branding late calves pictures
- Thread starter R A
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hayguy said:
lot's and lot's of cattle have been worked witha wood alley and a headgate,but do yourself a big favor and get a self -catching one especially if your working alone[/quote]
Thanks! That's something I can look into.
Yes, that's what I've done in the past. But, it's probably not necessary to give that third one. I like to give a third Bovishield, so I just give them another 8-way while I've got them in the chute.R A said:
To add more confusion for you, I'm adding a somnus this year, so I'm changing all of that, anyway - LOL. I don't like the choices Pfizer gives me for a somnus, so I'm using Vision 8 Somnus instead of the Pfizer product. And that means I'll have to give the pasturella alone.
Faster horses
Well-known member
I've been reading this exchange and my comment is that the
jury is still out on how effective a pasturella vaccine is.
We only gave pasturella if the buyer demanded it.
Just curious if you give it because you know it helps, or
because a vet recommended it.
jury is still out on how effective a pasturella vaccine is.
We only gave pasturella if the buyer demanded it.
Just curious if you give it because you know it helps, or
because a vet recommended it.
Texan - So what your sayin is to gather every 5 to 10 years and sell what I can get loaded and not worry about it?....lol.... nah, I hear ya. The things you are talking about are becoming clearer and clearer and I need to know these things. Sounds like your taking good care of your stock. Thanks.
My calves go to the sale barn, as of now anyway. I really want to have a good name for having good calves that stay heathly and gain well. I want to try to get that from the start here.
I'm taming them down to people on foot, getting them used to being worked horseback, going to fence line wean, keeping track of exact birth dates and pedigrees even though they are commercial cattle. My cattle don't know what a piece of grain is, so I think I might bunk break the calves a bit after weaning.....that feels right to me...hate to spend the money, but feels right knowing that where they land, when they see a bunk, they need to go eat?????? ..maybe just a little grain????
....just want to make sure I'm doing all I can in the vaccination portion also.
Thanks for posting that Faster horses! I'd like to hear more on that also.
My calves go to the sale barn, as of now anyway. I really want to have a good name for having good calves that stay heathly and gain well. I want to try to get that from the start here.
I'm taming them down to people on foot, getting them used to being worked horseback, going to fence line wean, keeping track of exact birth dates and pedigrees even though they are commercial cattle. My cattle don't know what a piece of grain is, so I think I might bunk break the calves a bit after weaning.....that feels right to me...hate to spend the money, but feels right knowing that where they land, when they see a bunk, they need to go eat?????? ..maybe just a little grain????
....just want to make sure I'm doing all I can in the vaccination portion also.
Thanks for posting that Faster horses! I'd like to hear more on that also.
gcreekrch
Well-known member
Cowherd has been on FP-5 for years. My buyers won't give a premium for vaccinated calves as yet so calves only get Vision 8-S at branding. The two years we tried a pasturella vaccine we had more "summer pnuemonia" than all the other years combined.
Any calves retained after weaning are boostered with Vision 8-S and started on FP-5.
We all do what works best for us.
Texan, you won't regret adding the somnus, IMO it is a good vaccine.
Any calves retained after weaning are boostered with Vision 8-S and started on FP-5.
We all do what works best for us.
Texan, you won't regret adding the somnus, IMO it is a good vaccine.
WyomingRancher
Well-known member
The calves we sent to the forest went from being the very healthiest set, to the sickest we've ever raised. Many of our very top calves tipped over from brisket disease this summer, triggered by pneumonia, so we vaccinated in August with Bovi Shield Gold 5 and One Shot Ultra. I've heard the pasteurella vaccines aren't very effective, and they're expensive to give, but I figured I better do all I could for them. They've since straightened out.
The calves at home have maintained good heath.
I'm interested in what others think about giving pasteurella as well. Next year I plan on vaccinating them again in August.
The calves at home have maintained good heath.
