Knowing when to reach for the calving jack — and when to put it down — can mean the difference between a live pair and a dead cow.
Tag Archives cattle health
When should you use a calving jack — and when should you stop?
The calving jack is one of the most powerful tools in cattle production, but using it too soon or too aggressively causes injuries that cost more than the calf is worth
AUDIO: Tips on vaccine placement in cattle
Vacinnating and treating livestock is a given for any beef operation. In this interview, Erika Stewart, the VBP+ coordinator for Saskatchewan, shares tips for choosing an injection site, giving multiple injections to the same animal and maintaining your vaccine’s effectiveness. For more resources on beef cattle health, visit our Herd Health page.
Revisiting the use of urea as a protein supplement
Nutrition with John McKinnon
Many of you will have noticed that calf prices have been under pressure this fall in part due to higher than expected feed prices. Both feed grains and many traditional protein sources (i.e. distillers grains, pulse screenings, commercial supplements) are trading at prices higher than a year ago. In the face of higher protein prices, […] Read more
Milk fever, minerals and chemistry: It’s just one big interaction!
Mineral nutrition has been a topic of this column on numerous occasions, particularly from the point of view of meeting requirements of cattle as they move through various stages of production. One aspect of mineral nutrition that we have not paid as much attention to is how different minerals interact with one another and how […] Read more
NDSU studies net wrap, twine ingestion in cattle
Beef specialist Carl Dahlen, North Dakota State University Animal Science Department, became interested in this problem after the NDSU diagnostic lab necropsied a case of acute bloat associated with ingestion from a large wad of net wrap. He decided to compare various materials to see how well they break down (or not) in the rumen […] Read more
Steer clear of fatigued cattle syndrome
Animal Health with Roy Lewis, Dvm
A few years ago cattle from an American feedlot went down during transport to a packing plant and others developed severe lameness. This condition was eventually labelled fatigued 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
Untreated pinkeye in cattle can be costly
Reduced weight gain on calves means fewer marketable pounds
It’s a funny thing about walking among beef cattle — I tend to catch things that I wouldn’t otherwise see by staring at them from a truck. Take spotting cattle with pinkeye for instance. The other week, I was walking along with the feedlot manager after the feedbunk was filled. Most of the beef finishers […] Read more
Tips to help cattle cope with summertime heat stress
If cows and calves aren't eating, overall performance and weight gains are down
I always feel sorry for beef cattle in an open field that cannot escape the hot summer sun. The other day I was driving a pasture with about 30 Black Angus cows and spring calves. Not a tree or waterer in sight. All the animals were crowded together, none were grazing and their calves were […] Read more
VIDO-InterVac awarded funding for new cattle vaccines
Bovine tuberculosis and Johne's disease targeted for vaccine development
Work to develop vaccines against two diseases that attack the lungs and intestinal tracts of cattle has received a $2.9 million boost from Genome Canada to co-fund research at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan. Bovine tuberculosis affects the lungs of cattle and bison, and wild species […] Read more
A Colorado low you say – only in Manitoba
Understanding heat stress in beef cattle and the 'thermal neutral zone'
There is a great deal of newsprint these days about the relative merits of a “Colorado High,” a subject I will leave readers to explore on their own. In May, however, Manitoba residents were introduced to a “Colorado Low,” an intense weather system that moved up from North Dakota and Montana over the Victoria Day long […] Read more
