Livestock Management RANCHING
Prepare Stocker Cattle for Success
The right nutrients and timely vaccinations can help stocker cattle transition well from the ranch to forage to the feedyard. By Gary DiGiuseppe
O
NCE CALVES HAVE BEEN WEANED AND ARE HEADED TO grass, they need to be protected against the pathogens that lay in wait for them. Mark Spire,
DVM, has some tips to keep those animals on the road to good health. Spire, a technical services manager for Merck Animal
Health, says that in some ways post-weaning calves are in good position to accept a new round of immu- nizations. They’ve started to develop an adult immune system, so they can respond well to vaccinations. Any residual antibodies from the mother’s colostrum, which protected them they were younger, won’t interfere with this round of vaccinations. In Spire’s experience he has noticed that calves are
generally weaned from August to October and Janu- ary to February. The forages the calves are headed to at these times of
the year are usually low in mineral content. “We may not see the full bang for the buck we’d expect from our vaccinations because the trace minerals — particularly zinc, copper and selenium — may not be there in ad-
56 The Cattleman September 2014
equate amounts to maximize the immune response.” This means a good supplemental mineral program is crucial for a forage feeding operation.
What is the best way to deliver minerals to calves? Some operations receiving newly-weaned cattle add
minerals directly to the feed. Others provide minerals in a salt-mineral mix. Still others use tub feeders with a molasses-based mix. Spire thinks the molasses tub may be the best route,
saying, “The cattle really seem to like and adapt to them rapidly. Even from the fi rst day, they’ll get to those tubs and use them.” Other methods, by comparison, may not provide enough mineral intake. Spire notes that for the fi rst 10 days after arrival,
the calves’ feed consumption is usually depressed, so they may not be taking in adequate quantities of the minerals needed to boost their immune systems. He recommends against using injectable mineral prod- ucts upon arrival of the calves without knowing their
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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