Transcript Cattle Production Course

Abiqua Animal Clinic
• Mixed animal practice
in Silverton
• Purchased in 2009
• Dr Dietrich’s agrarian
interests include
dairying, sheep
farming, forage and
pasture management.
• Dr Varney’s veterinary
interests include cattle and
small ruminants, in
addition to small animals.
Beef Breeds
Dairy
Breeds
Dual-purpose Breeds
Restraint
Restraint
Handling Equipment
Handling Techniques
C
A
A
G
T
I
T
N
L
G
E
Nutrition
•
•
•
•
•
Roughage
Concentrates
Water
Vitamins
Minerals
Roughages
• Forages
– Cool season grasses
• PRG, ARG, TF, OG, Timothy,
RCG
– Warm season grasses
• Sorghum-sudan grass, forage
corn, Bermuda grass, pearl
millet, teff
– Legumes
• Alfalfa, clovers, trefoils,
medics, beans
– Forbs
• Broadleaf “weeds”
– Toxic plants
• Tansy, poison hemlock,
bracken fern, etc.
Pasture management
• Rotational grazing
– Keep forage in growing
phase
– Minimum 4 inch stubble
• Noxious weed control
Roughages
• Hay
–
–
–
–
Alfalfa
Grass
Grass/legume
Grain
• Straw
– Grass
– Grain
• Silage/haylage
• Test, TEST, TEST!
Grains
• Whole grains
• Processed grains
– Rolled/Flaked/Steamed
– Cracked/Ground
– Pelleted
• Mixes
• By-products
– Grass seed screenings
– Cannery waste
Water
• Clean and abundant
• Sources
– Man-made
– Natural
• Parasite risk
• Algae
Vitamins
• Fat-soluble
– A, D, E, K
• Water-soluble
– B vitamins, C
Minerals
•
•
•
•
•
Calcium
M
Phosphorus
a
Potassium
c
Magnesium
r
Sulfur
o
2:1
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cobalt
Copper
Manganese
Molybdenum
Zinc
Iodine
Iron
Selenium
M
i
c
r
o
Balancing a Ration
• Assess the main
components
• Determine needs based
on:
– Age
– Gender
– Use
• Balance first for protein
and energy, then
vitamins and minerals
Balancing a Ration
• Diet will consist of:
– Local grass hay
– 12% livestock grain
• Feeding a 1200 lb cow
– Mid-gestation
– Non-lactating
Balancing a Ration
Balancing a Ration
• Balancing ration to
achieve 18 lbs of a 7.5%
protein diet
• Local grass hay: 6%
protein based on feed
test
• Livestock grain: 12%
protein based on label
Pearson Square
Local grass hay
6%
4.5 parts
7.5
Livestock grain
12%
1.5 parts
6 parts total
(1.5 /6) x 100 = 25% grain
18 lb x 25% = 4.5 lb grain
(4.5 /6) x 100 = 75% hay
18 lb x 75% = 13.5 lb hay
Choke
•
•
•
•
Blockage of esophagus
Usually able to breathe
Results in bloat
Risk of inhaling saliva
and feed material,
leading to pneumonia
• Object must be removed
– Up
– Down
• Common culprits
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Apples
Pears
Beets
Onions
Potatoes
Cauliflower
Pineapples
Et cetera
Bloat
• Frothy bloat
– Legumes
– Treat with surfactant
– +/- trocar
• Free-gas bloat
–
–
–
–
Choke
Grain overload
Nerve dysfunction
Relieve with tube +/trocar
Acidosis
• Due to:
– Grain overload
– Lack of dietary fiber
– Decreased gut motility
• Evidenced by:
– Inappetance
– Lethargy
– Bloat
• Sequelae:
– Lameness
– Liver abscesses
• Prevention
– Change diet slowly
– Ensure adequate fiber
– Provide sodium bicarb?
• Treatment
– Call your vet…
– …who may give a
neutralizing mixture via
stomach tube
Grass Tetany
• Causes
– Low dietary magnesium
– Decreased magnesium
absorption due to excessive
potassium
• When? Often during
spring pasture growth
• Signs
–
–
–
–
Incoordination
Inability to stand
Irritability
Death
• Treatment
– Calcium/magnesium IV
infusion
– Call your vet!
• Prevention
– Provide magnesium blocks
starting with spring grass
growth
– Add dolomitic lime to
pastures
Respiratory disease
• Causative agents
–
–
–
–
IBR
PI3
BVD
Mannheimia hemolytica
• Contributing factors
– STRESS
– Transportation
Respiratory disease
• Prevention
– Vaccination (see program
mentioned later)
– Space out stressful events
– Provide good nutrition
• Treatment
– Hydration/Electrolytes
– Antibiotics
Clostridial diseases
• Group of bacterial diseases
caused by Clostridium spp.
• Require anaerobic environment
• Produce potent toxins
• Spores persist in the
environment
• Examples: Black leg, red water,
big head, enterotoxemia, tetanus,
botulism
• Prevention: Vaccinate!
