New calves - what is required?

[Cattle Baroness]

I know everyone will have a different opinion on this but I am having a hard time getting a straight answer.
What all needs to be done to a newborn calf and what is the time frame for doing it? Do you have a set of vaccinations/medicines that you do immediately or do you wait until they are weaned and hope they get what they need from their momma cow?
Background here - I am in North Texas, raising Longhorns.
Thanks in advance,
Dawn

 

[rockridgecattle]

this is what we do
just born:
adequate timely colostrum...a must
iodine the navel in especially if calved in confined area. if done out on clean pasture not so required
make sure momma cleans

any where from 6 to 24 hours old:
vit A&D shot
E/sel shot
tag and bag (if a bull)

3 months later:
first round of all shots. 2 modified live and one killed vaccine, deworm and all cows and bulls are done with their boosters

any where from 1 one month to three weeks prior to weaning:
booster all three shots
weaning:
suspect cows and cows bred for the second time as well as heifers are preg checked,
de wormed, Bred heifers are scour guarded first shot, weaned calves are dewormed

2 weeks prior to calving all red animals get boostered scour guard

 

[Horticattleman]

How do you guys make any money. :?: :help: You have to be spending way more on meds than the calfs worth. Around here, if the momma can't get it to weaning, she grows a set of wheels and her place is taken by one who will.

 

[angie1]

Iodine navel is a cheap way to prevent an EXPENSIVE infection. Vitamin shots are plenty cheap (I only give to salebarn babies, but not a big expense for your own). Vaccinations are a given on our heifers. I don't see where any of this advice is less than what it should be.........

 

[dun]

We're not in a selenium deficient area so all we do is make sure they nurse and get a belly full of colostrum. No shots, maybe tag it if we're there quick enough.

 

[rockridgecattle]

How do you guys make any money. :?: :help: You have to be spending way more on meds than the calfs worth. Around here, if the momma can't get it to weaning, she grows a set of wheels and her place is taken by one who will.

Scour Vaccine...if done, scours may and usually hit but not as hard.
Savings:
decrease of expensive meds and drenched
little or no weight loss from scours

Vaccines of IBR/BVD/ lepto/ Homphlus(SP) colostridial etc...prevent summer pnemonia and abortions as well as PI calves
Savings:
do the math

Dewormer for calves and cows and bulls...better conversion of feed, proven additional gain on calves resulting in higher wean weights
Savings:
again do the math

boosters of weaned calves results in better prices for preconditioned calves (we've gotten better prices because of the vaccinations), plus the retained weaned calves go into our feed pens in better condititon resulting in less stress related illnesses
Savings
reputation with buyers for good quailty calves, not as much spending in drugs for pnemonia and other related weaning sickness

Overall it may cost in doing what we do, but we see the benifits and the $ at the sale barn.

RR

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

If the calf is nursing momma i give no shots. I do not band baby calves bull calves will out grow steer calves by up to quarter pound a day. If mother has had proper vacines, calves should be fine, until they are older. I vacinate and casterate at weaning.

 

[Caustic Burno]

How do you guys make any money. :?: :help: You have to be spending way more on meds than the calfs worth. Around here, if the momma can't get it to weaning, she grows a set of wheels and her place is taken by one who will.

Amen.

It is amazing the species survived since the beginning of time.
I am not running over he!!'s half acre dobbing calves with iodine or anything else.
Here it better get up and suck and run or its buzzard bait.
To top it off its a longhorn calf to boot you shouldn't be able to kill it with a claw hammer.
Only thing as tough or tougher would be a Brammer calf.

 

[Victoria]

It really depends. If the calf is born on the field and looks healthy and the cow is taking good care of it all they get from me is a congratulations as I give them a tag and weigh them.
If the calf is a slow starter they get shots or the calf is from a heifer and is born in less than perfect conditions they get shots or if there is any contraction in the tendons- Sel&E and A&D
Someone mentioned colostrum and that is a big deal - always make sure they drink.
If the calf is born in the barn (I try not to have them in there but in some cases it is necessary) then the calf gets iodine on the navel.
I should mention all of our cows are on vet recommended mineral good for our area so there is no reason for our calves to be missing anything at birth.
It also depends on your feed if your feed lacks adequate nutrition your calves will require more at birth.
All of our calves get shots in the spring and fall - we get a premium price for them by doing this.

 

[Cattle Baroness]

Thanks everyone! We really haven't had any problems until recently when I lost a 3.5 month old calf. We have raised about 15 without a problem but I wanted to double check to see if we were missing something. I appreciate all of the feedback!
Dawn

 

[msscamp]

I know everyone will have a different opinion on this but I am having a hard time getting a straight answer.
What all needs to be done to a newborn calf and what is the time frame for doing it? Do you have a set of vaccinations/medicines that you do immediately or do you wait until they are weaned and hope they get what they need from their momma cow?

