Beef cattle producers should consider marketing options for their calves after weaning. Calves can be sold immediately, or can undergo a short preconditioning period before sale. A preconditioning program is typically 45 to 60 days in length, and is a time when a cow-calf/stocker producer will acclimate calves to bunk feeding and build the health status of a weaned calf prior to sale. These practices may result in added weight and potential premiums when calves are sold. Calves that are preconditioned can transition to a stocker or feedlot setting more readily.
Marketing Strategies
There are many excellent reasons to precondition calves, i.e. it is good for the industry as a whole because you have healthier, better performing calves, it’s good for the feedlot because calves adjust quicker and perform more efficiently, and/or it is just a good animal husbandry practice. However, a producer should carefully evaluate the effects that preconditioning will have on his or her farm from an economic perspective. Preconditioning calves will cost a producer time and money and could present cash-flow issues. Producers should carefully consider the cost involved and develop a marketing plan that will help increase their potential for reaping monetary benefit from preconditioning.
Where or how you plan to sell your cattle will have a direct impact on whether preconditioning will actually make or cost you money. There will always be expenses associated with preconditioning (feed, labor, land, machinery, initial weight loss, etc., etc.), so it is important to maximize your capability to recapture some of that investment. Feeder cattle are marketed in several ways in Alabama, but the majority are marketed either individually (or small groups) through local sale barns, by forward selling through board sales or video/internet marketers, or by retaining ownership through the feedlot system. All of these systems are viable alternatives for Alabama producers, but not all present the same level of profit potential for producers that precondition their calves.
Producers who market through the local sale barn should consider contacting their sale barn manager, and discus potential sale dates and details of their preconditioning program. While the sale barn manager cannot guarantee that producers will receive premiums for preconditioning (nor can any of the other marketing options), they can certainly increase the opportunity for that to happen if they are aware that these calves will be arriving at the market at a given time. That allows the sale barn manager to assist the producer with marketing his calves.
If a certain feeder calf sale is targeted, it is important to know the program requirements for calves to qualify in the sale. Documentation of these practices is often necessary to participate in the sale, and may require: a history of animal health products used, individual calf identification, a minimum length of ownership before calves can be sold, a certain length of the preconditioning period (usually 45 to 60 days), and a description of the nutritional plan used for development of the lot.
Producers who retain ownership may have the greatest potential to benefit from pre-conditioning. Preconditioned calves will perform better than calves that are weaned as they load the truck to go to the feedlot. Producers should expect better gain, quicker adjustment and less death loss from preconditioned calves.
Producers should always look at the cost of gain associated with preconditioning calves and make sure that the value they receive is greater than that cost. There are no guarantees in the cattle industry, and even if a producer does everything right it might prove unprofitable on certain years (and in fairness, even producers who do many things wrong will be profitable in certain years). However, producers who evaluate cost of gain verses value of gain of preconditioning (within the context of where and how they will market their animals) and make their production decisions based on that evaluation will maximize their profit potential and greatly increase their short and long term sustainability.
Weaning Techniques - Calves should be weaned at least 45 to 60 days before sale. Weaning is a stressful time in the life of the calf, and a management plan to minimize stress during weaning should be implemented. Small pasture, drylots, or corrals can serve as good areas for weaning. Weaning calves in a familiar area may decrease post-weaning stress. Fenceline weaning is a practice where calves remain in close proximity to their mothers, which can reduce stress on the calf and minimize performance losses.
Herd Health Protocols – A good herd health program is an essential part of any cattle management program. This begins with establishing a relationship with a veterinarian who can work closely with the farm to best meet the needs of the herd. Many producers think about vaccinations, deworming or other treatment strategies when developing a plan. However, management practices that decrease handling and environmental stresses on cattle can also have an impact on herd health.
Vaccinations – Every cattle operation will have unique vaccination requirements based on individual herd goals and marketing strategies, so the following guidelines for vaccinating preconditioned feeder cattle may not be applicable in all situations. The best use of these guidelines is as a starting point to develop an effective vaccination protocol with your herd health veterinarian and/or Extension agent. Depending on your marketing strategy, it would also be wise to check on particular sale requirements regarding vaccinations.
Preconditioned feeder calves should generally be vaccinated against the following:
1) IBR/BVD/PI3/BRSV (commonly available in a single vaccine)
a) IBR = infectious bovine rhinotracheitis
b) BVD = bovine viral diarrhea
c) PI3 = parainfluenza3
d) BRSV = bovine respiratory syncytial virus
2) 7-way clostridial (blackleg)
3) Mannheimia haemolytica
4) Other organisms to consider vaccinating against include Pasteurella multocida and
Histophilus somni
Properly store and administer vaccines according to FDA-approved label directions, adhere to designated meat withdrawal times, booster primary vaccinations when recommended, and follow all other Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) guidelines. For more information about vaccinating beef cattle and to learn more about the different types of vaccines available (e.g. killed/inactivated, modified-live, chemically altered), please refer to ANR-0968 Vaccinations for the Beef Cattle Herd.
