New Calves - How do you prevent illness

[cjc]

Hello Everyone,

I am just over a month away from expecting the first calf for us for the season. Last year my first calf died due to a navel infection and I still feel terrible about it. I know I could have prevented this. That same cow is now expecting her second and I MUST ensure I keep this calf safe for her. Here is what I will now do when my calves are born. I did this with my last calf and he is almost 7 months old now and very healthy. Please share what you do with your calves when they are born and what you think about my regimen.

At Birth:
Iodine cleaning of the naval
Covexin (8 way) 1.5mil
Vitamin A&D

1 week after birth:
Nasal Spray for pneumonia

8 weeks old:
Repeat the Nasal Spray

Your advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

If you're in a selenium deficient selenium and cows aren't getting enough selenium supplement, a shot of that will be needed as well to prevent white-muscle disease. Usually cows would be getting that shot a few months or so before calving, because the white-muscle disease will show up in newly born calves.

Vitamin A&D is good, but so is Vit. ADE.

And as far as Covexin is concerned, if he's already at weaning stage, he should be getting another shot of Covexin soon.

 

[cjc]

Ok great. A local cattle rancher mentioned selenium to me on the weekend. I will add that to be list. For the 8 way. I should give it a week after birth, at 8 weeks and then again at 6 months?

My girls are due in April. Should I give them a shot of selenium now?

 

[Latestarter]

I believe typically those type shots are given about 4 weeks before birth. That way the mom passes some benefit on to the offspring...

 

[WildRoseBeef]

I'm agreeing with @Latestarter you should be vaccinating the cows around that time (or 2 to 8 weeks before calving), so that you don't have to hit the calf so early with covexin. I just feel that the covexin was given way too early. Have you given the 7 month old another covexin shot since then, or no? If not, then he should get one ASAP and, if I'm right (though I'm no vet so what do I know?), again when he's a yearling. OR, and probably the best alternative because we've practiced this ourselves with the calves we've gotten about that age, is to vaccinate NOW, then follow up with a booster 4 to 6 weeks later. Especially for this 7 mo. old calf. Not so much for the expected calves.

If you (and you should) vaccinate the dams, and I'm hoping "April" doesn't mean starting the first of April, but more into mid-April or late-April, you should give them a shot, as mentioned, when they're 2 to 8 weeks away from calving. Then you can follow up with a first shot for the calves when they're 8 to 12 weeks old (2 to 3 months), and give a booster at weaning or 4 to 6 weeks later. But if you miss the window to vaccinate the cows, hold off on giving calves Covexin until they're at least 2 weeks old. Otherwise, it'll be just like squirting the vaccine on the ground if you do it as soon as they are born. Reason for this is that the calf has literally no active immunity, just the passive immunity it's getting from its mommas colostrum.

As for the other vaccinations, I really recommend you talk to a local large animal veterinarian about your herd vaccination schedule. I can't give you the real nitty gritty details about vaccinating, but I do think that you should start getting your cows done before calving so that you don't have to be vaccinating so early, like at a week of age. Eight weeks should be your first time you give the Covexin, then before weaning you should follow up with a booster plus a vaccine for IBR, PI3, BRSV, and BVD. With cows, scours vaccine may be needed if they're going to be calving in an area where calves can get affected with bacteria that cause scouring. If you're calving on grass, then you shouldn't need to do that. But again, talk to a vet.

Finally, I think the protocol for dipping navels is what saved this 7 month old. Navel ill isn't associated with clostridial diseases (not as far as I know).

 

[cjc]

Thank you very much for the help!

My calves have had the 8 way a week after birth and then 8 weeks later. They are now 6/7 months old and I just started weaning and have not given them another 8 way booster, but I will. I will do that this weekend.

One my girls is due early April but I will give her and the other 4 a vaccine this weekend.

I do have one heifer that I was uncertain if she took but a few days ago she started to develop udders. I did see some action between her and our bull and if my math is right she is looking to calf around mid April. When does a heifer usually start to show udders before she calves? @WildRoseBeef

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Udder growth in heifers normally is progressive, so you won't see any definitive signs that she's in milk until she's anywhere from several weeks to even a day before she calves. Heifers can be really tricky that way.

With the bull, I'm hoping that he's not rebreeding an open heifer, but courting a heifer that is showing initial signs of being ready to calve. Bulls will become as interested in cows just coming into labour (and throughout) as they would be with an open cow because of the estrogen being produced and given off as pheromones. So it sounds like she might be calving sooner than you think, but like I said, heifers can be tricky. They can show signs of calving, but not actually calve out until weeks later.

Instead of looking at the udder as imminent signs of calving, look at her tail head region and her vulva. When the tail head region sinks in and the vulva becomes more loose and swollen than usual, then she's getting close.

 

[cjc]

No, she was bred to the bull and that was it. There was no continued interaction between her and the bull or any other bull. I just assumed she took on the first try as there were no signs after that, that she didn't.

Thanks for the advice. I will watch for those signs. I am a little nervous with this heifer as she is quiet petite. I had a friend look at her and he said she was more than ready but she is just so small compared to our other girls. Wish me luck!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

How old do you figure she was when bred? And what's her and the bull's breeding? I'm hoping too you have no problems with her, otherwise have a vet on speed-dial just in case...

 

[cjc]

She was about 1.5 years. I borrowed the bull from a friend who breeds show cows and he had recommended that she was ready. She is what I believe to be a cross between a Red Angus and a Hereford. The bull is a Short Horn. Which is also my concern...our short horns are bigger than our angus but our friend who is very experienced didn't see this as an issue.

Here is a picture of me standing in the field with her and my other girls. She is the little red one to the left. Hence her name "Little Red".