Last week’s. . . . . . most read post We’re overfeeding like crazy. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin – November 11, 2021. Link. . . . Posts from one year ago Archived posts from November 2020. Link. Why do animals hibernate? Source: Trivia Genius, November 12, 2021. Link. Bears may be the most famous hibernators, … [Read more...]
Younger stock love grooming brushes, too
Access to grooming brushes for lactating cows shows they help reduce stress, keep animals cleaner and limit injuries. They also limit damage to facilities caused by cows that otherwise rub their heads and bodies on gates, pen walls and edges of feed and water troughs. New research says the same goes for young calves as well. The study, published in the Journal of Dairy … [Read more...]
Systemic inflammation in pre- and post-partum cows
Although excessive inflammation is bad, the results of a University of Guelph study revealed why some inflammation at calving is positive. The key is discovering the balance between healthy and excessive inflammation, according to Barry J. Bradford, PhD. Inflammation is needed to drive the birthing process, and we also think it’s important for aiding in the metabolic … [Read more...]
Dos and don’ts at a cattle truck accident (infographic)
Whether during a cross-country trip or inner-city commute, animal health pros may find themselves at the scene of a cattle transport trailer accident. The prioritization at large animal emergencies is: human safety, animal safety, then property. Let first responders attend to the medical needs of injured people first. Think human safety over animal rescue. