Herd Vaccination with Goldmaster Vaccine

[sunnyblueskies]

Kind of a stupid question. Or at least it feels like that for me.
Blackleg (8 way) we always did the calves in spring and then again in the fall. Never vaccinated for IBR and all that stuff, Vet suggested to maybe add that to our schedule. Problem is, our breeding/calving season is 90 days, but the cows are turned out into summer pasture with the bulls before the 90 days calving are up. Which means we can't use the live vaccines or the cows would abort.
Solved that problem as per Vet's advice with a modified vaccine, which is safe also for pregnant cows.
Read the package......... first time around it should be given 5 and 2 weeks before breeding.......... wait a minute, it says it's safe for pregnant cows........ do I have a brain fart? Also wasn't made aware that the first time dose requires a second only a few weeks after....... crap, that's not going to work now.
Do these vaccines affect the cows cycles? So don't give it during breeding season? So many questions.

What would you guys do?

 

[puzzled in oregon]

So, maybe if a cow happened to be already pregnant, or had not dropped a calf yet, there would be no harm.

 

[kenny thomas]

Many vaccines require a second dose. Actually most do.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Many vaccines require a second dose. Actually most do.

Yes, I'm aware of that part. It's just the timing of the second shot that confused me.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

So, maybe if a cow happened to be already pregnant, or had not dropped a calf yet, there would be no harm.

And during breeding?

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I won't give my cows a vaccine unless it is safe during pregnancy. If you're vaccinating cows with first shot,
and there is one that has not dropped her calf yet, it sounds like it should be safe to vaccinate her along with
the others. Or if one got bred ahead of planned, the vaccine would still be safe. Optimal timing would be five weeks
ahead of bull turn out followed 3 weeks later with second shot. Just my interpretation

 

[Farm Family]

Not veterinarian advice so take with grain of salt…but this is what our veterinarian has allowed or okayed for our operation, herd, area etc. We vaccine calves with live vaccine at three months (roughly - right when they head to pasture) and at roughly six months (weaning) so basically spring and fall.

Come the following spring replacement yearlings (breeding age) get vaccinated with cows who are only vaccinated annually. We use killed vaccine on all cows or breeding heifers. We do all breeding stock in the spring just seems to work well with weather etc…our cows stay out for as long as they can, the snow has to be pretty deep before we bring them home to the pens. Typically by the time they come in they are coming home to calve. Vaccinating cows in the fall makes little sense for us.

So as for any two week booster we are not able to facilitate that…so far has not bit us in the butt. Our herd is quite closed…I would say nearly 100% closed. Any newcomers are quarantined and come from similar vaccine protocols.

My husband is a dairy "kid" and those cattle saw live vaccine at 3, 6 and 12 months, they were bred at 13-14 months. Unless those girls hit grass in the summer, when they might be dry, they would get a blackleg (Covexin or Tazvax or like) but some dry off in the winter and never see any other vaccine for their lifetime. Again several years and no bite in the butt that he ever recalls. Again closed herd.

Again not veterinarian advice and granted many opinions about this. Only sharing what we have done and currently doing. Not saying it is the right way or will work for your area, herd or veterinarian recommendations.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Timing that second shot is difficult, in some cases next to impossible.
As far as calves the three month-six month is about as close as they can get in
in some situations.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Is it just the initial vaccination that requires two shots, with just a one shot annual booster ?

 

[SBMF 2015]

Kind of a stupid question. Or at least it feels like that for me.
Blackleg (8 way) we always did the calves in spring and then again in the fall. Never vaccinated for IBR and all that stuff, Vet suggested to maybe add that to our schedule. Problem is, our breeding/calving season is 90 days, but the cows are turned out into summer pasture with the bulls before the 90 days calving are up. Which means we can't use the live vaccines or the cows would abort.
Solved that problem as per Vet's advice with a modified vaccine, which is safe also for pregnant cows.
Read the package......... first time around it should be given 5 and 2 weeks before breeding.......... wait a minute, it says it's safe for pregnant cows........ do I have a brain fart? Also wasn't made aware that the first time dose requires a second only a few weeks after....... crap, that's not going to work now.
Do these vaccines affect the cows cycles? So don't give it during breeding season? So many questions.

What would you guys do?

BoviShield Gold 5 L5 FP (FP=fetal protection) would be the vaccine for breeding age cattle.

Yes- technically they should be vaccinated twice the first year. A good way to switch a herd over is to vaccinate the open hfrs with 2 rnds and then keep them on mod live booster each year.