• Treatment: Largely ineffective
Reproductive diseases—
Abortion
• Toxic causes
• Bracken fern
• False hellebore
• Pine needle abortion
• Infectious causes
• Leptospirosis
– Vaccinate!!
• Brucellosis
– Bang’s vaccine
• Trichomonas fetus
• BVD
• Neospora
Reproductive diseases—Abortion
• Signs
– Usually late term
– May find fetus, placenta,
or just dirty tail
• Determining cause is
difficult
• Abortion testing
– Fetus and placenta
– Blood sample
Reproductive diseases—Dystocia
• Signs
– Restless/Straining
– Vaginal fluid
– Placenta
• Types
– Leg back
– Head only
– Breech/backwards
• Call your vet!
– Within 1-2 hours if no
progress
Reproductive diseases—Uterine
prolapse
• Due to continued
straining following
calving
• Risk factors include
difficult calving,
calcium deficiency, and
selenium deficiency
• Keep uterus clean and
call your vet
Reproductive diseases—Milk fever
• Signs
– Severe weakness
– Head on flank
– Hypothermia (ears)
• Risk factors
– High milk production
– Older cows
– Inadequate or excessive
dietary calcium during
last trimester
Reproductive diseases—Milk fever
• Sequelae
– Hind limb nerve damage
– Uterine prolapse
– Decreased gut motility
• Get them up ASAP!
– IV CMPK infusion
– Oral supplementation
Reproductive diseases—Retained
placenta
• Placenta should drop
within 12 hours
• Treatment
– Wait 72 hrs
– If not out on its own, call
the vet
– +/- Antibiotics
– Never pull on it!
Reproductive diseases—Metritis
• Uterine infections
• Due to unsanitary
calvings and uterine
injuries
• Treatment includes
antibiotics +/- hormone
therapy
• Monitor closely
following parturition
Reproductive diseases—Mastitis
• Bacterial infection of
one or more udder
quarters
• Contracted from the
udder environment or
fecal contamination
• Risk factors
– Milking machines
– Dirty environment
– Teat trauma
Reproductive diseases—Mastitis
• Treatment
– Culture first
– Strip quarter frequently
– Hot packing/topical
ointments
– +/- Antibiotics
Other infectious diseases
• Johne’s disease
– Contagious bacterial disease
that causes diarrhea
– No treatment
• Tuberculosis
– Federally regulated
– Zoonotic
• BLV
– Viral disease that causes
tumors
Toxin-induced disease
• Plant poisoning
–
–
–
–
Bracken fern
Tansy ragwort
St John’s wort
Poison hemlock
• Lead poisoning
– Farm junk piles
Parasites—Gastrointestinal worms
• Live in stomach, small
intestine, and cecum
• Suck blood and protein
from the host
• Cause anemia,
decreased body
condition, and scours
Parasites—Gastrointestinal worms
• Life cycle
– Eggs deposited in feces
– Develop over days to
weeks into infective
larvae
– Climb grass and are
ingested
– Develop into adults
which produce eggs
Parasites—Gastrointestinal worms
• Prevention
–
–
–
–
–
–
Rotational grazing
Multi-species grazing
High tannin forages
Genetic selection
Parasitic fungi?
Vaccines?
Parasites—Gastrointestinal worms
• Treatment
– Treat based on fecal test!
– Dewormers
• Use 1 until it doesn’t work
• For oral medications, fast
for 24 to 48 hours
• For resistance, consider
mixing classes
– Ensure adequate
nutrition
– Diatomaceous earth?
– Herbal remedies?
Parasites—Gastrointestinal
• Coccidia
–
–
–
–
–
–
One-celled organism
Life cycle takes ~3 weeks
Replicates in small intestine cells
Results in cell rupture
Bloody diarrhea and weight loss
Prevention
•
•
•
•
Maintain sanitary environment
Maintain nutrition level
Rotational grazing
Coccidiostat in feed or water
– Treatment
• Sulfa drugs
• Amprolium
• Must treat for 5 days to break life
cycle
Parasites—Gastrointestinal
• Cryptosporidium
–
–
–
–
Causes diarrhea in calves
Short life cycle
Autoinfection
Prevention
• Hygiene
– Treatment
• Time
• Supportive therapy
• Good nutrition
– Zoonotic!!
Parasites—Liver Flukes
• Live in bile ducts of liver
• Cause liver failure
–
–
–
–
Edema
Jaundice
Weight loss
Death
• May predispose to
clostridial disease
• 4 to 6 month life cycle
requires snails
Parasites—Liver Flukes
• Prevention
– Fence off water ways and
low ground
– Tile fields
– Control snail populations
• Copper sulfate
• Slug bait
• Treatment
–
–
–
–
Clorsulon
Albendazole
Kills mainly adults
Treat in early fall
Parasites—External
• Flies
– Irritating, blood-sucking
– Lead to stress and
decreased production
– Some species have
migrating larvae (warbles)
– Spread pinkeye
– Prevention/Treatment
•
•
•
•
Ear tags
Dust bags
Air movement
Topical insecticides
Parasites—External
• Lice
– Two main varieties
• Blood–sucking
• Skin chewing
– Cause hair loss, itching,
anemia, decreased body
condition
– Treatment
• Injectables (only work on
blood-suckers)
• Pour-ons, powders, DE?