I'm interested in what others think about giving pasteurella as well. Next year I plan on vaccinating them again in August.
I don't ever do anything just because it's recommended by vets, county agents or mineral salesmen.Faster horses said:
:lol:I use the pasturella for my home-raised calves because it works for me. As I mentioned on another post, I believe the duration of immunity is pretty short, so timing is everything. I feel like I get a minimum of three to four weeks protection from it and that's all I need to get a set of calves over the hump.
I feel you need a good relationship with a compentent Vet - - - I always follow my Vet's recomendations as I have built a relationship with him over the last 4 or 5 decades.
He is older (70 ) but stays on top of the latest treatments and I feel always puts my care above his profit!
He had some health problems several years ago and I was hooked up with another clinic - - -they were good people but I never felt I was anything more than a check book to them and was very grateful when my old friend was back up and going!
I might have a different view if he retires as I'm not sure I can find antone else I would trust as much!
He is older (70 ) but stays on top of the latest treatments and I feel always puts my care above his profit!
He had some health problems several years ago and I was hooked up with another clinic - - -they were good people but I never felt I was anything more than a check book to them and was very grateful when my old friend was back up and going!
I might have a different view if he retires as I'm not sure I can find antone else I would trust as much!
Faster horses
Well-known member
Wow, Texan, I felt that slam. :?
I was merely trying to find out if you had been told about the
pasturella vaccine or if you had used it and knew from experience
that it helped. Mostly what I have gotten is negative feedback.
Our vet in SW Montana thought the 'down ear' was a sign of
pasturella and had us believing that. It's not. That 'down ear'
is an ear infection, as explained to us by our very knowledgeable
Vigortone vet. Sometimes you can even see where the infection
burst and ran down the side of the head. We used to have a LOT
of 'down ears' in the fall. Sure glad we were able to conquer that
with a good mineral program=enhanced immune system.
I was merely trying to find out if you had been told about the
pasturella vaccine or if you had used it and knew from experience
that it helped. Mostly what I have gotten is negative feedback.
Our vet in SW Montana thought the 'down ear' was a sign of
pasturella and had us believing that. It's not. That 'down ear'
is an ear infection, as explained to us by our very knowledgeable
Vigortone vet. Sometimes you can even see where the infection
burst and ran down the side of the head. We used to have a LOT
of 'down ears' in the fall. Sure glad we were able to conquer that
with a good mineral program=enhanced immune system.
RA, congratulations on what you have achieved to date, and your future plans sound reasonable and achievable.
We do have some great veterinarians in our area, and respect their advice, just as they respect our competence to handle problems without them holding our hand (for a fee!). They help us plan our vac program and we manage it properly. That is part of the BQA we use, too. Besides helping health of our animals, it is good for the reputation of our cattle, and that can be worth real money! It seems logical to us that a local vet has a pretty good handle on what cattle in their area may come up against for health and pest issues, too. Pharmaceutical reps can also give sound advice, if you find good ones. Ag colleges are also a good source, as are programs at the better cattle organization meetings. It is amazing how much information is required to produce food animals. And the more we learn (and apply wisely to our own business), the better ranchers we will be. For sure, one caveat applies here: we have to be discerning about figuring out which information makes sense and which does not, for our own ranch.
mrj
We do have some great veterinarians in our area, and respect their advice, just as they respect our competence to handle problems without them holding our hand (for a fee!). They help us plan our vac program and we manage it properly. That is part of the BQA we use, too. Besides helping health of our animals, it is good for the reputation of our cattle, and that can be worth real money! It seems logical to us that a local vet has a pretty good handle on what cattle in their area may come up against for health and pest issues, too. Pharmaceutical reps can also give sound advice, if you find good ones. Ag colleges are also a good source, as are programs at the better cattle organization meetings. It is amazing how much information is required to produce food animals. And the more we learn (and apply wisely to our own business), the better ranchers we will be. For sure, one caveat applies here: we have to be discerning about figuring out which information makes sense and which does not, for our own ranch.
