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How young?

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
I vacinate my calves at branding with 7way + H. somnus and Pyrmid 4 +Presponse. I then repeat that in the fall and have had good results with that program.
What i was wondering is at what age do you vacinate? I have my Hfrs and their calves close up getting hay but have some Crested wheat pasture 16 miles away so was thinking of doing up the hfrs and calves and moving them. The Hfrs have been calving since about the 5th of April but some are just a week or less old. Will the vaccine trigger a immune response or will the Clostrum affect the vaccine?
 

DiamondSCattleCo

Well-known member
It will depend on the drugs you've used, however 1 week is too young for everything on the market. I believe Pfizer has some stuff rated at 99% effective at 2 months old, but from what I remember of the labelling most is 70% - 80% effective at 2 months, 99% at 3 months.

Rod
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
BMR, we used to give Virashield at branding (IBR, BVD, PI3, etc.). I asked
a friend who is a vet about this and he said they really aren't old enough to utilize the vaccine because of their immune system. He told the whole
story but I can't remember it. Anyway, long story short, we quit giving it and haven't noticed one bit of difference. I asked him why the local
vets sold the vaccine to producers and he said they were most likely just covering their butts.

All our calves get is Vision 7. Nothing else until we precondition in
the fall and then they get Virashield 6 and Vision 7 with somnus.
We have had no problems for years and neither has the people
who buy our calves.
 

Angus Breeder

Well-known member
At three months all of our calves get 1 round of Ultrachoice 7 and Bovi-Shield Gold 5, then 2 weeks preweaning they recieve Bovi-Shield Gold 5, One Shot, Ultrabac 7/Somubac, Spirovac 3. Be careful that you do not exceede 3 gram negative vaccines at once. This has worked extremely well for us.
 

katrina

Well-known member
We've had train wrecks in the fall with sick calves. Our solution was giving a homophous (sp) shot with our seven way. We went drug free last year.
Plus fh will agree with me a good mineral is a plus...
 

Ben H

Well-known member
You said vaccinated at branding, (right about now I assume) and then again in the fall?
Are you giving a booster?
In school we vaccinated two groups of cattle and drew blood to look at the titers (immune response) Then like 2 weeks later we gave a booster to one group and not to the other. We drew the blood for titers again. You could see how the immune response spiked from both groups initially and then stayed up for the group with the booster. The immune response droped down to being ineffective for the group without the booster.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I don't know who you addressed your post to, but if it was me, I can tell you that the buyer has us precondition the calves at the right time for them to give the booster when they recieve the calves.

As for the replacement heifers, we boost them when we wean and they are set up for life. They then get Virashield about now for breeding and then again next fall. We give the brood cows all shots in the fall. I do think spring is best, but we just don't want to run the cows through the chute then as we brand in the pasture. This program has worked great for us for quite awhile now. We prefer the KISS system:
Keep It Simple Stupid... :wink:
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Hope to hear from more of you guys and gals.

From what i am hearing I am thinking about using the 7 way and H. somnus at branding and boosting it and giving the IBR PI3 BVD and BRSV at weaning and then in 2 weeks. It doesn't work for us to give shoots 2 weeks before weaning just because of where the cattle are.
Our program has been working tho and I hate to change.
 

Brad S

Well-known member
I understand 8 weeks is minimum age for high% immunization, so I'd try to get close to 8 weeks for shots. But remember, the first round is really about making the second round more effective. I would suggest one of the old cheap biologicals - the new extended release vaccines are pointless in the first round of shots.

Also, I try to give the bleg on one side of the neck and the biological on the other so as not to overload the lymphnodes

H Somnus is a killer secondary infection, but I'm not sure branding is a good time for it - if vet sez your situation demands it - very well.

I like M Bovis in the b leg this time of year.

I like the second round at weaning or preweaning to be the kickdown bovishield as long as they are fresh healthy cattle. If at preweaning, don't return calves to cows until vaccination sites has jad a chance to dry up - you know cow licks injection might slip fetus.
 

WB

Well-known member
I agree with Katrina to give the H. Somnus with your seven-way. We have had problems when we did not give the H. Somnus in the Spring. The viral shots our optional for us in the Spring.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Katrina, Virashield is a killed product and I see no reason to change.
Vets and vaccine companies sure pressure you, but I have heard
the other side of the coin. I think there are some problems with
the modified live that they keep under wraps.

KSU came out with a paper on killed vs. modified live and I find it quite interesting.
 

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