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Commingling Calves and Respiratory Disease
We would like to invite farmers to keep a farmers’ day in their area regarding the study done in this particular article. This has been a very informative study and we think every cattle farmer can benefit from this. Please contact the Octavoscene Head Office if you are planning to hold such a day in your area. Dr Shaun Morris (BVSc (Hons) MSc Agric), Director of Octavoscene (Pty) Ltd, a specialist feedlot expert and veterinarian, would like to assist you with the training and we will help to make this event a very successful day. This is a relatively long article and the study is about the following topic: Effects of commingling beef calves from different sources and weaning protocols during a forty-two-day receiving period on performance and bovine respiratory disease D. L. Step*,3, C. R. Krehbiel†, H. A. DePra†, J. J. Cranston†; R. W. Fulton**, J. G. Kirkpatrick*, 5D. R. Gill†,M. E. Payton‡, M. A. Montelongo**, andA. W. Confer** 67*Departments of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and **Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for 8Veterinary Health Sciences;†Department of Animal Science, Division of Agricultural Sciences 9and Natural Resources;and ‡Department of Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma 10State University, Stillwater, OK 74078. Approved for publication by the Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. This research was supported under project H-2438 and a grant from the Noble Foundation. The authors acknowledge R. Ball, B. Starr, and students from the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center for providing processing, animal care, and record keeping expertise, and Cattleco, […]
Outbreak of Anthrax | 30 May 2019
Red Meat Producers Organisation | By Maryna Brits All farmers are requested to urgently vaccinate their animals against anthrax. This includes cattle, sheep and goats. Anthrax also occurs within game and under no circumstances must venison of infected game, be consumed. Farmers must also be very cautious when buying in new animals and ensure that the animals are disease-free. The movement of animals (live stock and game) must as far as possible be avoided and if any mortalities occur, the carcass must be handled with the utmost care and it must under no circumstances be cut open. This follows after an outbreak of anthrax has been confirmed near Maseru in Lesotho. In this case, humans also got infected with the disease after the carcasses have been cut open and eaten. A ten kilometer radius has been quarantined. Farmers from Ha-Tseka were warned not to take their products to a Maseru trade fair. Even animal movement between the Free State and Lesotho will be restricted and no trade will be allowed. The areas affected includes Ladybrand in the Maseru-zone, Zastron, Wepener, Maputsoe, Botha Bothet and Thabo Mofutsanyane. Anthrax is a highly contagious and infectious soil-borne disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a relatively large spore-forming bacteria that can infect mammals. Animals are infected with anthrax when they eat contagious plant materials, water or even the bones of dead animals. Animals who contract the disease show the following symptoms :-they don’t eat; there is a decline in milk production; milk may be bloody; […]
Pig Production and Management Discussion Session | 22 May 2019
Octavoscene Western-Cape held a Pig Production and Management Discussion Session on the 22nd of May 2019. They held the session at the Nuweplaas Farmstall situated in the scenic countryside of Malmesbury, nearby the Riebeek Valley and Swartland Wine Route. Dr Peter Evans from CS Vet and Dr Friedrich Osterhoff was our guest speakers for the session. It was a very interesting and inspirational learning experience. Dr Peter Evans talked about optimising your Pig Farm . The demands for sustainable production in the competitive pig farming industry can only be met when the whole production chain from farm to fork becomes more efficient. Dr Peter Evans graduated from Onderstepoort in 1983 and joined CS Vet in 1993. There is no way a farmer can run a profitable pig business unless he feeds properly. Healthy pigs need a nutritious, well-balanced diet at every stage in production; if the nutrition is poor the pigs will not be productive and the business will not be profitable. “Pigs need the right nutrition to perform well. You can’t take shortcuts in feeding,” says vet and pig specialist, Dr Peter Evans. Dr Friedrich Osterhoff of AHRHOFF GmbH talked about Recent Advances in Sow and Weaner Nutrition. Feeding and nutritional strategies for weaned pigs, regardless of age, should be thoroughly reviewed on a regular basis to ensure success of your weaning age program. Properly designed nutritional programs and feed budgets cannot, by themselves, ensure a successful nursery program. It’s important when moving to an older pig at […]