mrj
Are the smilies not working on your computer? If I had intended it as a slam, I wouldn't have used them. :wink:Faster horses said:
Maybe you can get that "very knowledgeable Vigortone vet" to go back for some more skoolin'. They can explain to him how Mycoplasma often invades the middle to inner ear. When it does that, it causes the one-ear-down symptom in some calves. Those calves are suffering from something far more serious than a simple ear infection. That's why I posted on the thread about Mycoplasma that an ear down is a symptom to be watching for to at least "pull to temp."Faster horses said:Our vet in SW Montana thought the 'down ear' was a sign of
pasturella and had us believing that. It's not. That 'down ear'
is an ear infection, as explained to us by our very knowledgeable
Vigortone vet. Sometimes you can even see where the infection
burst and ran down the side of the head. We used to have a LOT
of 'down ears' in the fall. Sure glad we were able to conquer that
with a good mineral program=enhanced immune system.
So, for you to imply that every calf with an ear down is simply suffering from a common ear infection that can be corrected with a mineral program would be incorrect. We clear up many of these simple ear infections in which calves don't have an elevated temp with some purple witches brew that the old witch around here mixes up, so every ear infection doesn't require an antibiotic, either. Of course, I'm just a dumb cowboy - not a "very knowledgeable" corporate vet. :lol:
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Texan said:Are the smilies not working on your computer? If I had intended it as a slam, I wouldn't have used them. :wink:Faster horses said:
Maybe you can get that "very knowledgeable Vigortone vet" to go back for some more skoolin'. They can explain to him how Mycoplasma often invades the middle to inner ear. When it does that, it causes the one-ear-down symptom in some calves. Those calves are suffering from something far more serious than a simple ear infection. That's why I posted on the thread about Mycoplasma that an ear down is a symptom to be watching for to at least "pull to temp."Faster horses said:Our vet in SW Montana thought the 'down ear' was a sign of
pasturella and had us believing that. It's not. That 'down ear'
is an ear infection, as explained to us by our very knowledgeable
Vigortone vet. Sometimes you can even see where the infection
burst and ran down the side of the head. We used to have a LOT
of 'down ears' in the fall. Sure glad we were able to conquer that
with a good mineral program=enhanced immune system.
So, for you to imply that every calf with an ear down is simply suffering from a common ear infection that can be corrected with a mineral program would be incorrect. We clear up many of these simple ear infections in which calves don't have an elevated temp with some purple witches brew that the old witch around here mixes up, so every ear infection doesn't require an antibiotic, either. Of course, I'm just a dumb cowboy - not a "very knowledgeable" corporate vet. :lol:
Maybe it's a bigger picture and calves with a healthier immune system don't get Mycoplasma/ ear infection. :?
We used to by lots of calves from sale barns and in the country and we have treated lots of calves, I even remember the big Char calf we had with the first Iteme back in the 70's but since we have been weaning our own calves we have not seen the health problems. Mineral program/ less stress / better or less compromised immune system. :?
Big Muddy, if you meant to type that maybe calves with a healthier immune system don't get as much of whatever infection, I'd agree with that. And there's no question that the foundation to building a healthy immune system in a calf starts with nutrition. Those calves not only develop a superior natural immune system, they also respond to vaccines better.Big Muddy rancher said:
And I think that those calves with a healthy immune system also respond to treatment better when they do get sick. Because, as we all know, some calves are just going to get sick no matter what we do.
mrj said:
Thank you! Going to start weaning today and a couple of replacement heifers will be in this group....can't wait! .....enjoying every minute of it!
Thanks to everybody putting their views on things on here! I'm learning a lot. I keep reading where pasturella might help my calves from getting sick being moved around and exposed to new cattle and such, which they will be since they head to the sale barn. That's all I'm going by. I gave everything two rounds of it last year and am giving two rounds this year and have had no problems. That's all I know??????