Kansas State College veterinarian Gregg Hanzlicek is urging beef cattle producers to assessment their herd’s vaccination and parasite management program as summer season approaches.
He says vaccinations needs to be given to guard the cows in opposition to all the main reproductive infectious illnesses earlier than breeding season, together with IBR (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis), BVD (bovine viral diarrhea), leptospirosis and campylobacter.
In keeping with Hanzlicek, these vaccinations needs to be given 45 to 60 days earlier than the bulls will likely be launched with the cows. “This enables sufficient time for the cows to answer the vaccine and sufficient time for the cow to recuperate from any minor damaging vaccine results,” he says.
“Use the identical vaccine [and] the identical vaccine schedule for the bulls. Bulls are too usually forgotten in vaccination applications.”
As well as, Hanzlicek recommends insecticidal ear tags to regulate for flies this summer season, saying “tags nonetheless present the very best safety in opposition to heavy fly infestations.”
Hanzlicek urges producers to tag cows and bulls. “Two tags per animal are simpler than one,” he says.
It may also be essential to tag the calves in occasions when fly populations are very massive, however producers ought to begin with the cows.
Hanzlicek says producers ought to rotate the fly tag’s chemistry to lower the fly’s capability to construct resistance to the insecticide.
“If we proceed to make use of merchandise which have the identical chemistry and insecticide, we breed for resistance,” he says. “Both a two- or three-year rotation is right, relying on the pesticides used.”
He provides: “It’s also vital to recollect to take away the insecticide ear tags on the finish of pasture season and eliminate them correctly. Not doing this can construct up insecticide resistance within the fly populations — and thru time, fly applications will develop into much less and fewer efficient.”
Extra info is out there at native Extension workplaces in Kansas.
Supply: Kansas State Analysis and Extension Information Service
