Bvd questions

[Farmer245]

I recently have been dealing with bvd outbreak in our small herd. I am confident that it has now worked its way through all our cattle. I am now ear notching calves to test for P.I calves and so far have had all come back negative for bvd. I will be vaccinating all cattle for future.

I have a few questions that maybe folks could shed light on for me.

1. How long before can i sell cattle again for private sale vs them needing to go directly for slaughter? Are cows that never got sick from this and gained immunity still risk for spreading virus?
As i ear notch calves and they come back negative that tells me cows dont have it or calves where far enough in. Gestation to not pass it to fetuses.


2. I will need to put bull in with cattle again soon, i will have him vaccinated, cattle shouldnt be able to pass virus to him since they are not P.I animals?

3. Do i just sell all our cattle and start over?

Any insight would be helpful for me for moving forward. If i am off with anything in my post here please correct me.

Thank you for your time

Justin

 

[kenny thomas]

If they are negative there should be no concern. How do you know you had an outbreak? We had 2 test positive at sale time 4 years ago from a closed herd with no other cattle nearby. Had a vet and vet students out and tested the whole herd and all came back negative. The vet thought it was spread by deer. We killed several deer from the same property and tested them, all negative. Haven"t had another since.

 

[Brute 23]

Those are all excellent questions for a vet. I assume you are working with one to confirm if they are positive or negative?

If I remember correctly negative cattle can be sold at any time, any way. Positive cattle have to go to slaughter or you have to let the AB know.

My buddy bought some cows that tested positive. They were culled and we went on. No need to sell the whole herd. That was 5 or 10 years ago. We have not had an issues since.

Where did your positive cattle come from?

 

[Farmer245]

Those are all excellent questions for a vet. I assume you are working with one to confirm if they are positive or negative?

If I remember correctly negative cattle can be sold at any time, any way. Positive cattle have to go to slaughter or you have to let the AB know.

My buddy bought some cows that tested positive. They were culled and we went on. No need to sell the whole herd. That was 5 or 10 years ago. We have not had an issues since.

Where did your positive cattle come from?

Gentleman i farm with bought feeders from salebarn. Had them in separate barn from our cows and ended up having cows get sick. Swabbed first cow and came back positive for having bvd. Since then have lost some and had cattle recover from it. So my understanding is cattle that survived it have natural immunity and are not PI, and not "shedding" virus.

My end goal is not to make this problem someone elses.

 

[Brute 23]

Gentleman i farm with bought feeders from salebarn. Had them in separate barn from our cows and ended up having cows get sick. Swabbed first cow and came back positive for having bvd. Since then have lost some and had cattle recover from it. So my understanding is cattle that survived it have natural immunity and are not PI, and not "shedding" virus.

My end goal is not to make this problem someone elses.

You have to butcher them or sell them. When you sell them they will be handled different and you won't get much for them because of the issues but they will go straight to the packer. You kught see if there are packers that will donate meat? That could be a good option.

The problem I see with waiting to see what survives and what doesn't is they are infecting other cattle.

I would definitely find a good vet to work with on this vs taking advice on the enet. It's too costly of a decision to not pay for professional help. They should be able to advise you on the best route.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Get a good vet and stay on top of it.

Myth-Busting BVD Virus Eradication: Is it Possible? | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter

u.osu.edu

 

[SBMF 2015]

Definitely good questions for a vet.

You're talking BVD, not brucellosis. You treated the sick ones, tested for PI's. Vaccinate them and the commercial world will consider them " normal " cattle. Sell the feeders at the sale barn and when your cows wear out sell them as culls.
Vaccinate every year and you shouldn't have any more issues.
Test replacement heifers.

 

[Brute 23]

I forgot to say to make sure you have a good vac program even though you cull the positive cows.