In cold climates calving barns are necessary for early calving — as some ranchers must do, to calve and breed before going to summer pastures. Some ranchers prefer to have the calves big enough to utilize summer grass. Others calve early so they can have their cows all bred at home before they go to […] Read more
Some thoughts on calving shelter
Tips on when and how to check that very pregnant cow
Calving Management: Dr. Cody Creelman goes over the three stages of labour
Most cows and heifers progress normally through the three stages of labour (early labour, active labour with abdominal straining, expulsion of the placenta after delivery of the calf). Uterine contractions in early labour get the calf aimed toward the birth canal, the cervix dilates and the calf starts through. The water sac and then the […] Read more
Factors that hinder calf immunity
Calving Health with Heather Smith Thomas
Illness occurs when an animal’s body is overwhelmed by infection. A healthy animal with strong immunity is less likely to become sick than an animal with poor immunity. Immunity refers to the body’s ability to fight off pathogens, and this ability is developed in a complex process in which the body creates specific weapons for […] Read more
BVD testing in cattle
How cattle can be exposed and what measures to take if they test positive
BVD (bovine viral diarrhea) virus is a tricky pathogen that can affect cattle in different ways. It can cause abortion, mummification of a fetus, birth defects, stillborn full-term calves, normal-looking calves with immune deficiencies, and acute or chronic illness. BVD is an indirect cause of many other types of disease because it has adverse effects […] Read more
BVD screening and control program in Saskatchewan
Cattle producers urged to learn more about testing
Dr. Wendy Wilkins, disease surveillance veterinarian with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, administers the provincial BVD screening and control program. “Here in Saskatchewan this program provides free testing for producers who are looking for PI calves within their herd. We don’t do whole-herd screening but we do offer testing for any dead, deformed, aborted or […] Read more
Are you ready for a drone?
In today’s world unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones are used for everything from small indoor toys to delivering military weapons or managing cattle
Drones are a relatively inexpensive way to locate cattle in big pastures so you know where to ride and start gathering. John Church, an associate professor in the natural resource sciences department of Thompson Rivers University at Kamloops, B.C., an area with semi-arid grassland, forested range and many large ranches, says some ranchers in this […] Read more
Some dos and don’ts when treating cattle in cold weather
A few simple tips to make you better prepared to attend your cattle this winter
Inclement weather creates challenges when processing cattle, whether preg-checking, vaccinating or weaning in the fall, or giving cows pre-calving vaccinations, or delousing treatments in midwinter. Dr. Eric Laporte of Nagel and Company Veterinary Services, Cow-Calf Health Management Solutions in Crossfield, Alta., says one of the main challenges in cold weather is keeping your vaccines from […] Read more
Heifer selection is in the eye of the beholder
Here’s how Travis Olson beholds them
There are many criteria regarding which heifers to keep and which ones to sell. Most producers have certain goals that help guide those decisions. Commercial cattlemen want heifers that will be fertile, productive, long-lived cows that stay in the herd a long time producing good calves. Purebred breeders want heifers that will produce high-quality seedstock […] Read more
Cull or keep? Factors to consider when culling cows
Plus, culling on temperament and maternal behaviour
When culling cows it’s important to have a plan, preferably one that includes pregnancy testing and close evaluation of every cow. Bruce Viney, a risk management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, recalls that when he ran cattle he culled for a lot more reasons than whether or not they were open. “If they have […] Read more
Culling on temperament and maternal behaviour
Joe Stookey, a cattle producer and recently retired professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, says no one really wants to cull a pregnant cow, but sometimes you need to look hard at other reasons. Some years back, one of his students did a project looking at culling, and talked to many […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
