denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
As some of you know about a year ago I moved from the place that I had lived on most of my life, I still lease it and have cattle there and sevarel other places, our new place is where I mostly feed my weaned calves and run a small herd of about 25 cows. In the last year I have lost about 20% if the calves born here at the new place.
Before this I had never had any blackleg in my cattle, but I always gave all my calves a 7 way and type A shot when I worked them and when I weaned. When we got here to the new place I started losing healthy calves at 7 to 14 days old, so then I cought most every calf born and at 7 days or less I gave them shots, so far that was working.
This morning one of the calves I hadn't cought at birth was dead at about 2 months old, still fresh enough to have autopsy done, I hadn't found any of the others quick enough to have one checked before.
My vet cuts him open and starts checking things and finds blackleg and alot of fibers, he says it may be type EE blackleg, there is no vaccination for EE, type A and 7 way together can work on it, but often don't.
He says if the next calf born gets both shots at 5 days and again 2 weeks later and still dies he can do some more tests ( that he couldn't do on this one today ) and tell for sure. There is no way to get it out of the ground if it's here.
So today I pretty much found out that it's very possible I may have to sell my farm and move because I have something that there is nothing you can do about.
Before this I had never had any blackleg in my cattle, but I always gave all my calves a 7 way and type A shot when I worked them and when I weaned. When we got here to the new place I started losing healthy calves at 7 to 14 days old, so then I cought most every calf born and at 7 days or less I gave them shots, so far that was working.
This morning one of the calves I hadn't cought at birth was dead at about 2 months old, still fresh enough to have autopsy done, I hadn't found any of the others quick enough to have one checked before.
My vet cuts him open and starts checking things and finds blackleg and alot of fibers, he says it may be type EE blackleg, there is no vaccination for EE, type A and 7 way together can work on it, but often don't.
He says if the next calf born gets both shots at 5 days and again 2 weeks later and still dies he can do some more tests ( that he couldn't do on this one today ) and tell for sure. There is no way to get it out of the ground if it's here.
So today I pretty much found out that it's very possible I may have to sell my farm and move because I have something that there is nothing you can do about.