Farm & Ranch
Calf weaning procedures and post calf vaccination protocol
By Jessica Crabtree and Dr. Jered Harlan
Weaning for cow/calf producers is a time of gratification, when all the hours of work finally pay off and the majority of their income is made.
However, the trend is changing and more producers are keeping their weaned calves and administering a preconditioning program.
This equals value added to their recently weaned calf crop. This method seems to be a more progressive piece of management to pay in dividends when managing their herd. Weaning is critical in areas such as breeding efficiency and feed utilization as well as feedlot performance, carcass merit and marketing of cattle.
However, for the calves weaning time is a stressful period in their lives, second to birth. Traditionally calves are weaned at six to eight months, early at three to five. At six to eight the calf is exposed to less stress, is more marketable and requires fewer days to finish, equaling lower input cost.
At three to five months, producers can conserve forage and cow condition if under a drought, accelerate finishing time and elevate marbling and better feed to gain. To read more pick up a copy of the May 2016 issue of NTFR.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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