Pneumonia in Calves

Kari Lewis

Hot days and cool nights can predispose
calves to pneumonia, it's important to keep a
diligent eye on those older calves.  Photo by Kari Lewis.

As the weather warms up into spring, it often may feel that the ‘pressure is off’ when it comes to calving.  However, its important to not forget about the potential for pneumonia in those older calves.  As calves age, they have decreasing protection from maternal antibodies so their susceptibility to disease increases, especially in that time frame before they’ve received their branding time vaccinations.

When it comes to weather, these factors can predispose livestock to pneumonia. 

·         Dry and dusty conditions that irritate the lining of the respiratory tract

·         Large daily temperature swings such as hot days and cold nights

·         High humidity as moist air supports more pathogens than dry air

Calves that either received poor colostrum quality or insufficient quantity when they were born or have had inadequate nutrition are more susceptible to pneumonia.

Crowding, such as in barns, especially if there is poor ventilation or poor environmental sanitation increases the chance of pneumonia.  Any stress, such as calves being separated from their dams,

The possibility of pneumonia also increases if groups and ages of animals are mixed.  Mixing stresses animals and increases pathogen shedding, which exposes individuals to new pathogen strains.  When animals congregate, such as in cold and wet weather, concentrations of disease-causing organisms are increased as well, increasing their susceptibility. 

Signs of pneumonia include decreased activity, dropping ears, lowered head, coughing, nasal discharge, reduced feed intake (if you notice the cow hasn’t been sucked, for example), increased respiratory rate, fever, etc.  As pneumonia progresses, open mouth breathing may even be seen.  Severely affected animals will be reluctant to move and will have difficulty keeping up with the herd. 

Animals with pneumonia need to be treated in as low stress of a manner as possible with immediate treatment to minimize possibility of death.  Dehydrated animals would benefit from electrolytes.  Your veterinarian can help design a protocol for treating sick calves and also advise on proper calf vaccinations.

Minimizing Shrink at Shipping

Kari Lewis

The trucks are starting to roll, with more and more calves being weaned from their mothers and shipped off to greener pastures.  Some of these calves will head to Kansas and Oklahoma where they will graze winter wheat pastures, while others will head to Nebraska and Iowa where they will graze corn stalks this winter, before being finished.  With shipping on the forefront for many ranchers, today I’ll share a few tips for managing shrink at shipping time.

                “Shrink” is weight loss that occurs when cattle are gathered, transported, processed, or off feed or water.  The greater the weight loss, the lower the pay weight on the cattle.  There are two types of shrink – fill shrink and tissue shrink.  Fill shrink is the loss of rumen fill, manure, and urine that occurs when cattle don’t eat or drink.  This type of shrink is recovered relatively quickly after they begin eating and drinking again.  Tissue shrink, however, is a decrease in the weight of the carcass and body tissues, it’s the loss of extra-cellular and intra-cellular fluid loss, and is associated with long periods without feed and water.  Fill shrink occurs first, and as time goes on, tissue shrink accounts for increasingly more of the weight loss.

                The amount that cattle shrink is affected by the type of feed they are consuming, the gathering and sorting process, if they are weaned or not, the length and conditions of the haul, and any unusual conditions such as weather that may add additional stress.

                Cattle on highly digestible, lush, green grass shrink more than if they are on a less digestible, dried grass or hay.  A Montana study showed that cattle off dry pasture shrank 3.5% after a two-hour haul, compared to cattle that had been on lush, green forage that shrank 5.3%.  If you will be feeding hay prior to shipping, feed a forage type that cattle are used to.  Otherwise, a change in diet (such as from native grass to alfalfa hay) can cause digestive upsets and alfalfa hay also results in greater shrink.

