Preconditioning and Receiving Calves

[Douglas]

Quote - Yes, there are a lot of producers like you. You pretty much have a closed herd, no health problems. You say you don't give shots but you also said you precondition 1-2 months??? Precondition includes giving shots, so I'm not sure what you are saying.
Basically that they are weaned and eating well
Quote- But, since you have a closed herd, your calves have very little NATURAL immunities. Same with other producers with closed herds with no diseases or exposure to "new" bugs.
Now, you take your calves and pen them with someone else's "healthy" calves - and they all get sick. They do not have any immunites from whatever natural bugs live in each others herd.
All cattle have bugs. They are immune to them because the dam has the same bugs & she passes the immunity to her calf thru colostrum.
Therefore, shots are needed to build immunites to potential new exposures.
fair enough

 

[Douglas]

It is hard to imagine what a person would do without facilities if something like pink eye broke out in your herd. It happened to me over the winter - with primarily brangus cattle.
Never had it
Maybe my problem is cattle all around me. Two places adjoin me on the west, one on the north, and one on the south. The east side is the Brazos and hobby owned and other cows bust out on the river regularly. Some bust my fence so even that side becomes a concern.
I have neighbors on the other side of a road with very small herds

Flies are a real issue in the summer. They can spread illness.
I shut up my cows and spray with a hand sprayer a few times. I also use fly stop minerals.Practically everyone who adjoins me has other cattle owners adjoining them on the other sides.

Without treatment, cows would have become blind by pink eye. Without innoculations, who knows what they would catch from across the fences.

Even tho one fence will almost hold water, that neighbor's angus bull will jump his fence on the road and circle thru three pastures to get into mine. I assume he does the same thing on the opposite side of his pastures onto neighbors on that side. Hence, I see no such thing as a "closed herd" and cannot comprehend the concept.
I have a 5 wire high tensil with a good pop, not a problem here.

Wild life of every type will drink from stock tanks. They roam from property to property. They can spread anything onto your property.


For you folks who have no working facilities, are you isolated from neighbors with cattle?

 

[backhoeboogie]

I do remember the first time I ever saw a headgate and how impressed I was. Prior to seeing that, I had seen plenty of medina gates/trap gates (whatever you choose to call them). Folks ever blanked off loading chutes and trapped cattle in them to work cattle.

There are ways to get things done without first class facilities. But if you are doing things like putting 2 cc's of penn in the eye lid of a bovine, you'd like the animal to be in a head gate. Even then I am puckered - not wanting to hit the eye ball.

edit: And that neighbor's bull will clear five foot fences flat footed. He can jump a cattle guard with the gate closed. Electric wire doesn't stop him either. The sheriff hauled off his last angus bull from the place south of me.

 

[alacattleman]

Walt,
Re:

So what is your association as far as feedlots are concerned? You seem like a feedlot advocate.

I don't consider myself a feed lot advocate or any other specific part thereof. . I consider myself an advocate for the entire cattle industry.
It may be that I just haven't dumped on the other phases of cattle productions yet.
But mark my word, it is coming and the sale barns are next. Then backgrounders and then finishing lots and then vets.
Just give me a little more time and I will pizz off everyone on this board.

Rest assured, I will expose the whole picture for all to see, simply because "it's hard to see the whole picture----------------------- when you're in it!!"
So now being retired and not being in the picture, I can see it all very clearly.
And I will tell you exactly how I see it, like it or not.
As I said before, I'm not here to make friend, I'm her to help improve the cattle industry.
SL

PS: you kids are hammering this one out pretty well on your own, so I will keep my mouth shut for a while.

its 11;24 so far so good

 

[Cowdirt]

Are you folks enjoying this exchange with SL? If so, keep taking the bait; if not better start ignoring some of these threads.

 

[TexasBred]

Are you folks enjoying this exchange with SL? If so, keep taking the bait; if not better start ignoring some of these threads.

It's like he's trying to teach jungle warfare to Vietnam Vets.

 

[alacattleman]

Are you folks enjoying this exchange with SL? If so, keep taking the bait; if not better start ignoring some of these threads.

you make it sound dramatic, he!@ this is his world we just living in it

 

[Brute 23]

No ones operation is the same so it is pointless to argue. Pull what you can use to benefit you and move on. This is Cattle Q&A... not Cattle Rehab.

 

[alacattleman]

No ones operation is the same so it is pointless to argue. Pull what you can use to benefit you and move on. This is Cattle Q&A... not Cattle Rehab.

i understand what your saying, heck i even halfway understand what sirloin is saying or trying to say.... but this is a begginer board..it needs ground level thinking.... thats where most are at .

