Herd Health

Disposition (temperament) has been defined as the usual attitude or mood of an animal or the tendency of an animal to act in a specific way.

You’ve treated calves before, and you know the dose on the label is effective. But this one slipped through the cracks; he’s sicker than most you’ve treated. Why not give him a few extra ccs? It can’t hurt, right? Actually, it can.

When Idaho-based grazing consultant Jim Gerrish talks about his time spent in Australia, one of the biggest cross-cultural differences he highlights is the Australian producers’ approach to calving trouble.

Broken bones are sometimes seen in cattle, especially young calves, such as accidents when a cow steps on its calf and breaks a leg or a limb fractured due to excessive and improper pressure applied pulling a calf.

Calving season will start soon, and beef producers are preparing themselves for less sleep each night. Nearly 90 percent of beef producers regularly observe cows and heifers during calving.

Recent headlines read, “World Health Organization calls for ban on preventative uses of antibiotics in livestock.” Product labels and even restaurant menus read, “raised without antibiotics.”