Vaccination, parasite control, meal feeding and simple measures to reduce stress will all ultimately put more money in your pocket
A collective groan could be heard throughout the farming community as the new TB proposals were leaked in the media.
It was the first I, and many of my fellow vets, had heard of these proposals, so we know as much as you know at present. As with any leaked information, we don’t have the full story but here is what we know so far.
On one side are those selling cattle, where any animal presented for sale must have had a test in the previous six months, and the herd itself must have been tested within the past six months. If both of these boxes aren’t ticked, the animal will have to be tested 30 days prior to sale.
On the other side are the buyers, who, if having purchased an animal that doesn’t fit the six-month criteria or isn’t 30-day tested, will have to test it within 30 days of arrival on farm. The Department have said that ultimately responsibility to comply rests with the buyer.
I was chatting to a suckler farmer (who sells his weanlings every autumn) about this topic during the week and his response was simple: “If I don’t have to do it, then I’m not testing cattle to benefit the next fella.”
Rather than get into a discussion surrounding regulations that haven’t been implemented yet, I decided to turn the tables somewhat. “Sure the same could be said for weaning calves,” I said. “Why bother going to all that effort only to benefit the next man?”
This stopped him in his tracks. As a excellent stockman, producing the highest-quality Limousin weanlings, he knew well that a proper weaning protocol benefits him as much as, if not more than, the buyer.
Sadly, there are a lot of farmers who don’t believe this, so let’s go through the steps of a good weaning protocol and look at how they benefit all parties involved.
Weaning is the most stressful period in a young animal’s life, and stress compromises the immune system and leaves stock open to developing disease, particularly pneumonia. Minimising stress is the cornerstone of a good weaning protocol.
Start with the weaning process itself. It is of absolutely no benefit to cow, calf, seller or buyer to take a calf off a cow, load it into a trailer and take it straight to the mart.
For the seller, the cow is left at home, bellowing for a few days at the loss of her calf, at a very high risk of mastitis due to the sudden stop of suckling and the high level of stress she is under.
Similarly, the calf is highly stressed in the mart, picking up RSV or IBR, and will most likely need veterinary attention in the coming days.
Instead, look at the gradual weaning process, either by leaving cows and calves in sight of each other while weaning or by using nose devices to prevent suckling.
Forward-grazing calves for a few weeks gets them used to spending less time with the cows. Weaning outdoors is ideal as it avoids a change in the animal’s environment.
All of these actions should dramatically reduce stress for cow and calf.
Vaccination plays a vital role in the weaning process. There are vaccines available that will protect against the most common causes of pneumonia in a matter of days after a single shot.
They are not expensive either. For example, two vaccines — one for IBR and another for RSV —will only set you back around €8-€9. For a weanling worth well north of €1,000, this is peanuts. Bacterial pneumonia vaccines usually need two shots, more than a month apart so these need a bit more planning.
Having vaccines completed 3-4 weeks prior to weaning will keep the animal healthy on your farm, and that of the buyer.
Parasite control is another important factor. It is very frustrating as a vet to treat a newly purchased weanling for bad pneumonia and for the treatment to not be successful as the animal is also full of lungworm.
Before weaning, getting some dung samples checked for worms is a no-brainer. If there are worms present, daily live weight gain will be affected. An appropriate pour-on/injection/drench administered on veterinary advice will mean you get to sell a heavier weanling, which means more money in your pocket.
For the buyer, it’s a heavier and more importantly, healthier weanling, so it’s a winner for both parties.
It is worth noting that some wormers give an instant and complete kill of worms, whereas others kill over the course of a few days. This is important in the case of heavy lungworm burdens, where an instant kill can lead to the animal developing pneumonia while trying to cough up dead lungworms.
Chat to your vet prior to dosing to discuss the merits of each product and the best one to use on your weanlings.
Meal feeding is a hot topic, given the price. With drought conditions worsening, one dairy farmer said to me recently: “It’s simple, they won’t milk without it.”
The litres in the tank every morning are a clear indicator to him of how successful feeding extra meal is.
When it comes to suckler weanlings, the direct effect of meal feeding isn’t as obvious. The best advice is to feed meal for a minimum of four weeks prior to weaning . At current prices, I know what some of you are thinking — “I’ll give them a small shake to quieten them and that’ll do them”.
Consider for a moment the benefits of feeding meal in decent amounts for the four weeks prior to weaning. Firstly, it has been proven to reduce stress.
And the most important thing about meal feeding centres around feed conversion. Your average adult animal needs around 12kg of meal to put on 1kg of liveweight. However, a weanling only needs half the amount. So 6kg of meal yields 1kg of liveweight gain. Even at €350/t, 6kg of meal costs €2.10. With a nice weanling selling for more than €4/kg, you are pretty much doubling your investment.
Ultimately, a heavier, healthier weanling leads to happier buyers and sellers. A win-win situation.
Eamon O’Connell is a vet with Summerhill Vet Clinic, Nenagh, Co Tipperary
(Source – Irish Independent – Indo Farming – Eamon O Connell – 30/08/2022)