Effective Vaccinating for Winter Months
So how many of us take added precautions with our vaccines in both summer and winter? I know we try at our place; I have a cooler with ice packs in the summer for keeping the vaccines cool but how about in the winter months? Freezing becomes the next biggest challenge of keeping your vaccines […]
Dehorning Calves
Holy cow has the weather changed the past few weeks. Cooler nights and very pleasant daytime temperatures. This month I would like to touch on DEHORNING calves. When is the appropriate time and method to use? I have probably done and have experience with all methods of dehorning calves. Obviously the “Yeh Hay “moment is […]
In Cold Weather Conditions, Employee Focus on Proper Calf Care is Critical
Well welcome to cold weather again! I don’t know about you, but I am never truly ready for winter, but here we are! The last few weeks I have either been attending calf workshops or presenting at calf workshops. The one item I am noticing is the lack of Calf Care Teams, we often visit […]
Goodbye Summer….Hello Fall
As we finish the next few days of summer, and we head into fall I wanted to discuss Colostrum and the mode of various transmitted diseases/pathogens. There are 5 ways of transmission: Lets touch on these ways briefly. Johnes Salmonella BVD Mycoplasma Bovis Infectious Mastitis Lets break this down with some added bullet points. JOHNES: […]
Preparing for Dehydration!
July is typically an extremely hot month and we have not been disappointed yet. In our July Blog we will address how to determine if you need an intervention on a dehydrated calf. Be PREPARED TO INTERVENE!!! I have created some steps for you to use and make them your own for your operation. Steps […]
Summer Heat and the Effects it Has On Calves
So, have you ever heard the phrase “Is It HOT Enough For Ya”? Well let’s begin by saying that June has started off a bit warmer than usual. Let’s ask the question how are your calves feeling and are they staying hydrated in this heat? Are your employees changing their schedules to accommodate cooler feeding times […]
Writing Your Calf Newborn Protocols
This month I’d like to start focusing on: How to start writing your calf newborn protocols. Let’s first focus on the timeframe, please allow yourself time to adjust and re-adjust your protocols. Calves are never an easy creature to conform to written protocols. Our basic goal is to maintain consistency between employees and to understand […]
Ammonia Levels and the Young Calf
In this blog I am overly excited to announce that Holm and Laue released an Ammonia Detector that works with the CalfExpert automatic calf feeder to detect ammonia levels in bedding packs of young calves. We all know high ammonia levels result in more morbidity and even more mortality rates in young calves. Why is ammonia bad […]
Why Would You buy an Auto Feeder?
This month I am going to touch on the topic of…..Why Would You Buy an AUTO-FEEDER? Last month I attended a workshop on different strategies of how to feed calves. There was a question on auto feeders, and the response was, “Its not for us”, another was “ we have too many calves for an […]
Respiratory Illness Prevention in Calves
Happy February! I am overjoyed by the fact that this winter has so far been one with wonderful higher temperatures than normal. Less layering than 5 layers deep. My shoulders appreciate the less weight from all the added garments needed to keep one warm in subzero temps. With that being said, we have had some […]