Beef 4-winter Flashcards
When are calves weaned?
6-8mths
-pregnancy checking conducted shortly after this
-should be vaccinated 2-3weeks before weaning
Benefits of early weaning
-help cows to improve in body condition before coming off pasture
-may help to reduce winter feeding costs
Selling of calves
-Often sell calves at time of weaning
*better to spread out stressors and wean first and then background calves for short period before moving to feedlot
Fence line weaning & two stage weaning
reduce stress from weaning
Pregnancy checking benefits
Early detection of repro failure problems so that money is not wasted over winter
-allows for separation and grouping based on preg status and BCS
-allows producer to guarantee preg on females being sold
Parasite control in fall
Give endectocide in fall
How long are cattle within a herd? how many calves? Replacements?
Usually only in herd for 11 yrs max
-avg 5-6calves in cows lifetime
-min 15% of cows replaced yearly
Main reason for culling cows
Reproductive failure
**Others: age, cancer eye, udder, problems, lameness, worn teeth, prolapses, temperament
**means that genetic merit culling often not occurring based on numbers
Overwintering beef cows
Separate into groups based on age and BCS (2.5-3 at calving time)
-feed analysis for least cost rations
-methods of feeding impacts wastage
How to extend grazing season?
Use swatch grazing or alternative crops such as grazing corn
*lowers winter feed costs
Profitability criteria for cow calf herd
-calf crop percentage (reproduction)- number of calves weaned/cows exposed to the bull
-avg weaning weight of calves (growth)
*reproduction/calf survival
*calf growth
-annual cow cost
-selling price of calves (carcass quality)
Risk factors for herd fertility
- % of females cycling
- Conception rates
How to increase profit in cow-calf herds?
- increase ilbs of calf weaned/cow exposed to bull
- increase market value of calves weaned
- Reduce expenses of maintaining cow herd
*lower feed costs without compromising nutritional factors/BCS
Top 5 ways low-cost producers reduce costs
-reduce supplemental feed costs
-rotational grazing and pasture management
- right genetics
-reduce labour costs
-strong herd health program
Indicators of productivity
- growth
- open cows
- length of calving period
- Death losses
Weaning weights/sale weights of calves in western canada
570lbs
Open rate industry benchmark
7%
Length of calving period
Last calf date to the first calf date
63 days
Death losses industry benchmark
4%
Calving
Only easily accessible physiological event of life.
-21 day intervals
-goal 65% of herd to calve in first 21 day period
-27% in 22-42 days, 5% in 43-63 days
*median calving date of 18days
Calf crop % target
85%
-lbs of calf weaned/cow
-reflects management of reproduction and calf mortality
Weaning weight purpose
measures cows producing ability and sires genetic potential
How is weaning weights misleading?
Bull calves> heifer calves
Calves from cows> calves from heifers
Older calves> younger calves
Adjusted weaning weights
Simplest form simply adjusts for age of calves
-estimates a weaning weight as if all calves were weaned at 200 or 205 days of age
**gives unfair advantage to late calving cows
Adjusted weaning weight formula
ADG= (weaning wt- birth wt)/age of calf
**can be adjusted by sex of calf by multiplying ADG by factors
Steer: 1.0
Bull calf: 0.95
Heifer calf: 1.05
Target numbers
Software programs
-many programs can be used to track weights, DNA testing, etc
ex. ICalve app
DNA testing
-linked with production records
-$12-20/sample
-uses 120SNPS to determine which bull sired calf
**helps find best sires or worst
-can find vigour scores
4 major bovine vaccine companies
-Boehringer
-Elanco
-Merck
-Zoetis
Cattle viral vaccine coverage
-IBR
-PI3
-BRSV
-BVD 1 & 2
**modified live version and a killed version
**injectable and intranasal options
FP on a vaccine
-fetal protection so therefore a cow vaccine
**without it could be a weaned calf or feedlot vaccine
Other cattle vaccines
- Campylobacter fetus + leptospirosis
*VL5 - Leptospirosis only
*L5
3.Campylobacter fetus alone
Bacterial vaccines for cattle
-Mannheimia hemolytica (MH)
-Pasteurella multocida (PM)
**can be in combination with virals
Histophilus somni vaccines
-can be combined with viral vaccines or combined with clostridial vaccines
**Somnu
Clostridial vaccines
C. chauvoei, septicum, novi, sordellii, perfinges C and D
**can be separate of combined with histophilus somni
Tetanus vaccine
Covexin Plus
Merck
Scour vaccines
-Scour bos 9 - heifers; 8-16weeks before calving and annual dose 8-10 weeks before calving
-scour bos 4- given to cows; 4 weeks before calving
VAccination protocols at calving
Calving: weight and tag calves, vit E/selenium injection
Vaccination protocols at branding/pasture turnout
-7 way clostridial +/- histophilus
-growth implant
-castrate
-dehorn
optional: viral 5 vaccine, Mannheimia hemolytica, intranasal vaccines vs injectable
Vaccination of replacement heifers
-live viral 5 vaccine
-7 or 8 way clostridial +/- H somnus
Optional campylobacter/leptospirosis
Vaccine protocols for cows
-viral 5 live vaccines
Optional campylobacter/leptospirosis
Weaning in fall vaccine protocol
Pregnancy exams for heifers and mature cows
Pre calving exam
