What age to vaccinate calfs ?
- Thread starter Stepper
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Bez>
Well-known member
They get nothing here until they get weaned. 6 Months easy before we hit them with anything. Works for us.
Ask your veterinarian for the locally recommended protocol.
Many areas are different and therefore the advice you may get from someone in Alberta vs someone in Arizona may both be entirely off the mark - especially if you live in Florida.
By the way - where are you from?
Bez>
Ask your veterinarian for the locally recommended protocol.
Many areas are different and therefore the advice you may get from someone in Alberta vs someone in Arizona may both be entirely off the mark - especially if you live in Florida.
By the way - where are you from?
Bez>
Bez>
Well-known member
jcarkie":3g8y86a6 said:
If you do mom with live vaccine before she is bred it works even better.
Bez>
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
We use a killed virus vaccine on all our cattle. We vaccinate calves between 3-4 months and booster at weaning (~205 days). Then, yearly thereafter for all animals. De-worm in spring and fall.
The Vet vaccinates all heifers between 4 and 12 months against Brucellosis, tags, and reports to State of Texas.
We're also a TB Accredited and Brucellosis Certified disease free herd, the Vet tests yearly in the fall.
The Vet vaccinates all heifers between 4 and 12 months against Brucellosis, tags, and reports to State of Texas.
We're also a TB Accredited and Brucellosis Certified disease free herd, the Vet tests yearly in the fall.
Bez,
I am from North West Arkansas. I ask my vet about when to vaccinate calfs and he said i could as eary as 2 months. But i thought i had read somewhere here that it would not do any good vaccinating before 3 months.
I like to vaccinate(work my cows) in the Spring before i move them to pasture and then again in the fall after the grass in gone in about October. I have my pens and head gate where i feed them in the winter. And that location is also where i cut a big part of my hay. So i have to move them off that pasture.
So when i move them to summer pasture i dont have pens to catch and work the calfs in. And the calfs will only be about 2 months old when it is time for me to move them. If i had to i could set up pannels and catch the calfs but they will probably be weighing 300 to 350 lbs by then and it would be alot of stress on the calfs/cows and hard as heck to try and work them without a head gate. Even though i dont have but 9 of them to work. It could still be a job.
I really dont feel good about letting them go until weaning. And my vet does not reccommend it either. I kind of thought about going ahead and vaccinating my calfs at 2 months of age along with the cows before i move them so that i have the facilities to work them in easier.
I am from North West Arkansas. I ask my vet about when to vaccinate calfs and he said i could as eary as 2 months. But i thought i had read somewhere here that it would not do any good vaccinating before 3 months.
I like to vaccinate(work my cows) in the Spring before i move them to pasture and then again in the fall after the grass in gone in about October. I have my pens and head gate where i feed them in the winter. And that location is also where i cut a big part of my hay. So i have to move them off that pasture.
So when i move them to summer pasture i dont have pens to catch and work the calfs in. And the calfs will only be about 2 months old when it is time for me to move them. If i had to i could set up pannels and catch the calfs but they will probably be weighing 300 to 350 lbs by then and it would be alot of stress on the calfs/cows and hard as heck to try and work them without a head gate. Even though i dont have but 9 of them to work. It could still be a job.
I really dont feel good about letting them go until weaning. And my vet does not reccommend it either. I kind of thought about going ahead and vaccinating my calfs at 2 months of age along with the cows before i move them so that i have the facilities to work them in easier.
Stepper":1juqczh7 said:
As I understand it, it does no good to vaccinate newborns because: A) their immune system is not developed enough to be able to assimilate the antibodies in the vaccine (if I remember correctly, the immune system does not mature until 4, maybe 5 months of age - but I could be wrong on that), and B) the antibodies in Mom's milk tend to destroy/block the antibodies in the vaccine if they are not present in the colostrum/milk - if they are present, you're wasting money. We vaccinated at weaning, then yearly boosters.
Bez>
Well-known member
msscamp":1qu3h1s9 said:
Hey msscamp - that is because you and I hail from western style cattle raising. Hence my comments about location and the local protocols.
We would never run the calves through the ring until weaning - but I know others who do.
Stay well - and be good!
Bez>
sjr725
Well-known member
We vaccinate at the same time we brand, dehorn(if needed) - they'll be about 3 months old before turning everyone out to summer pasture and then again at weaning before shipping. We'll vaccinate cows annually at the same time we ship calves in the fall - when we bring them home to calve. So they'll be about 4 months away from calving. That way they'll provide good immunity to the babies for the first couple of months.
If a cow was never vacinated for or exposed to a particular disease she will have no antibody in her colostrum. Therefore; if you are shipping in calves from a distant location, with different resistence, it would be cheap insurance to go ahead and vacinate them earlier than weaning. Six weeks is usually the magic number on the bottle, but I have done an 8way as early three days old during a problem period. The QBN requires the vacination and booster to qualify for their sale. This can be done pre wean, weaning or weaning post weaning.
cow_crazy_101
Well-known member
jcarkie":1usfr3p1 said:
What about my bottle baby? he is 3 monthes old. and not on a momma.. but he was on his momma for eleven days.His Momma died of bloat.
he got the immunity she had until eleven days. i always move mine in the spring(april/may 1st) and work everything. then again in the fall at weaning, cows and calves. some calves are a little young, i just wait till weaning.
cow_crazy_101
Well-known member
3MR":pza1dt6b said:
LOL!!!That is too funny!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Running Arrow Bill":dxvntjon said:
Not trying to be a smart a$$, but if you use a killed vaccine and don't booster in 2-4 weeks (depending on the brand) than you are wasting your time and money both times (and each year there after). If the original killed vaccine shot is not followed by a booster in the exact amount of time recommended, it never provides an immunity for the cattle.
Maybe you do booster and just didn't say so. Just wanted to point that out for others reading this thread.
And as far as giving vaccines to 2 month old calves, I don't think it is harmful - just not very effective IF they got all their proper immunities from MOM.