 

[mnmtranching]

Let me be the first to say.
MR Sir Loin. you ain't gonna gonna win. To many REAL cattle people on these forums.
Have at it. :clap: We do need to be entertained.

 

[Calman]

i see a reocurring theme here it seems most think they will never see a return for preconditioning their calves. just how much premium does a person feel they need to cover the $10.00 vet bill for green tagging and a $13.00 vet bill for gold tagging calves? it seems the way some explain preconditioning it is a very time consuming, earth shaking, near catastrophic event. seriously what makes it so difficult to vaccinate and steer your calves and have them weaned before selling them?

You forgot to mention the ear tags.

Cal

 

[dieselbeef]

wow..where to start.
i only have 15 head.
i do have chutes and pens..portable tho cuz i help nieghbors who dont...they werk well
my cattle are bucket trained
i have a closed herd/run the bull all yr
my local salebarn gives me nothing or does it even ask if ive preconditioned or vacc
i wean at 6 mons
get the avg price usually
i live in FLORIDA
my animals get fence weaned and are backgrounded long before they hit the trailer..usually not vacc tho
eartags/yes

get on here quite a bit/lotta good stuff

some of sl rants are pretty good actually...the preconditioned bringin no extra has been hashed to death..most of the barns locally have no add premiums for almost anyhting other than the animal is on its feet. there about 3 -4 buyers taking all the animals..all day long..think theyre doin much besides getin em cheap as poss?? dont seem to be. ive talked to em and they buy acc to size and color for thier buyers

its a terrible situation really for us and i know im going to take mine to a diff barn next time even tho its twice as far away now that theyre open on sun to unload for mon sale.
i only sell my culls as all my steers are sold as beef.
i could hardly address all the s/l issues but to me from my perspective there is alot of what he says to be in my world also. maybe he is just an old school type and is in the same mentality as the old school guys local here in fl who still think that citrus peel is no good for cattle even after i hand them a brochure from usf statin otherwise..its in their hand and they will argue that its garbage...still alot of that in the south.
ill read it cuz there alwasy something to be learned either way...some stuff to be towards and some stuff to be away from but either way ..input is good

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Some areas have enough feeder calves to make a good sale & preconditioning programs will make you money. But, I'm sure some of you live in areas that your local sale barn totally ignores any benefits derived from precond.
But, if you have quality calves to maket, you should MARKET them - not ship them to the local sale barn. Some of you market your steers by finishing them out and sell freezer trade. That's probably the best bang for your bucks. YOU benefit from the precond. program.
I market all my feeders to a feedlot. He will take anything I have - over my scales - no shrink - because our cattle have made him money. No bawling (his wife loves that), no sickness, and they grow good. They have had 3 sets of shots, wormed twice, weaned & on grain. Oh yeah, they do have eartags & tattoos. :banana:

 

[mnmtranching]

Eartags are 1 thing :nod: I can't imagine busy people taking the time to tattoo cattle going into a feed lot. 8) :help: :cowboy: I guess that's a NY thing. :cowboy:

Relax Jeannie I'm only kidding. Whatever you do is OK. :wave:

 

[Jogeephus]

there about 3 -4 buyers taking all the animals..all day long..think theyre doin much besides getin em cheap as poss?? dont seem to be. ive talked to em and they buy acc to size and color for thier buyers

But, if you have quality calves to maket, you should MARKET them - not ship them to the local sale barn.

Diesel, I'm not too terribly far from you and we - meaning people in my area - buy a lot of cattle out of Florida through buyers. These buyers buy for many different people and many different needs. Like Jeanne said, you should MARKET them. How? Get to know one or more of these buyers and let them know what you got to sell and what type operation you are running. I broke the ice with one by asking him what HE wanted me to raise. He looked at me oddly and I told him that I noticed he had bought over half of my calves but they weren't ringing the bell on price and I wondered what he wanted. I went on to tell him I'd raise polka-dotted calves if they would bring top dollar cause I didn't care what I raised. From that time on things changed - of course it took me two years to do what he asked - but I did and things changed for the better. We had an understanding. There are many opportunities to market your cattle outside the barn but they are not easily found until you find the door. Even through the barn there are ways to sell outside the barn. You just have to find the door. Once the door is cracked, it will open as wide as you feel comfortable - assuming you are willing to provide what your customer wants. JMO

 

[dun]

Missouri has several groups in different parts of the state that co-mingle and background calves then sell by potloads. Other states may have the same kinds of deal. Can;t hurt to check with your extension office.

 

[dieselbeef]

thats why i sell mine as beef now even with the added grief

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

ALL our calves are tattooed. It's what reputable registered breeders do.