Skin disease—Warts
• Caused by a virus
• Usually in young
animals
• Unsightly, may bleed
• Treatment
– Neglect
– Autovaccination
– Commercial vaccine
Skin disease—Ringworm
• Caused by several species of
fungi
• Lives in soil and on equipment
• Causes dry skin and hair loss
• Can be zoonotic
• Treatment
– Neglect
– Sunlight
– Various topicals (FDA!)
Skin disease—Photosensitization
• UV light causes reaction in
unpigmented skin
• Skin dies and sloughs
• Secondary to plant toxins or
liver disease
– St John’s Wort
– Tansy Ragwort
– Liver flukes
Hardware disease
• Metal objects penetrate
reticulum
• Cause pain and
thoracic/abdominal
infection
• Manifested by hunched
posture
• Prevention
– Magnets
• Treatment
– Abdominal surgery
– Antibiotics
Calf Management
• Colostrum
• Nutrition
• Hygiene
• Calf scours
–
–
–
–
–
E. coli
Rotavirus
Coronavirus
Salmonella
Cryptosporidium
Calf Management
• Navel ill/joint ill
– Swollen joints and umbilicus
– Colostrum!
– Difficult to treat
• Pneumonia
– Snotty nose, coughing, labored
breathing
– Early treatment important
• White muscle disease
– Prevention: Bo-Se
Castration
• Technique options vary with
age, size and/or season
• Banding
– “Easy” to do, no blood
– Increased risk of tetanus
– Use appropriate band!!
• Cutting
– Fail-safe, bloody
– Increased risk of flies/infection
• Crimping
– Difficult to do right
– May be price docked at sale
Breeding Programs
• Natural service vs
artificial insemination
• Heat detection and
synchronization
• Purebred vs crossbred
• Seedstock vs
commercial
• Flushing and embryo
transfer
Production Benchmarks
• 90% of cows should calve every
year
• Breed less than 83 days after
calving (2-3 heat cycles)
• Breeding season should be 45-60
days long
• 90% of calves should survive to
weaning
• Wean calves at 6-7 months old
• Calves should weigh 45-50% of
cow weight at weaning
• Calves should gain 2.5-3 lb/day
• Breed heifers at 60-65% of
mature weight (14 months)
Beef Herd Health—Calves
• At Birth
– BoSe – 1cc/25# (for white
muscle)
– Vitamin A&D – 1cc/75#
– Dip navels with 7% iodine; do
not spray
– Make sure calf nurses cow
within first 6 hours. If not, tube
feed calf 2 quarts colostrum.
Repeat in 4-6 hours.
– Intranasal IBR/PI3 if calf
pneumonia has been a problem
Herd Health—Calves cont.
• One Month of Age
– Burn off horns with electric dehorner
– Castrate bulls
• Three Weeks Prior to Weaning
–
–
–
–
IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV vaccination
Haemophilus, if a problem
7-way or 8-way Clostridium (blackleg) vaccination
Check for parasites – lice and worms. Treat if indicated.
• Weaning
– Repeat IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV
vaccination
– Haemophilus, if a problem
– 7-way or 8-way Clostridium
(blackleg) vaccination
Herd Health—Heifers
• Four to Twelve Months of Age
– Brucellosis vaccination for heifers (must
be done by veterinarian)
• Heifers at Breeding Age
–
–
–
–
–
IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV vaccination
Haemophilus, if a problem
Lepto 5-way vaccination
MuSe – 1cc per 125-150#
Repeat Clostridium (blackleg)
vaccination
– Vaccinate for Vibriosis (if bull breeding)
– Deworm – use injectable or oral
dewormers (not pour-on)
Herd Health—Cows
• Every 4-6 Months
– Lepto 5-way vaccination
• Annually (prior to breeding)
– Killed IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV vaccination
– Haemophilus (optional)
– Vibriosis vaccination (if bull breeding)
• At the End of Breeding Season
– Rectal examination for pregnancy
– Check teeth, teats, etc., and cull any open
or problem cows
• Three to Four Weeks Before Calving
– Deworm – use injectable or oral
dewormers (not pour-on)
– MuSe – 1cc per 125-150#
– Check udders
– Vaccinate for E. coli, Rota and Corona
virus, if scours caused by these organisms
have been a problem in calves
Herd Health—Bulls
• Annually (prior to
breeding)
– Killed IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV
vaccination
– Haemophilus (optional)
– Vibriosis vaccination
– Lepto 5-way vaccination
Marketing Options
• Direct marketing
– More personal interaction
– Limited customer base
• Niche marketing
– Able to set the price
– Customized product
• Auctions
– Easy, available, convenient
– No price control
• On-line marketing
– Huge customer base
– Minimum quantities
Harvesting Options
• Federal law requires that
products to be sold be
processed in a USDAinspected facility
• Products for home use are
exempt
• USDA mobile slaughter vs
slaughterhouse
• Beef share program