the demands of cold temperatures, increase by 25 to 30 per cent over winter.

For optimum reproductive performance, research has found beef heifers should be at 60 to 65 per cent of their mature weight at about 14 months of age; at 65 to 70 per cent of mature weight at time of first breeding (15 months of age); and 85 to 90 per cent of mature weight at time of calving (24 months of age). Heifers continue to grow even through to their second calving.

The December to March period is probably one of the toughest and most expensive times to try to get skinny or poor-condition animals back into condition. Poor condition leads to more calving difficulties, weaker and low-vigour calves, and extra costs in getting those mothers back into condition for the next breeding season. Some research showed cattle with the mid-range (recommended) body condition score versus a low body condition score, had 10 per cent more live calves; their calf weaning weights the next fall were 26 per cent higher; and the pregnancy rate came in at 92 per cent (versus 79 per cent for lower-condition females).

Heifers aren’t just young cows, said Bart Lardner, senior research scientist at the Western Beef Development Centre in Saskatchewan.

“Bred and first-calf heifers are still growing themselves,” said Lardner. “So they shouldn’t be managed the same as mature cows.”

Heifer management is actually a three-year project, he said.

“Sometimes producers will manage those replacement heifers really well from weaning until the time they are bred, and as soon as they have that first calf they get moved into and managed with the cow herd,” says Lardner. “But that heifer herself is still growing so has higher feed requirements. She needs to be managed properly right through until that second calving.”

Ideally producers should apply Body Condition Scoring (BCS) to the entire beef herd, he added.

Canada has a five-point BCS scale — one being thin and five being fat. (Some producers use the U.S. system that has a scale from one to nine.)

Older research suggested cows and heifers should be fed to maintain at 2.5 to 3.0 score on the Canadian BCS (five on U.S. scale) heading into and during winter. More recent research, which studied more than 100 herds across Western Canada, found open rates were lowest in females with a BCS of 3.0 to 3.5 on the Canadian scale.

The challenge with feeding bred and first-calf heifers is that they require more energy, protein and other nutrients comparatively to mature cows, yet have about 20 per cent less dry matter capacity. Often they can’t physically eat enough poor-quality feed to meet their needs.

“If a mature animal is being maintained on a ration containing eight to 10 per cent protein, for example, the bred heifers and first-calf heifers are going to need about 20 per cent more,” said Susan Markus, beef research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “And energy requirements will be similar. If the cow ration has 55 per cent TDN, the heifer ration needs to be in 60 to 65 per cent TDN range.”

Poorer-quality, high-fibre forage may fill cattle up but still not meet their nutrient requirements, said Markus, who also recommends cattle be provided a well-balanced mineral mix. Cereal-based feeds, for example can be high in potassium, which can adversely affect calcium levels.

More feed is needed to improve body condition of a beef animal in winter, so it makes economic sense to have replacement and first-calf heifers in good shape heading into winter. For example, a 1,200-pound mature animal requires about 160 pounds of weight gain to improve body condition score by one point (on the Canadian scale).

Depending on summer and fall pasture quantity and quality, it may make sense to wean first-calf heifers and nursing heifers also pregnant with their second calf about a month early,” he said. “But there is no reason these systems can’t work, maintain cattle in good body condition, and in fact we have seen situations where they actually gain weight while winter grazing.”

The first step is to have a feed test analysis before cattle start grazing. Many forages saved for winter feed might look good but could be low on protein or energy, said Lardner. Also, remember cows and heifers need to be on a higher plane of nutrition during the last trimester of pregnancy.

“If you have different qualities of stockpiled feed, put them on the lower-quality feed, such as straw or chaff, earlier in the winter grazing period and then switch them over to higher-quality feed as they approach calving.”

If animals are underconditioned, feeding lower-quality feed earlier in the winter is not a good option. Adjustments to the feeding program should be made no later than 60 days before calving.

When swath grazing, animals given free range will eat the seed heads first and be left with nothing but stems and stalks later in the winter when it’s colder and nutrient requirements are higher, so cross-fencing and restricting access are critical (and also reduces wastage).

Lardner also recommends first- and second-calf heifers be fed separately from mature cows.

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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 time period) were certified preconditioned. Calves were identified with different coloured tags to distinguish pre-immunized versus preconditioned ones, and paperwork accompanied the calves so to establish credibility to the program.

The science made complete sense — but the program didn’t take off past a few years.

Why was this?

Well for starters, producers needed a premium for the extra work and risk that comes with weaning calves at home. However, feedlots didn’t necessarily pay a premium for various reasons, including that the critical number to reaching a full pen of cattle purchased at once could not be maintained.

Then everyone started having ‘preconditioned sales.’ Everybody claimed their calves were preconditioned because it was the buzzword of the day. At the time, I questioned farmers when they wrote on the manifest that their calves were “preconditioned” — only to find out they had only been given a blackleg vaccine.

