Section
Herd Health
Vaccination, parasites, calving, treating sick stock.
12 stories
Herd Health
The last 90 days before calving are when the ration matters. What a bred cow actually needs.
A dry cow in mid-gestation gets by on almost anything. The same cow in the third trimester needs a quarter more energy and more protein, and if the hay does not have it, the calf gets it from her back. The numbers for a 1,300-pound cow, how to hit them with hay and a supplement, and the two mistakes that cost you next year's calf.
Oct 11
Herd Health
Fall deworming: the pour-on is not working as well as it used to, and here is how to find out
Resistance to the macrocyclic lactone pour-ons is documented in cattle parasites across the country. A fecal egg count before and after treatment costs less than a bottle of dewormer and tells you whether yours is doing anything. When to treat cows, when to treat calves, and how to keep the products that still work working.
Oct 1
Herd Health
Fenceline weaning: the same calves, two fewer days of bawling, and 20 more pounds
Pulling calves off the cow and hauling them to the sale barn the same day is the most expensive way to wean. Fenceline and two-step weaning keep the calf eating, keep the cow calm, and put pounds on before the truck comes. How to set it up and what it costs.
Sep 26
Herd Health
Score every cow at weaning. The cheap time to fix a thin cow is now.
A cow needs to be a 5 at calving to breed back on time. The 90 days between weaning and hard winter are the cheapest window to put condition on her. How to score, what to do with a 4, and why the 7 percent rule matters.
Sep 14
Herd Health
Preg check at weaning, sell the opens the same week
An open cow eats $400 of hay this winter and gives you nothing in April. With cull cow prices near record highs and hay short, the fall preg check is the single most profitable hour you will spend in the chute this year.
Sep 11
Herd Health
Vaccinate three weeks before you wean, not the day of
Bovine respiratory disease is still the biggest killer of weaned calves, and most of the cases trace back to timing. A practical fall processing plan for spring-born calves, with what to give, when, and why the order matters.
Sep 5