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BVD Testing Calves?

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sic 'em reds

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Anybody doing this?

We did our calves this year. Pretty cheap insurance for ourselves, but do you think buyers will even consider it when pricing them?
 
I think it's a very good idea, I wish every seedstock producer would test for BVD. As for value, that's a good question. Until we fully realize what BVD costs us in the industry I think testing is kind of a niche market.
If the customer's cow herd is clean then I would think they would pay a good premium to keep them that way. Good luck with your bulls. :)
 
Last year I tested every head on the place, Cows, Calves and Bulls. The vet school recommends that I test every animal that has not been tested every year. Which for me means testing calves at weaning? Even the ones that I am shipping. I don't understand this. Since I have tested every head and found none positive, why should I continue to test if I have had a closed herd?
 
alabama said:
Last year I tested every head on the place, Cows, Calves and Bulls. The vet school recommends that I test every animal that has not been tested every year. Which for me means testing calves at weaning? Even the ones that I am shipping. I don't understand this. Since I have tested every head and found none positive, why should I continue to test if I have had a closed herd?
Click to expand...

The way I understand it, by testing the calves, you can identify positives, and then test the dams to those positives to determine if the calf was infected in utero, or if the dam is persistently infected (PI). If the dam is a PI, she's gotta go.

I would sample the calves at birth. I think the optimum time to screen would be PRIOR to breeding since breeding time and afterwards is when the disease can really wreak havoc on your herd. I know BVD can do some funky stuff depending on the stage of pregnanacy a fetus becomes infected.
 
I understand the same way as WR. If your herd is tested clean, you don't need to test every year. As long as any animals brought into the herd are BVD PI free.
 
sic 'em reds said:
I understand the same way as WR. If your herd is tested clean, you don't need to test every year. As long as any animals brought into the herd are BVD PI free.
Click to expand...

Maybe what the vet school is saying, by testing all the calves each year, if you happen to get a positive in those calves, you can remove it from the herd so that it doesn't spread the virus to the other cattle/developing fetuses??? Or maybe just leave the calf in the herd and vaccinate the others for free :D ...not really.

If all dams previously tested negative, I think you could assume the infected calf's dam became infected during pregnancy, and you could maybe step up your vaccination program to help prevent it from happening again :? ??? I know of some herds vaccinating both prior to breeding and again in the fall.

As for getting paid a premium at shipping time, I asked my buyer about testing my calves, and he said he wouldn't worry about it since over several years of posting cattle, they haven't found BVD to be a significant problem. I'm sure there are feeders who would disagree. I think testing benefits the cow/calf producer more.
 
if you are worried about the value of BVD testing, to the buyer, maybe you could look at adding additonal tests at the same time.

http://www.igenity.com/beef/profile/BvdPi.aspx

They even have ear tags, that will take the tissue sample, so both tagging and sampling for numerous traits can be taken at the time they hit the ground.
 

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