bringing in new cattle

[plbcattle]

i just bought a new set of recip cows with calves. what is your protocol when bringing them to your rance. do you take peoples word that they have been dewormed and had the proper vacc. how long do you seperate them from the herd before you turn them into the herd. how far is a safe distance to keep them from the herd. any other info is appreciated. thanks

 

[TheBullLady]

That would depend a lot on who I bought them from. Since they're recip cows, I'm assuming it's a reputable breeder. I would drop a dime and ask him what they've had, and the schedule they're on.

I haven't ever kept any new cows / heifers from the herd when I get them.. I just turn them in. But keeping in mind I don't buy from a sale barn either. I have to assume the breeder is telling me the truth about their health, etc. I've never had any problems so far.. not to say it couldn't happen.

 

[TLCfromARK]

I haven't bought any from the sale barn but even when I buy from someone I know / trust I will pen them in the corral for 24 - 48 hours. Give them a few cubes, get use to the new sounds / smells of the new place, let them get to thinking this isn't such a bad place to be at. Normally I'll worm them while they're in the corral ( unless the seller has done it lately). Then I turn them into a small section of the pasture away from the rest of the herd for a couple of more days before they go through the pushing / shoving they all do getting the pecking order straight.

Once again this isn't so much to prevent spread of anything into the herd, just letting them get used to the place. We do the same thing with our replacement heifers when we move them to the acreage away from the herd.
;-)

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Agree with TLC. We do about same. "Quarantine" for few days to obeserve, then introduce to existing herd across fence, then integrate physically into herd if no problems.

We always de-worm new purchases upon arrival. We don't "trust" previous owners vaccination, deworming record (usually verbal) unless we know the breeder (and we only buy from known breeders). If we are unsure, we re-vaccinate all items.

We also de-worm and re-vaccinate for STD's any bull we lease out for breeding after he returns.

In December, we will do final testing for a TAHC Certified herd (TB & Brucellosis)...we are extra cautious with our cattle as a result. Once we get our certification, we don't plan to lose it.

 

[txshowmom]

We do not buy cattle at the sale barn either. We buy from reputable breeders and just turn the new cattle out in the pasture with te others. We have never had a problem todate. We vaccinate and worm them whenever we do the rest of the herd.

 

[Craig-TX]

Also agree with TLC. We buy bred cows and pairs from the salebarn and keep them in the lot for the reasons TLC described. Then we turn them out. They will generally hang with their own new group for a while and eventually blend with the existing herd. Never had any health problems. Keeping them up for a day or two does settle them and get them used to the new place prior to competing with the established matriarchs.

We do the same if we’re moving momma cows to another place for some reason.

Craig-TX