information or links for bse

[Taz]

i need any information and links for the pro's of perfoming a breeding soundness exam on bulls, please help me out here i have talked to the foreman off my last topic he has agreed that what he is doing is stupid and dangerous he has also agreed to read and take to the property owner any information i can find on the benefits of a bse on their bulls.

please without the crap fight and accusations that i am simply making this up if anyone knows of any more links or info i can accsess then the one already posted help me out here. surely you can all see that if this man can become informed same as im trying to do and realise there is a better way its so much better for his cattle!

 

[dun]

Here's a bunch of links that will give you plenty of information
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8 ... +exam+bull

 

[Taz]

thanks heaps dun!!
dont su[ppose you have a similair one for the causes of a cow to abort a calf? im trying to find some studies thinking that stress would be a big factor? and if i can find out that someone has proven it ill give him that to!

 

[dun]

dont su[ppose you have a similair one for the causes of a cow to abort a calf? im trying to find some studies thinking that stress would be a big factor? and if i can find out that someone has proven it ill give him that to!

Never have seen one that makes a direst link to stress, only disease. There are so many unexplained reasons for a cow to abort that there is no way to explain some of them. We had one abort 2 months early from an icestorm in 2007, strange part was that she is the most unflappable cow we have.
Common sense would tell most people that undue stress is hard on a cow and or her calf. But as has been said, "The unfortunate thing about common sense is that it's so uncommon"

 

[Taz]

thanks dun, in this case there is only madness ill see what i can find and just hope they listen!

thanks again to for the first link i have about 100 pages of info out of it already!

 

[rockridgecattle]

I do not have any aritcles to back up abortions due to stress, but from the observations of a cattle farmer for over a decade I can tell you this. Others can chime in on their experiences as well
1. Cattle that are stressed are less likely to breed in the first cycle or two...cost to the bottom line in a uniform calf crop
2. Stress in cattle can supress the immunity causing the risk of infections, foot rot, pnemonia, bring out BVD if it prevelant. What happens is the virus or bacteria increases in the body of the animal. They shed it out of every opening they have. When the bacteria or viruses reach a point where the body can not fight the diease, it becomes sick. When it is sick, the cost of treatment is incured, the reduction in milk production, set back on cycling on time, decrease in weight gain on the cow and the calf.
3. Actions such as these can cause physical injuries to the cows and the bulls as well as the human factor
4. Stress out the bull and it significantly reduces the production of semen and can set them back three weeks ( the time it takes to develope new semen) This would cause delays in breeding, more open cows at the end of the breeding season
5. If a bull is stressed out the temps can rise causing a decrease in semen production as well as damage the semen "in the tank" so to speak.
6. long shot but a stressed out cow will have a set back in milk production if they have a calf at foot.
When you look at herd management, the whole picture needs to be looked at in order to see what damage is done when stress is involved. Not just a snap shot of the moment. In my opinion, what happens to a cow in the course of a year might not see immediate problems, but check out the calf at foot when weaned or even next calf.
The idea of having a vet come out to do Breeding Soundness Evaluation reduces the stress on the cows, reduces the stress on the bulls both physically and (for lack of a human term) emotionally.
Lastly and this should be at the top of the list is human injuries or the chance of sever injuries when handling animals who are stressed. Can happen pretty quickly.

Sorry for the long winded approach

 

[Taz]

not long winded at all and very informative i didnt even think about any links between stress and disese and hadnt thought of the bulls side of things that much i guess and hadnt realised the effects on them other then the obvious risk of injuries it's all great info and hopefully it will change things!

 

[IluvABbeef]

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department ... penElement
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department ... penElement

 

[Taz]

thanks to all of you who helped me find info on bse and stress stuff the boss has now agreed that their "testing" methods are cruel and there is a lot better way he has been given all the info i could find and is willing to eithier preg test and then neddle the empty cows so the bull's can be tested over an in season cow or better yet get the vet out for a full bse prior to the breeding season!

this means not only are the cattle in a lot better situation my fella isnt being placed in a LOT of danger by the cruel and unnesecarry methods they used this year thanks again and i hope you guys give yourself a big pat on the back for the good thing we have done!