It’s time for the cow-calf producer to start preconditioning calves again for the betterment of the entire industry. But they should share in the huge value added this creates.

Most of you purebred breeders do this and realize the great benefits. Please pass this information off to your bull customers. Among the multitude of benefits are reduced morbidity and mortality; decreased treatment costs; and improved weight gains and efficiencies.

It is good for sustainability as there is a reduced chance of antimicrobial resistance when less antimicrobials are used. It simply is good for a calf’s health and welfare to maximize protection for respiratory disease, minimize stress, and make an easy transition to a different feed. (This also supports responsible use of antibiotics.)

More preconditioning should result in fewer calves needing treatment and/or fewer groups of calves considered high risk (so fewer metaphylactic antimicrobials will be required). Reduced stress should help maintain a healthy immune system.

Preconditioning at home gives producers the option of using low-stress weaning — either fenceline weaning or nose flaps (so the only thing removed initially is the calves’ ability to suck). This helps motivate them to find feed and watering areas while being free of other stressors such as commingling, transportation, and bad weather. (If the forecast calls for bad winter storms, weaning can be delayed a few days.)

Castration is more and more commonly being done when calves are younger, and a good percentage of calves with horns are pasted or are dehorned with other methods long before weaning is contemplated.

If a higher premium is paid when these procedures are done in advance, cow-calf producers generally will oblige. I was not too surprised during a recent feedlot tour in the U.S. when a large feedlot sent all bulls back. The risk to castrate and losses associated with this are too great to justify performing it at the feedlot level. As an industry, we cannot afford to have all these stagy animals ending up in the feedlot.

A great number of producers’ calves are already pre-immunized, but the weaning on farm has been avoided as producers have received top dollar for fresh calves right off the cow. Feedlots have been able to counteract the potential ill effects with long-acting macrolide antibiotics.

The proper principle, though, is maximum protection from vaccines and minimal stress at weaning. If weaned early enough (45 days plus), all of a sudden compensatory gains occur and producers will be selling heavier calves. There will be much less morbidity and mortality on the farm as the result of soft weaning as well as less antimicrobials being used. And cattle will generally be healthier and gain more weight.

We need consistency in both preventing diseases with vaccinations and the length of time of weaning. Pharmaceutical companies have been one of the drivers of this. The only thing here is the companies that have promoted this have trade names for programs or tie them to specific products. Melding of different vaccines from different companies is OK as long as efficacy is comparable. In Western Canada at least, vaccines against the common viral pathogens for pneumonia (IBR, Types 1 and 2 BVD, BRSV, PI3); as well as the common bacterial pathogens (histophilus, pasteurella, mannheimia); and, of course, a seven- to nine-way blackleg vaccine are commonly used.

If the right combinations are selected, these preventive measures can be combined in no more than two shots. More and more top producers are already giving the priming shots at turnout to pasture so only the booster is required at weaning. Therefore a very high percentage of calves are already partially pre-immunized at weaning.

There are other important preconditioning procedures (besides the obvious — deworming and treating for lice). More and higher worm counts are being detected (especially at pasture or on entry to the feedlot) and we are seeing resistance to the macrocytic lactone-type products. In the future then, both deworming with an oral product like fenbendazole (Safe-Guard) while still using the macrocytic lactone products (such as Ivermectin) for lice, flies, and warbles should be included in any good preconditioning program.

Most producers almost always precondition their replacement heifers, so this simply means applying the same principles to all their calves.

As well, heifers could be sold certified open whether they were pregnancy checked or the bulls pulled early. Bred heifers cause a great economic hardship in the feedlot and calving heifers in the feedlot greatly increases death loss, sickness, and dressing percentage loss.

With retained ownership, all these procedures are a no-brainer.

The key is to what degree is the cow-calf producer compensated when selling these certified calves. Direct shipping will maximize the gain both parties receive and a fair price can be set — plus home-raised cattle could implement the feedlot’s implant program (or implanting and identification may be the only thing left to do as the cattle enter the feedlot).

It has been found in slaughter animals, that many more calves have lung adhesions at slaughter than were actually treated. This indicates many calves deal with a low-grade pneumonia and adhesions lead to poorer performance. Since adhesions are caused by respiratory disease, anything that prevents them is a good thing as far as cattle production is concerned.

Fewer sick cattle means less death loss and chronic cases of illness. Production will be increased and there will be less reliance on the metaphylactic administration of antibiotics if preconditioning can again gain momentum and producers compensated for the extra cost of vaccines. We can then produce more beef more efficiently for the world’s growing population.

Happy preconditioning this fall. If you do it, make sure to tell everyone — including marketers and auction markets. Direct auctions and some auction market specialty sales describe the cattle very well, including their health parameters, so utilize them.

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