Beef herd health Flashcards
What is the key determinant of a cow returning to estrus and successfully breeding?
Adequate BCS
- perform prior to both calving & breeding
- takes 2 months to adjust BCS, so do AHEAD of time!!
What months do beef cows typically calve? When should you palpate for pregnancy check after breeding?
- Calve Mar/Apr (+/- a month for warmer/colder regions)
- Palpate 35-60 days after breeding
recall: 30-60d waiting period, 65-day breeding szn
Define herd health
Maintain herd immunity above pathogen load, preventing disease
- includes pre-mediated plans of tx & containment if disease does occur
What factors that reduce herd resistance DO we have control over?
- poor nutrition
- inadequate preventative measures
- poor management of landscape
- inadequate handling of stress events (calving, weaning, processing, co-mingling, transport)
the only one do do NOT have control over = the weather (rain->muddy)
What factors that increase pathogen load DO we have control of?
- poor biosecurity
- stocking density/farm location
we do NOT have control over nearby wildlife populations
Vaccines:
MLVs have a ____ antigenic mass, ____ protection, and have a ____ safety index than Killed.
Killed have a ____ antigenic mass with adjuvants, ____ protection, and provide good ____ immunity.
MLVs have a __small__ antigenic mass, __longer__ protection, and have a __lower__ safety index than Killed.
Killed have a __large__ antigenic mass with adjuvants, __shorter__ protection, and provide good __colostral__ immunity.
MLV: stimulates humoral & cellular immunity; the attenuated pathogen infects WBCs
Killed: Abs produced by no cell is ever infected by the toxoid
Since there is no universal vax protocol for beef herds, what is the “F” Rule to determine which to use?
Choose a vaccine if it is a…
- Frequent disease
- Fatal disease
and the vaccine is…
- Financially sound
- Effective
What bovine disease cost the industry billions?
BRDC:
- BVD
- IBR
- M. hemolytica
- P. multocida
What is the source for each BRDC disease?
- BVDV = PI infected calves
- IBR = recrudesence in carriers
- M. hemolytica = URT (normal inhabitant)
- P. multocida = URT (normal inhabitant)
What type of BVDV vaccine produces a stronger immunity response? How?
When given at day zero (pre-weaning), the Modified Live BVDV vaccine sustains immunity during the period b/w pre-weaning and weaning, while Killed does not until its 2nd booster.
MLV requires no booster, only initial vaccine
Characteristics of IN vaccines for calves
- Stimualte IgA antibodies in < 7-day-old calves
- provide quick local immunity response
IBR, Parainfl. 3, BRSV
What is the 7-way vaccine for cows? When to give it?
7-way combo vaccine that protects against the typically fatal clostridial diseases
- is a KILLED bacterin/toxoid vaccine
- administer in February = month before calving to provide good colostrum
Clostridium spp. ubiquitous in soil, or is opportunisitc of GIT
ULTRABAC® 7 is for use in healthy cattle to protect against black leg caused by Clostridium chauvoei; malignant edema caused by Cl. septicum; black disease caused by Cl. novyi; gas-gangrene caused by Cl. sordellii; and enterotoxemia and enteritis caused by Cl. perfringens Types B, C and D.
When is the “window of susceptibility in a calf’s immunity?
The intersection maternal (passive) immunity & self (active) immunity
When is the 1st and the booster killed vaccine given?
1st = @ branding (may)
Booster = pre-weaning (@ palpation/september)
What respiratory viral pathogens also cause reproductive loss/abortion?
IBR and BVD
Cow-calf operations NEED to vaccinate against these!!
What bacteria causes infertility and mid-late term abortions?
Leptospirosa- all breeding cows need to be vaccinated!
What are the types of “10-way” vaccines for cows?
Available as an all-Killed (2x/yr) or ML + Killed Lepto (1x/yr + lepto booster) vaccine.
- It covers:
BVD (type 1 & 2) + IBR + BRSV + PI3 + 5-way Lepto
cows need the 5-way lepto
booster the killed lepto in the MLV if in a high prevalence area
What is the risk of a nursing calf receiving a MLV pre-weaning?
The calf can transfer the attenuated pathogen to the cow, putting her at risk for having an abortion next season
How to prevent scours in beef calves
young calf diarrhea (rota, corona, crypto, e. coli)
- decrease mud, maintain cleanliness, protect from the elements (wind, rain)
- vaccinate the dam (incr. colostral Ab)
Scours = most common in 3-6 week old calves
When will vaccination not provide any benefits?
If the beef farm has poor management/husbandry practices, causing immunocompromised cows
Why is it important to tag calves as early as possible / prior to being sold?
- calf identification allows producer to track productivity of the cows: growth, conformation, docility
- keep track of each’s records
- withdrawal times if vaxxed or tx for dz
A calf’s weaning weight is highly dependent on __?__, and is an important value used to monitor whose performance?
weaning weight dependent on age of calf, and is used to monitor the cow’s performance, nutrition and repro efficiency
Calving EARLIER in the season = advantage (more time to put on weight)
Why is Fall calving “easier”?
drier environmental conditions (compared to spring)
Calve sept/oct, breed dec/jan; 30% of cow-calf operations
Why are calves weaned ~73 days prior to the cow’s parturition date?
To allow the cow to put more energy into herself in order to prep for next calf
Pre-conditioned calves
Calves that have been…
1. Weaned for ≥ 45 days
2. Processed (vax, castr., dehorned, tagged)
3. “Bunk broke” - trained to eat from bunk/drink from trough
prior to sending to feedlot
How is profit/return increased in the beef cattle industry?
Produce more calves & heavier calves (are sold by the weight)
determined by # of calves weaned + their weight @ weaning
What 3 factors affect weaning % (total # of weaned calves)?
- How many got pregnant (pregnancy %) +
- How many calved (calving % - opp. = abortion %) +
- How many died in b/w calving & weaning (calving-weaning mortality %) =
Total successfully weaned calves (weaning %)
What are 2 determinants of a cow calving as early in the calving season as possible?
- Calved early as a heifer
- Calved early in previous season
In order for a beef cow to overcome postpartum anestrus and cycle back into estrus, what is her ideal age before breeding and ideal BCS @ calving?
-
Age before breeding = Multiparous
- Primiparous heifers are only 2 years old & are still growing, and she can’t match the energy consumption levels of the high-forage diets comapred to multiparous cows -> more difficulty returning to estrus - BCS @ calving = 6-7/9
BCS of dairy cow @ calving = 3-3.5/5
What antibiotic does NOT work at treating respiratory diseases (BRDC) in beef cows?
Oxytetracycline
What has shown to reduce morb/mort of BRDC in feedlot cattle?
Use of abx on arrival @ feedlot on all “high-risk” cattle
- those with no background info, are not pre-conditioned, have hx of co-mingling
These high-risk cows are CHEAP at market (why feedlots purchase them)
