Herd Health is absolutely a prime example of the age old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Many times a producer does not consider or appreciate the value of a true year-round herd health program until confronted with a difficult calving season or an unacceptable level of calf loss from health challenges.
Year-Round Herd Health
Managing through a disease outbreak many times is more costly than implementing a preventative health program. Understanding that many cow calf producers have employment away from the farm or ranch, greatly reduces the amount of time available during the day to attend to management and health issues with the cow herd.
As a producer it is important that you take an active role identifying health related issues particular to your area. Consulting with other producers in your area both beef and dairy are a good initial resource for not only someone new to the cattle business but also for individuals that have move and are new to an area. Your local veterinarian is also an excellent resource to help develop a herd health program.
During their life cattle develop 2 types of immunity passive immunity and active immunity. Passive immunity is immunity that passes from the cow to her calf in colostrum. Active immunity is either naturally developed from exposure to a disease or as the result of an immunization program.
Additionally in the initial development of a herd health program it is good to establish a plan to meet the management needs of the herd. It is important to remember cattle need to be most protected as they enter times when their health will be challenged. Many times periods of stress are elevated when a change occurs in the weather or the management of animals. For example, stress occurs during times when calves are weaned or again when they are co-mingled with other animals the calves will experience an elevated level of stress. Calves will remain healthy as long as their level of protection or immunity is higher than the level of stress they are exposed to.
A good herd health program should begin in the cow herd prior to the calves being born. A cow herd vaccination program stimulates the immune system in the cow causing her to build the necessary antibodies to provide passive immunity to her calf in colostrum. This is the first line of protection for the new calf. It is important to remember several factors beyond a health program will impact the health and vitality of the new calf. For example changes in the body condition score of the cow will have a direct impact on the amount and quality of the colostrum a cow produces. The industry established body condition score of 5 – 6 is an optimum range for cow performance pre-calving. Cows in a lower body condition will not produce the same quantity or quality of colostrum. Calves born to these lower body condition cows will not receive the same level of protection as calves born to cows in a higher body condition score.
In addition to preparing the cow for calving it is important to establish a good health plan for the calves prior to being moved from the farm or ranch of origin. Calves will carry a level of natural immunity to the health challenges and diseases it will be exposed to where it is born. A good plan should also consider the future location of a calf if it is sold from the premises. So plan for not only where the calf currently resides but also build a vaccination plan for where the cattle are being shipped to if sold.
The following chart outlines the suggested times during the year and principal products to consider in a basic year round herd health program for the North East. No specific product names are identified. Producers can source products from numerous sources and should consult with a local veterinarian for the specific products available. Additionally, there are some specific products that should be included in a vaccination program for calves being shipped out of state to different parts of the country.
Source:psu.edu
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