This article will focus on ideas I have seen demonstrated on progressive producers’ farms and ranches.
The first is the biggest when it comes to handling. There are excellent hydraulic chutes on the market by many manufacturers, including ones in Alberta and Manitoba for cattle and Saskatchewan and Alberta for bison.
I wish I could do a true economic analysis, but the decrease in stress to your body is important. Even smaller people can operate a hydraulic chute all day. These chutes help ensure that vaccinations are properly placed and administration of oral and pour-on products is easy.
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Many hydraulic chutes have neck restraint bars, which makes implanting far easier than in a manual chute.
I recommend having the hydraulic motor away from the chute where it can be kept warm in the winter. I still think anyone with more than 200 cows should look at one. There may be used ones available from larger producers that want to upgrade.
Once you use one, it is unlikely you will go back to manual.
They’re also great for helping veterinarians for things like semen testing or pregnancy testing but anything requiring an examination is made easier and quicker in a hydraulic chute. Cattle just walk into them because no one is spooking them at the head gate.
When using other handling systems, operators should strive for the ability to handle cattle without using a prod or other pain-inflicting device. With the right setup it is possible.
Many producers use low-stress handling techniques, which allow handling to proceed more quickly.
We want to do as many of the animal health and management procedures as possible each time the cattle are handled to minimize the number of times they pass through the chute.
Look up “calf sorting gate” on YouTube and find a few videos to watch. One of the best is by the retired animal welfarist Dr. Joe Stookey, who shows an insightful way to easily separate cow-calf pairs. These gates can be adapted to most sorting facilities.
All three major livestock pharmaceutical companies that make implants (Merck, Elanco and Zoetis) have delayed-release products. This is like giving two implants at once but one has a delayed release. This eliminates one pass through the chute. This smooths out the release of the product so there will be fewer issues with bullers.
Every time you run cattle through the chute to reimplant them, it stirs them up and there is more pen activity. The sustained release implant should eliminate that. If your veterinarian or nutritionist has not talked to you about delayed-release implants, ask them.
I see a day where more hoof trimmers are used.
People who do hoof trimming usually have extra training and extremely good chutes (whether stand-up or tilt). Since lameness is the second-most treated general condition, hoof trimming can go a long ways toward prevention or early intervention.
Most times no antibiotics are given.
Some hoof trimmers work with veterinarians if things like a claw amputation, corn removal or joint fusing are necessary.
Working together in instances where two professionals are needed should be a huge benefit to your farm. I am thinking of instances with artificial insemination technicians, nutritionists, vet technicians, custom processors, cattle insurance, cattle consultant, accountants and bankers. We all have a vested interest in having your operation succeed.
When it comes to efficiencies in processing and other procedures, choose pour-on or oral products with animals in the chute. This minimizes needles.
When you need to give vaccines, use ones that have the broadest spectrum to minimize needles.
A new product called Vitaferst, when given orally, will eliminate two needles commonly given to newborn calves. It also has iron and vitamin B12.
The best way to try newer products is to test them to see what you think and consult with your veterinarian.
It is also good advice to test all feed, especially in years of drought and hail-damaged crops to see how nutritional deficiencies can be made up.
Have your veterinarian spell out the different uses for each NSAID on the market. Most NSAIDs require a prescription.
There is now a water-soluble form of the dewormer fenbendazole, called Safe-guard, and the anti-stressing agent called DeStress. Both are water soluble, have virtually no taste and require less labour because everything can be mixed in large tanks or dispensers spliced into water lines.
Many other efficiencies exist out there but I need to save those for another article. Hopefully, these points will make sense for you to implement on your farm.
Roy Lewis works as a veterinarian in Alberta.
