Health

Adjusting for Cold Weather

– Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

A few years ago, I used to smile a little when my wife complained that our house was too cold at 64°. Now I find myself sneaking over to the thermostat and bumping it up a couple degrees. It is easy for us to know when we are cold but how do we know when livestock are cold? In some situations, it is easy to see, such as if they are hunched up and shivering. Often it is hard to tell when they are cold. Their comfort range is not the same as ours.

Research has shown that below a certain point, our grazing animals will increase their metabolism to produce heat. This maintains body functions such as rumination and keeps the animal comfortable. To meet the needs of increased metabolism, the animal will consume more feed. How much extra feed they can consume is related to the Continue reading Adjusting for Cold Weather →

Cold Stress and Beef Cows

– Steve Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist, retired

Factors that create stress during the winter months are cold, wind, snow, rain and mud. The primary effect on animals is due to temperature. All these factors alter the maintenance energy requirement of livestock. Maintenance requirement can be defined, as the nutrients required for keeping an animal in a state of balance so that body substance is neither gained or lost. An interesting thing to note is that while energy requirements increase, protein requirements remain the same.

Some published sources contain nutrient requirements for beef cattle that include guidelines for adjusting rations during winter weather. Even without published sources, competent livestock producers realize the need for more feed during cold weather. Make sure that Continue reading Cold Stress and Beef Cows →

When should we be concerned about Vitamin A supplementation?

– Lawton Stewart, Ph.D., Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia

Are your cattle getting enough Vitamin A this winter?

Vitamins are a unique dietary component for beef cattle and are categorized into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Bacteria in the rumen synthesize water-soluble vitamins (e.g. B12, thiamin, niacin). Therefore, supplementation is generally not needed as long as the rumen if functioning properly. This leaves the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Of these, Vitamin A is considered the most important when feeding cattle.

What is Vitamin A and why is it important?
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a compound that is essential for growth, reproduction, maintenance of body tissue, and bone development. Technically, Vitamin A is not . . .

Continue reading When should we be concerned about Vitamin A supplementation?

Dealing with Cold Calves

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension

I can’t say for sure, but I imagine that any cow-calf producer would trade frozen ground for mud.  The downside of frozen ground and newborn calves is the chance for hypothermia.  Cows aren’t stupid.  When the weather turns cold the herd will congregate where it is dry and sheltered.  Those cows that come into labor and look to isolate themselves are often left to go to the worst spot of the field to drop their calf. The sight of a new calf stretched out in a wet hole, will knot up your stomach and you know it is going to be a long night trying to get it warmed back up.

Newborn calves don’t benefit from heat generated by the rumen fermentation that helps their mother weather cold temperatures.  When air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a calf is reliant on metabolic heat from the small fat reserves that are deposited prior to birth.  When a calf is born into an extreme cold environment, their normal 18-hour energy reserve can be quickly exhausted through shivering, leading to hypothermia.

A calf’s normal body temperature at birth should be Continue reading Dealing with Cold Calves →

Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle – Frequently Asked Questions

– Dr. Michelle Arnold – DVM, MPH UK Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

Heart and lungs from a cow with heart failure due to ionophore toxicosis. The lungs have a wet appearance compatible with pulmonary edema. Photo courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Janes, UKVDL.

Ionophores – what are they and why are they used?
Ionophores are feed additives utilized in the beef industry since 1975 as growth promoting agents and for control of coccidiosis. The approved ionophores for use in cattle in the US include monensin (Rumensin® – Elanco Animal Health; Monovet®90 – Huvepharma), lasalocid (Bovatec® – Zoetis) and laidlomycin propionate (Cattlyst® – Zoetis). Although all ionophores act similarly, this article will focus primarily on monensin as far more information is available due to its longstanding and widespread use in the beef industry.

Technically, monensin is a “monovalent carboxylic polyether ionophore antibiotic” produced by the fungus Streptomyces cinnamonensis. Ionophores are so named because they carry (the Latin root “phor” means carry) “ions” across normally impervious biological membranes, leading to disruption of normal cellular functions and cell death. When properly fed, ionophores beneficially alter the normal rumen microflora (bacteria, protozoa and fungi), resulting in increased efficiency of energy metabolism and improved nitrogen metabolism. In addition, monensin changes the ratio of volatile fatty acids in the rumen, increasing propionic acid production and reducing butyric and acetic acids, a change that ultimately provides more energy through increased production of glucose. Monensin is specifically labeled in beef cattle for 1) improved feed efficiency in mature beef cattle and cattle fed in confinement for slaughter; 2) increased rate of weight gain in stockers, feeders and replacement heifers; and 3) the prevention and control of coccidiosis in all classes of cattle (except veal calves) caused by Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii. In addition to its label claims, feeding monensin to cattle is known to Continue reading Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle – Frequently Asked Questions →

Livestock Water Development

– Mark Landefeld, Extension Educator (retired), Agricultural and Natural Resources, Monroe County and Jeff Bettinger, Lead District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service

The tank should hold a minimum of 25% of the daily herd requirement and allow 5 to 10% of the animals to drink at one time.

