45 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | January 2024 in beef,” says Windeyer. “The target for colostrum is 200 grams per litre of IgG. A Brix measurement of 24 per cent or lower is not great and would be less than 100 grams per litre. It might need to be topped up with a replacer. “A Brix reading of 24 per cent or more is at or above average. If I have a cow that’s making a lot of that, I might freeze it for other calves.” A good first meal of colostrum sets the basis for a healthy calf, but there are more steps producers should take in the first few months after calving to maintain that health. Managing calves Facilities will vary on each farm, but the principles for pathogen prevention can be applied to any operation. “Dilution is the solution to pollution,” says Windeyer. “Focus on good pasture or barn management, with lots of clean, dry pasture and bedding. Whatever you can use to keep calves on clean bedding will do the best to keep them healthy.” Ribey says she prioritizes keeping calves grouped by age and avoiding crowding. She also maintains a consistent vaccine program for cows and calves. The cows get a scour vaccine before calving, and the calves get First Defense for scours at birth, and an injection of Dystosel (vitamin E and selenium) and an intranasal administration of the Inforce 3 respiratory vaccine in the first 24 hours after birth. The calves are also weighed and tagged at this time. “We try to do as much prevention as we can,” says Ribey. Ribey also checks her calves multiple times a day for signs of sickness. “We are out there three or four times a day watching those calves for dirty bums, cows with full udders, those sorts of things,” says Ribey, noting that a cow with a full udder or calves bawling could indicate illness and decreased milk intake. “You get pretty used to calf behaviour and what they are doing if you’re checking a few times a day.” The Beef Cattle Research Council also recommends minimizing confinement to allow calves to escape contaminated areas. It is also valuable to have different locations for overwintering cows and calving to avoid excess pathogen buildup. Tighter calving periods and grouping calves by age are also tips to keep calves healthier. Good preparation before calving and vigilance during and after calving season will help you achieve a healthier calf crop this year. BF Livestock EMILY CROFT Emily lives on a beef farm, raising Red Angus and Simmental cattle. She holds a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences, with a focus on ruminant nutrition. ENJOY THESE FARMING & AGRICULTURE VIDEOS. VISIT FARMS.COM/VIDEOS JD 2355 Grinding Feed with a Gehl 95 Grinder Mixer Hydroponic Tomatoes | SoCal Connected Fendt Rogator 900 Series Understanding Carbon Farming Grain Drill: How They Work and How to Buy One 60-inch Rows of No-till Corn woth Cover Crops Crop Dusting Kelly Diamond Harrow 45 Keeping Carbon in the Soil
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