Deworming – Calves should be properly dewormed at the beginning of the preconditioning period. This ensures that you receive the maximum benefit of the deworming while the calves are still in your possession. Waiting until later in the preconditioning period to deworm calves means that the next owner is going to receive most of the benefit of your investment in dewormer. Properly dewormed calves also respond better to vaccination protocols. Dewormers can be administered as an injection, pour-on, or orally. Regardless of the route, take care to administer the proper dose according to the calf’s weight and FDA-approved dosage recommendations found on the product label. Administering more than recommended is a waste of money. Not administering enough dewormer results in poorer product efficacy and can lead to the development of parasite resistance to the dewormer. When using a pour-on dewormer, be sure to follow the manufacture’s recommendations regarding application.
This means pouring the dewormer evenly down the animal’s backline from the withers (shoulder area) to the tailhead. Always adhere to FDA-approved withdrawal times and follow all other BQA guidelines when deworming cattle.
Castration - Castration is recommended to improve the temperament of cattle, for economic considerations, and for consumer preference in beef calves. Feeder cattle buyers prefer steers that have been castrated over bull calves that remain intact. Bull calves not intended for breeding purposes should be castrated as young as possible. Where practical, cattle should be castrated before the age of 3 months, or at the first available handling opportunity beyond this age. Calves that are castrated at a younger age recover more quickly, and the procedure is easier to perform. Cattle buyers often prefer calves that have been surgically castrated. Alternatively, calves can be castrated using an elastrator. If an elastrator is used, care must be taken to properly immunize calves against tetanus using one of several available FDA-approved commercial vaccines. Proper immunization requires administering two doses of vaccine at the proper interval, typically 3-6 weeks apart according to label directions.
Implanting - Implants can complement other good management practices such as crossbreeding, adequate nutrition, deworming, ionophores, castration, and vaccinations to improve gain in growing beef calves. Implants are small pellets that can be inserted under the
skin on the back side of a calf’s ear and contain slow release growth-promoting hormones that increase muscle growth over time. Steer calves and heifers to be sold to the feedlot should be implanted, whereas replacement heifers and intact bulls should not receive growth promoting implants.
Dehorning - Dehorning is a cost-effective practice that can add value to feeder cattle and reduce risk of injury to those handling cattle. Calves should be dehorned at the earliest age that is practical since young calves tend to recover quicker and have fewer complications than those dehorned at an older age. It is important to make sure that calves are properly restrained in a livestock chute before dehorning. Using a halter or nose tongs can help immobilize the calf’s head for the dehorning procedure. Talk to your veterinarian about recommendations for local anesthesia prior to dehorning older calves.
Nutritional Programs – A good nutritional program can help support growth and performance of calves during the preconditioning period. During this time, calves transition from a milk diet to a forage/concentrate-based diet. Training calves to use a feed bunk or watering trough can be accomplished during the preconditioning phase. Place feed bunks perpendicular to fencelines so that calves can easily find feed when they walk the fence. Calves should have between 1.5 to 2 feet of bunk space per head to prevent crowding. Water troughs should be highly visible and accessible. Small troughs may be more attractive to weaned calves because 1) they can hear it being refilled quickly and 2) the water supply may turn over more quickly in small troughs than large ones, keeping the water clean and cool.
Rations for weaned calves can vary and may consist of grazed forage and supplemental feed, or a drylot-based diet. Collecting weights at weaning can help producers estimate weight gain goals during the preconditioning period and better formulate an accurate nutritional plan. Have realistic expectations for gain during this time period. Weaned calves will often lose weight during the first week after weaning, but will slowly begin to regain within a two to three week period. Calves should be slowly acclimated to supplemental feeds to prevent acidosis. Begin by providing 0.5% of body weight in feed, and increase to the needed amount by two to three pounds every three days. Calves should always have free-choice access to grazed or harvested, stored forage to support rumen health. Provide access to a free-choice mineral or mix into these rations to help meet micronutrient requirements. The following table provides some example feeding levels for one-to-two ingredient rations. More complex least-cost rations can be formulated to support performance of growing calves. Contact your Animal Science and Forage Extension Agent (aces.edu/directory) for more information and guidance on developing multi-ingredient rations.
Table 1. Supplemental feeding level ranges1 (lb/hd/d) for a 600-lb beef calf in a 45- to 60-day preconditioning program.
Source: aces.edu