Many factors need to be considered when developing watering sources for livestock. Adequate amounts of water are needed to maintain high levels of production. Limiting water intake reduces animal performance quicker and more drastically than any other nutrient deficiency (Boyles). Improving springs or seeps by excavating, cleaning, capping or providing a collection and storage area improves the distribution of water and preserves water quality.

The Water Trough or Tank
The trough or tank should have adequate capacity to meet the requirements of all livestock. This should include the stor age volume necessary for carry-over between periods of replenishment. The trough or tank, when installed, should be . . .

Continue reading the OSU Extension Fact Sheet Livestock Water Development

Why should I castrate bull calves?

– Dr. Andrew Griffith, Assistant Professor, Livestock Marketing Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee

Why would I castrate bull calves when prices are so high? There are producers who castrate bulls and make them steers. There are producers who simply sell bull calves. There are producers who think they castrate bull calves, but they clearly struggle with counting to two or their castration technique needs to be refined. Regardless, there is still a good reason to castrate bull calves and market steers instead of bulls when prices are high.

For instance, 525 pound bulls were discounted $13 per hundredweight compared to same weight steers while 575 pound bulls were discounted $20 per hundredweight the week before Thanksgiving compared to same weight steers.

What other reason does a person need to castrate bull calves? What one will eventually realize when asking this question of those who do not castrate is the higher price does not always outweigh their cost of castration. Those who do not castrate will most likely never castrate bull calves and that is perfectly fine.

Cull Cows – Right Way Right Time

– Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, OSU Extension

Culls are a revenue stream!

Cull cows represent nearly 20% of the revenue to a cow-calf beef operation. Since 2022 cull prices for lean, high yielding cows have been at historical highs. This is in large part due to the severe drought in the western U.S. spanning from 2021-2022. Although cows represent a large portion of the beef supply and are more valuable than ever, the 2022 National Beef Quality Audit revealed that cow condition and quality had been on a decline.

One of the biggest surprises of the audit was the number of beef cull cows that were recorded as inadequately muscled at 70.4%, nearly double the rate of cows from the 2016 audit. These are cows with a muscle score 1 or 2 out of 5. With regards to body condition scores on a 9 – point scale nearly 67% of cows had a BCS of less than 5.

In addition to lower BCS and muscling scores there was an increased Continue reading Cull Cows – Right Way Right Time →

FDA Letter Asks Veterinarians to Discontinue Use of Unapproved Aspirin Products in Lactating Dairy Cattle, Potentially Other Species

– Gustavo M. Schuenemann, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Oho State University

“. . . there are no FDA-approved aspirin products for use in cattle.”

In October 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published a “Dear Veterinarian Letter” informing veterinarians and their clients to discontinue use of unapproved aspirin products to treat pyrexia and pain in lactating dairy cattle. A total of 616 confirmed dairy herds in 15 US states were reported positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as of November 22, 2024. Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is being used on some dairy farms to treat cattle infected with HPAI. In the past, FDA considered aspirin products to be of low regulatory concern. However, because the increased use of unapproved aspirin and the availability in the US market of labeled products for treatment of pyrexia (fever) in cattle, the FDA has shifted this stance to state such use as illegal.

The letter states that “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration understands that veterinarians and dairy farmers may be treating lactating dairy cattle for pyrexia and pain with aspirin and wants to clarify that there are no Continue reading FDA Letter Asks Veterinarians to Discontinue Use of Unapproved Aspirin Products in Lactating Dairy Cattle, Potentially Other Species →

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Rethinking High-Risk Stocker Calf Management

– Dr. Michelle Arnold – DVM, MPH UK Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

Figure 1: Photo from “High-Risk Cattle Management and Stocker Calf Health”, by Brent Credille, DVM, PhD. (Veterinary Clinics of North America, Food Animal Practice vol 38 (2022) page 235).

Bovine Respiratory Disease (“BRD”) or “shipping fever”, also known as bronchopneumonia, continues to be the most common cause of illness and death in postweaned (stocker) calves despite significant improvements in the vaccines and antibiotics available today. Traditionally, disease prevention through vaccination was thought to be the answer to improving stocker health outcomes but the current vaccination recommendations are not meeting the challenge as morbidity and mortality rates continue to rise. There is an increasing amount of research focusing on the importance of the normal, healthy “microbiota” (bacterial population) in the upper respiratory tract to maintain calf health and improve immunity. This normal microbial population modulates, or controls, host immune defenses through several mechanisms including Continue reading Rethinking High-Risk Stocker Calf Management →

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