Yes- vaccines can mess with a cows heat cycle. We are very careful about vaccinating to close to when we start A.I.ing. At least two weeks prior to bull turn out would be best.

The SAFE vaccine you are looking for to bridge the gap between now and modified live is CattleMaster Gold 5 L5 or VL5. It is a killed vaccine that is safe to pregnant cattle. 2 doses would be best, but I don't think you would be throwing your money away if 1 is all you can easily get in them.

 

[gcreekrch]

Shorten to 60 days. Vaccine will help with that too. Vaccinate 30 days before bulls go out.

 

[farmerjan]

We use 8 way on calves going out to pasture on cows when they get worked. 4-10 weeks old on average... Triangle-10 HB.... killed virus....and blackleg, on cows when they go through for preg check once a year. We have too many pastures too many places. to be able to get anything in to do second doses... Maybe not ideal but it has worked for us. Use triangle on the calves at weaning at the barn....
Because we buy and sell some, have found this seems to give the best results for less than perfect situation. Bought stuff gets blackleg and triangle 10 and tetanus if we have to work the bull calves.
Can't get the Bovishield Gold , I think that is what @TCRanch uses... it would cover a little more than the Triangle-10 HB....

 

[SBMF 2015]

Can't get the Bovishield Gold

Why not?

 

[farmerjan]

Co-op didn't have any on shelf and said they couldn't get it, back awhile. Since we normally use the Triangle 10 HB it was just as easy to go with that. Haven"t checked since then as the cows are long gone out to pastures and we won't have them anywhere near any catch pens for months now. Only got one group to move out after tuesday, and they will get the T-10 since we have it on hand, and calves will get the blackleg and any that aren't worked will get done but I am pretty sure this group are mostly all worked already.

 

[TCRanch]

@farmerjan, I currently use:
Inforce 3 and First Defense on newborn calves.
Triangle 4+PH-K, Calvalry 9, Autogenous pinkeye (moxarella bovis, moxarella bovoculi, mycoplasma bovoculi) and Cydectin when they're appx 3 months old.
Vista Once, Calvalry 9, Cydectin for all calves and Lutalyse for heifers at weaning age.
Vira Shield 6VL5+HB Somnus, Cavalry 9 and the Autogenous pinkeye for cows when we work in the Spring. Cows 3 years and under get wormed with Cydectin.

But all subject to change, contingent on my bi-annual consult with my vet.

 

[farmerjan]

It was the Vira Shield 6VL5+HB Somnus I was thinking of... Didn't you talk about possibly going to a bovi-shield gold or something when you couldn't get your usual stuff????
We are going to switch to Calvary 9 for the tetanus/black leg combo... usually only use the 8way clostridium but the Calvary is only 2 cc if I am thinking right... plus the tetanus already in it...

Thanks for listing your protocol.... my memory..... CRS (can't remember sh!t)....

 

[TCRanch]

It was the Vira Shield 6VL5+HB Somnus I was thinking of... Didn't you talk about possibly going to a bovi-shield gold or something when you couldn't get your usual stuff????
We are going to switch to Calvary 9 for the tetanus/black leg combo... usually only use the 8way clostridium but the Calvary is only 2 cc if I am thinking right... plus the tetanus already in it...

Thanks for listing your protocol.... my memory..... CRS (can't remember sh!t)....

Yes. I had a heck of a time getting vaccines this year. Even my vet was out of the Vira Shield and Calvary 9. Ended up finding them on Farmers Business Network. I used to use Covexin 8 but Calvary 9 is 2cc vs. 5cc and doesn't have as much of a reaction at the injection site.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Shorten to 60 days. Vaccine will help with that too. Vaccinate 30 days before bulls go out.

It's a logistic problem. We can't get to the bulls/herd after 60 days. They are now turned out into summer pasture, which is 7 quartersections of bushland. The herd doesn't come back until September.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Yes. I had a heck of a time getting vaccines this year.

Didn't you guys south of the cold north switch to prescription only?
When we switched to prescription only that included vaccines. I haven't seen them in stores around here anymore either. Vet only.
Maybe that's why your stores aren't bringing anymore in? Just wondering.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Didn't you guys south of the cold north switch to prescription only?
When we switched to prescription only that included vaccines. I haven't seen them in stores around here anymore either. Vet only.
Maybe that's why your stores aren't bringing anymore in? Just wondering.

Only need a script for antibiotics and some hormones. I could still by them at my local farm supply store, but I have to show a script from my vet. Why not just get them from the vet.