Beef Cattle Research Update
BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH UPDATE Britt Hicks, Ph.D., PASArea Extension Livestock SpecialistOklahoma Panhandle Research & Extension CenterMarch 2019 Effects of Vaccination Timing on Performance, Antibody Response, and Health in Feedlot Cattle The bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex is the most is the most devastating health problem of the beef industry. 1, 2 It is the primary cause of morbidity (70%–80%) and mortality (40%–50%) in feedlots in the United States and continues to contribute to substantial losses in feedlot performance, health, and carcass quality. 3 A 2011 USDA survey of U.S. feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head indicated that most feedlots vaccinated cattle and that the most common vaccinations administered were for the prevention of BRD.4 As a percentage of all feedlots, 96.6% vaccinated for bovine viral diarrhea and 93.7% vaccinated for infectious bovine rhino-tracheitis (IBR), while 89.1% vaccinated for bovine respiratory syncytial virus and 85.1% vaccinated for parainfluenza-3 virus. It is widely accepted that vaccination of healthy calves for respiratory pathogens is important for preventing BRD and maintaining optimal calf health. Hence, most feedlot receiving protocols include vaccination against BRD viruses for high-risk cattle within 48 hours of arrival. However, research suggest that vaccine efficacy is reduced when administered to highly stressed animals since immune function can temporarily be compromised. Weaning, marketing, and shipment of feeder cattle to feedlots are major stressors to cattle.5 For these reasons, altering the time of vaccination against BRD has been investigated as an approach to enhance vaccine efficacy, immunity to BRD, and […]
Mud and Lameness in Beef Cattle
Melting snow and spring rains produce conditions that can increase lameness in beef cattle. Mud is among the predisposing causes for cattle lameness. Wetness decreases hoof hardness and increases the incidence of claw lesions. Research has shown that nearly one-third of the total water absorbed by the hoof happens during the first hour of exposure to high moisture resulting in heavier and softer hooves. Although not as prevalent as observed in the dairy industry, when it happens it may lead to decreased feed intake, lower weight gains, reduced reproduction (both in cows and bulls), and greater culling rates. Beef producers address muddy conditions by creating mounds where cattle can lay down on higher, drier ground. There is a minimal cost to establish a mound particularly when the shaping takes place previous to installing fences, bunks, watering and aprons. With a slope of 3% – 5%, mounds work best when built parallel to the direction of the slope and are located in the center line of the pen. In older lots these mounds can be newly built or strengthened periodically by adding manure and dirt. Mounds however do not last forever and more than likely will need some reshaping with additional material yearly. The main concern is when either by accident small rocks or pebbles are present in the material used to build them. Standing cattle apply a significant amount of pressure to any surface. In a 2017 University of Kentucky article researchers compared this pressure with that of other livestock, […]
AIP in the Feedlot
AIP in the Feedlot AIP is the acronym for Acute (or Atypical) Interstitial Pneumonia. This disease is known by various different names over the years, such as Acute Bovine Pulmonary Emphysema and Edema, Bovine Asthma, Feedlot Dust Pneumonia, Fog Fever and the list goes on. It is a primary respiratory disease that leads to severe edema and emphysema of the lung tissue that leads to death in the majority of cases. This is documented to be the second most important respiratory disease affecting feedlot cattle. The financial impact of AIP can be significant, since it normally affects cattle in the finishing stage of their feeding period, animals which by that time increased in value to the producer due to increased weight – the result of various costly inputs. Outside the feedlot setting, AIP is reported (often as outbreaks) on lush green pastures and fermented crops. Especially when moving animals from low quality roughage, to high quality pasture that have high protein levels. With a sudden increase in protein levels, L-Tryptophan (a common amino acid/or protein building block) is converted to 3-Methylindole (3-MI) in the rumen by bacterial species such Lactobacillus. 3-MI is then readily absorbed through the rumen into the bloodstream, and when it reaches the lungs it gets converted to 3-Methyleneindolenine (3-ME) and this molecule is then responsible for causing the damage to the lungs seen in AIP. The above description is accepted as the etiology for Fog Fever. In the feedlot setting however, there are no […]
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