Feeder and Stocker Health and Management Practices
Disease represents a major problem in most feeder and stocker settings. In some instances, outbreaks of disease can result in as much as a 30% death loss. In addition, treatment costs, feed efficiency...
View ArticleBeef Cow/Calf Herd Health Program and Calendar
It is widely agreed that prevention rather than treatment is the most economical approach to keeping disease losses low. Treatment of a disease after its onset is not always
View ArticleRecognition and Treatment of Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex
The recognition and treatment of Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex (BRDC) is vital to the economic well-being of the stocker cattle producer. This disease is also known as shipping fever, or simply...
View ArticlePredicting Bull Fertility
Reproductive efficiency is a major determinant of cow-calf profitability. The bull’s contribution to pregnancy rates is often overlooked.
View ArticleGnRH Based Estrus Synchronization Systems for Beef Cows
New systems of synchronizing estrus (heat) in cows for artificial insemination (AI) have been developed using commercially available Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH). These systems allow producers...
View ArticleCalving Emergencies in Beef Cattle: Identification and Prevention
Calving difficulty, technically called dystocia, is a major cause of death loss in cow-calf herds. CHAPA (Cow-calf Health and Productivity Audit) studies indicate that dystocia is responsible for 33...
View ArticleEstrus Synchronization for Heifers
Developing replacement heifers is the most expensive enterprise in the cow-calf operation. You can increase returns to heifer development if the heifers calve at 24 months of age and calve early in the...
View ArticleMycoplasma in Beef Cattle
Mycoplasma is a tiny bacterium that has a long history of causing disease in the cattle industry. Beginning in the early 2000s, it has emerged as an important entity in Virginia.
View ArticleStrategic Use of Antibiotics in Stocker Cattle
Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), or shipping fever, remains the most important health issue facing stocker-cattle producers. Despite many advances in our understanding of BRDC, vaccine...
View ArticleFoot Rot in Beef Cattle
Foot rot is a common disease of cattle that can cause severe lameness and decreased weight gain. Other common names for the disease are sore foot and foul foot.
View ArticleZoonotic Diseases of Cattle
Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals. Zoonotic diseases may be acquired or spread in a variety of ways: through the air (aerosol), by...
View ArticleAnaplasmosis in Beef Cattle
Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease of cattle caused by several species of the blood parasite Anaplasma. A. marginale is the most common pathogen of cattle.
View ArticlePinkeye in Beef Cattle
Pinkeye, also known as infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), is one of the most common diseases of beef cattle in Virginia. It is a highly contagious disease, causing inflammation of the cornea...
View ArticleCurrent Strategies in Parasite Control in Virginia Beef Cattle
Many advances have been made in the field of livestock parasite control over the past few years. Because parasites decrease production, usually through decreased weight gain, advances in the control of...
View ArticleYour Herd's Reproductive Status
Maintaining a high level of reproductive efficiency is required if dairy herd profitability is to be maximized. Reproductive performance of a dairy herd is a function of certain management policies and...
View ArticleMycoplasma in Dairy Cattle
Mycoplasma is a tiny bacterium that can cause mastitis, metritis, pneumonia, drooped ears, and lameness in dairy cattle. While this bacterium has existed for more than 100 years, the current disease...
View ArticleUnderstanding the Basics of Mastitis
Mastitis occurs when the udder becomes inflammed because leukocytes are released into the mammary gland in response to invasion of the teat canal, usually by bacteria. These bacteria multiply and...
View ArticleEnvironmental Streptococcal and Coliform Mastitis
Well managed dairy herds with low somatic cell counts (SCC below 200-300,000) often may experience problems with onsets of clinical mastitis. Approximately 40-45% of the mastitis cases in low SCC herds...
View ArticleEarly Heifer Development and Colostrum Management
Raising dairy replacement heifers is expensive. In fact, if the dairy is divided into different enterprises (eg. labor, feed cost for lactating cows, facilities, etc.), rearing replacements is the...
View ArticleNutrition For The Early Developing Heifer
Several factors can dramatically reduce replacement-rearing cost and increase potential profits for the producer: (1) maximizing immunity from colostrum to minimize mortality and sickness, (2)...
View ArticleDairy Heifer Health, Disease Control, and Vaccinations
The future of the dairy herd is dependent on the production of superior heifers to replace culled lactating animals. Therefore, it is imperative that the health status of the replacement animal is...
View ArticleMilk Production Evaluation In First Lactation Heifers
A critical evaluation of production in first lactation heifers once they reach the milking herd is important to determine the effects of the heifer rearing program. This can easily be done by...
View ArticleMonitoring Dairy Heifer Growth
Monitoring dairy heifer growth and development will insure that calves are on target to reach a weight of 1350 pounds at calving, with a height of 54 inches at the shoulders, and a body condition score...
View ArticleHeifer Inventory and the Economics of Replacement Rearing
Profitability in the dairy business is NOT the herd with the larger milk check, or the greater volume in the bulk tank, but the producer who retains a larger sum of revenues at the end of the month...
View ArticleAbortions in Dairy Cattle - I: Common Causes of Abortions
Abortion in dairy cattle is commonly defined as a loss of the fetus between the age of 42 days and approximately 260 days. Pregnancies lost before 42 days are usually referred to as early embryonic...
View ArticleAbortions in Dairy Cattle - II: Diagnosing and Preventing Abortion Problems
Abortions can represent a significant loss of (potential) income - an estimated $500 to $900 per case - and present a frustrating challenge to dairy producers and veterinarians. The procedures...
View ArticleGoat-Herd Health Calendar
The goal of any goat-herd health program should be to increase efficiency and productivity. Herd health programs should include general husbandry, nutrition, and parasite and vaccination programs. Your...
View ArticleHealth Care for Horses
Thoughtful and planned care will allow your horse to live a longer and healthier life. Good equine husbandry is based upon the principle of preventive care: problem prevention rather than problem...
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Proper Storage, Labeling, and Accounting for...
Purpose: To teach youth how to read a medication label so they are better able to understand how to store and administer medications for different livestock species.
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Reading a Medication Label
Purpose: To teach youth how to read a medication label and calculate dosages so they are better able to understand how to store and administer medications to different livestock species
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Reading and Understanding a Medication Label
To teach youth how to read a medication label so they are better able to understand how to store and administer medications to different livestock species.
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Understanding the Veterinarian-Client-Patient...
To teach youth how to read a medication label so they are better able to understand how to store and administer medications to different livestock species.
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Using the Flight Zone to Handle Livestock
Purpose: To help children better understand livestock flight zones so they are able to move and handle livestock more efficiently and safely.*
View ArticleGood Production Practices: When to Call the Veterinarian
Purpose: To help children better understand livestock flight zones so they are able to move and handle livestock more efficiently and safely.*
View ArticleGood Production Practices: Where Did That Medication Come From? PDF
Purpose: Teach youth to understand the differences in over-the-counter, prescription, extra-label, and illegal use of animal pharmaceuticals.*
View ArticleGood Production Practices: You Want Me to Eat From That?
Purpose: To teach youth the importance of clean feeding equipment and proper labeling of feeds.*
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