                Cattle that are handled quietly and efficiently shrink less than cattle that go through an extensive gathering, sorting, and hauling process.  Take time now, before shipping day, to make sure your facilities are in good order so that you can quickly and efficiently sort and ship cattle.  If you can take the time to sort steers from heifers, sort out any calves that won’t be going on the truck on shipping day, pick replacement heifers, etc. ahead of time, that will allow the rest of the calves to get to the scale that much faster, with less shrink and a greater payweight.  For every 30 minutes that a group of cattle are moved around in a corral, expect an additional 0.5% weight loss.  So, if you spend extra time on shipping day repairing corrals, sorting out replacement heifers, or even taking 20 minutes for a coffee and a donut, realize that shrink that is increasing with each of those activities.

                Newly weaned calves can shrink as much as 8% if they are forced to stand in the yard for several hours or overnight.  On a 650 pound steer, an 8% shrink is over 50 pounds lost.  Weaning prior to shipping minimizes these losses. 

                The length of haul and conditions of haul greatly impact shrink as well.  Cattle will shrink about 2% more during shipping than if they were drylotted for the same number of hours.  Just loading and hauling cattle a short distance results in a typical 3% shrink.  Making sure to not overload the truck and that there is good footing in the truck helps minimize shrink during transport. 

                May you have a safe and successful fall shipping season!  This has been Kari Lewis with the MSU Extension Minute from Glacier County, have a great week!

Improving calf vaccination response

Kari Lewis, MSU Extension - Glacier County

For many producers, it’s nearly time for the second round of shots for calves prior to their fall weaning or shipping date.   When vaccinating, we want to make sure we can do everything possible to obtain a good response from the vaccine both for the calf’s future health and to ensure that our money spent on vaccine is effective. 

By gathering and working cattle efficiently and in a low-stress
manner, vaccine response is improved.  Photo by Kari Lewis.

The animal’s immune response to receiving a vaccination can be impacted by a multitude of factors.  Typically, human error, host response, and factors related to the vaccine are the most common causes of vaccine failure. 

If cattle have not been stressed, human error is most likely to be the cause of vaccine failure.  To minimize human error, always read and follow product label instructions to ensure the correct dosage and how to administer the product.  Be sure to never mix two products together in the same syringe and be careful to keep disinfectants out of the syringe barrel.  Residues of disinfectants left in the syringe barrel can break down modified live vaccines.  Vaccine barrels should be cleaned with water that has been heated to 180 degrees or higher. 

The animal’s ability to respond to a vaccine is affected by their plane of nutrition (including their mineral program), clinical infections, exposure to stress, a contaminated environment, etc.  Cattle that are handled in a low-stress manner respond better to vaccinations.   For example, by vaccinating calves two to four weeks prior to weaning, they are under much less stress as they are still on the cow, and therefore respond better to the vaccination compared to if they received the vaccination while being they were being weaned and under much more stress.  By working cattle in a calm and efficient manner, we can minimize an animal’s stress and therefore improve their potential response to the vaccine.

Vaccine should be kept in a cool place, out of direct sunlight. 
Photo by Michael Thomas, from https://www.grainews.ca/2018/01/03/
tips-to-help-keep-livestock-vaccines-stored-at-their-proper-temperature/.

Third, improper vaccine storage can also lead to vaccination failure.  Vaccine should be stored at 40 to 50 degrees F and out of the direct sunlight or freezing temperatures.  Vaccine should be kept in an insulated cooler until it’s ready to be used.  By poking holes in a Styrofoam cooler, there can easily be a way to store vaccines in a cool, dark location while working calves.  Modified live vaccines must be used within an hour after the bottle has been opened, so make sure everything is in place before mixing vaccine. 

Also, remember to never re-enter a clean vaccine bottle with a dirty needle.  Any bent, dull, damaged, or contaminated needles need to be changed immediately, and needles should be changed every 10 to 15 head.  Each syringe should be labeled, and vaccines administered with the proper sized needle.  There should never be more than 10 cc administered per injection site, and multiple injections should be spaced at least 2 to 4 inches apart on the animal.  All injections should be given in front of the shoulder in the neck.

Lastly, always consult your veterinarian for formulating a complete herd health protocol, and have a great fall cattle working season!