Thanks in advance,
Dawn

We closely monitored first time calvers, and made sure the calf nursed. Old-timers were also monitored, but not as closely. We vaccinated Momma, and the calf received the necessary antibodies through the colostrum. Calves were vaccinated for what we (in conjunction with our vet) deemed necessary at branding time (apprx 3 months of age - give or take a month), followed up with a 2nd dose at the appropriate interval if necessary. Bangs vaccinations were done at roughly 8-9, sometimes 10 months of age. We never dipped navals.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks everyone! We really haven't had any problems until recently when I lost a 3.5 month old calf. We have raised about 15 without a problem but I wanted to double check to see if we were missing something. I appreciate all of the feedback!
Dawn

If 15 calves is all you have raised thats green learn the 10% rule. It happens.
Secondly if you stay with this very long you will learn some are just born looking for a place to die.

 

[novatech]

I know everyone will have a different opinion on this but I am having a hard time getting a straight answer.
What all needs to be done to a newborn calf and what is the time frame for doing it? Do you have a set of vaccinations/medicines that you do immediately or do you wait until they are weaned and hope they get what they need from their momma cow?
Background here - I am in North Texas, raising Longhorns.
Thanks in advance,
Dawn

Grass in front of the cow, Bull behind rest is simple

 

[shanel]

The first 2 years i was in the cow calf business i was losing 30 to 40 % of calves between 2 and 6 weeks old.Then it hit me my neighbor is a backgrounder his stockbarn calves on the other side of the fence was killing my calves.So i started catching the baby calves within the first 36 hours and administer 2ml of triangle 4,tag em and bandem,havent lost a calf since and thats been 8 years ago.And my neighbor still backgrounds 600 to 1000 head year round.

 

[angus9259]

Never vaccinated commercial calves. Going registered changed things. Commercial calves were worth $400-500 at weaning. Registered worth $1000. I vac for scours, vit E/sel and two doses of cattlemaster at weaning. Total bill is $15ish per calf. Maybe not necessary, but cheap insurance. I don't sell commercial or registered through the salebarn and most customers ask if the calves have been vaccinated. I think I get the $15 back at saletime either way.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Never vaccinated commercial calves. Going registered changed things. Commercial calves were worth $400-500 at weaning. Registered worth $1000. I vac for scours, vit E/sel and two doses of cattlemaster at weaning. Total bill is $15ish per calf. Maybe not necessary, but cheap insurance. I don't sell commercial or registered through the salebarn and most customers ask if the calves have been vaccinated. I think I get the $15 back at saletime either way.

That must be a very unusal place that you have that many private treaty buyers.
I have never seen a seed stock producer that didn't have to sell through the barn as well.
Papers don't make better cattle.
All the really good seed stock breeders I know cull harder through the barn than anyone else.

 

[TXBobcat]

We also raise Longhorns.

For new calves, the only thing I do is observe them to make sure they appear healthy and possibly see them nurse. Other than that, all I do is try and catch/rope them to put in an ear tag.

The calves get their normal vaccinations/boosters at 5-7 mths of age. Heifers get OCV'd by vet at weaning also.

All of our cows have been vaccinated, and they get boosters annually, so my belief is they should be able to pass the necessary antibodies on to their calves.

 

[angus9259]

Never vaccinated commercial calves. Going registered changed things. Commercial calves were worth $400-500 at weaning. Registered worth $1000. I vac for scours, vit E/sel and two doses of cattlemaster at weaning. Total bill is $15ish per calf. Maybe not necessary, but cheap insurance. I don't sell commercial or registered through the salebarn and most customers ask if the calves have been vaccinated. I think I get the $15 back at saletime either way.

That must be a very unusal place that you have that many private treaty buyers.
I have never seen a seed stock producer that didn't have to sell through the barn as well.
Papers don't make better cattle.
All the really good seed stock breeders I know cull harder through the barn than anyone else.

I haven't been on these boards very long, but I'm coming to learn how easy it is to offend people.

All my young cull goes directly to a custom feedlot / butcher in town and/or private treaty to folks who just want a couple steers or heifers in the back yard. I'm also involved with 4 H and sell 2nd rate bulls as club calves.

Never said papers made better cattle. I reread my message and couldn't find those words anywhere.

I guess I will have to live the rest of my life knowing I will never be known as a really good seedstock producer if selling through the salebarn is a requirement. I'll work that out with my therapist at my next visit.

 

[Cattle Baroness]

If 15 calves is all you have raised thats green learn the 10% rule. It happens.
Secondly if you stay with this very long you will learn some are just born looking for a place to die.

You gotta start somewhere...