Growing your own feed despite the cost of time and equipment can have many benefits. Having an inventory on hand can reduce some risks of short supplies. It can also help protect you from any seasonal price volatility. Both energy and protein production can better match your herd’s requirements for simple feed use.
However, despite all of this there is still the risk of the weather turning against you. Weather events in the weeks, days, and even hours leading up to the harvest can ruin your best efforts. It can transform a carefully raised feed source into a nutritional time bomb. If you are not careful it can not only reduce your production but can also endanger the lives of your animals.
Times of extreme stress, like currently with the drought, can cause a build-up of nitrates. While consuming some of them is not bad for your animals if they eat too much of it then it can become deadly. Here are some things to look for to prevent this from happening.
Trich, or the more scientific name Trichomoniasis, is a very serious economic problem for cattle producers. Some of the problems that it can cause are a reduced calf crop as well as lower weaning weights. It can cause this because it makes your breeding cows infertile and possibly causes a longer breeding season.
Internal parasites are a problem that every beef producer must face. It is a constant annoyance that can rob a beef operation of its productivity. They impair production by increasing things like energy costs of maintenance, diet digestibility, and immune activity.
With summer arriving treating pinkeye is an issue, many cattle producers will face. As things get drier it means more dust which means an increase in eye irritants.
It is never good whenever your cattle are suffering from a disease. It can rob you of performance while at the same time increasing your expenses.
Pinkeye is a very common as well as a highly contagious disease in cattle. Once it shows up if you do not take proper steps it can quickly affect all of your cattle.
Dehydration among calves is a very serious problem that is often overlooked among producers. It can be caused for many reasons but typically from the summer heat and scours. The time from recognizing the symptoms to providing treatment is very important.
It may not seem like it now but spring weather will be here before you know it. All of the ice and snow (if you get any) will melt away and things will become green again.
Knowing when to assist with calving can be a very tricky matter. It requires a delicate balance between not acting too quickly and not reacting too late. Finding this balance can require a lot of experience and maybe a little bit of luck.
BRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for respiratory disease in cattle. A range of factors can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease is pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations is often where this disease occurs.
