An experienced objective outsider can identify changes to improve cattle management procedures.
The changes might be prompted by new advancements, or perhaps old habits have become antiquated.
For whatever reason, an experienced producer, nutritionist, pharmaceutical representative or herd veterinarian may identify deficiencies by observing cattle at key processing times.
The deficiencies may then be easy to correct.
The improvements may be small but over several years will save money and produce healthier cattle.
We must all be willing to change to improve the quality, welfare needs and growth and reproductive performance of our cattle.
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It doesn’t hurt to conduct formal or informal audits of our processing methods when we can.
An example would be checking for lame cattle, allergic reactions and injuries after processing.
Producers should check out the chute or processing system if injuries have occurred to the feet and legs. As well, swellings the next day may indicate needling technique problems or slight allergic reactions caused by placing vaccines too close together.
A large number of the steel thick walled needles are still being used instead of the sharp disposable needles that cause much less trauma and still be reused.
As well, using a disinfectant wipe to clean the implant needle between calves and even at branding can improve implantation.
Spend time training new staff about needle sizes, gauges and length and how to properly give a subcutaneous injection.
Also review current antibiotics and the conditions under which they should be used. I commonly see producers using one antibiotic for everything and administering products that might not be necessary.
Lameness at pasture may be foot rot or it could be a crack, sprain strain, corn, septic arthritis or a fracture.
The other conditions require a different approach than just antibiotics.
Vets may be the best people to objectively conduct an audit because they are most current in new treatments and how and what to administer for pain medication if necessary.
This is particularly easy to do when performing other procedures such as pregnancy checks, castration and semen evaluations.
In programs such as verified beef production, audits are conducted with a checklist of stops and measures. Some branded programs also require verification of certain things.
Just because something has been done a certain way for 10 years doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way or a better product.
Discussions could revolve around ways that procedures and vaccinations are done differently between farms and if there is a better way.
We want to critique everything from the way we look after vaccines from the point of purchase to how we administer them to our calves.
For example, has the chain of refrigeration been maintained at the right temperature of 3 to 6 C from the clinic to the farm and from the farm into the cattle?
Vaccines protect most calves for the diseases for which they are indicated, but nothing is 100 percent so it is important to keep a close eye on them after they are processed.
The beef industry’s new code of practice requires non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when castrating larger bulls. However, the benefits of using these products apply to almost all of the clinical cases we treat in veterinary medicine, including castrating young calves. Your herd veterinarian can best advise where to use these products.
