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. Normally it is a good thing when forages start to green up but there is a hidden danger with the new green growth. It is a danger that can strike without warning and severely lower your cow’s production. This danger is known as grass tetany.
With the warmer weather and the winter moisture, your grasses out in the pasture will start their “Spring Greenup” and things will start to look good again. It is during this time that forages come out of their dormant stage and begin growing rapidly again.
Though it may seem like the greatest time of the year, with all of the green across the pasture, it is not without its challenges and concerns. It is during this time of year that a particular problem known as grass tetany can cause issues with your cowherd.
For those of you not in the know, you may be asking “What is grass tetany?”, “What kinds of problems can it cause my operation?“, and “How do I treat or even prevent it from happening?“. Well in regard to those questions here are some things that you should consider.
Calf scours is something that is concerning for all cow/calf producers. It causes more financial loss to producers than any other health problem in their herd. It can come out of nowhere and spread throughout your herd much like wildfire. The main issue with this disease is that it can be confusing for some people.
When people think about tetany they think of something that happens only during the spring. It’s something that usually occurs when cattle are eating lush, spring grass, or annual cereal forages. However, it can also occur when cattle are being fed harvested forages like silage or hay.
It may not seem like it now but winter is on its way. The change in seasons also brings new problems to deal with to keep your cattle performing at their best. Keeping your cattle healthy during the stress of colder winter temperatures can be a pain in the neck. It is also doable.
The fall season can be problematic for a beef producer. As you go into it after a dry, hot summer the entire herd may be stressed. The combination of high heat, short grass, and low water tanks can stress cattle and make them more prone to disease.
BRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for any respiratory disease in cattle. There is a range of factors that can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease are pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations are often where this disease occurs. This is because of the extreme stress that calves are put under from weaning and then being shipped.
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.
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.
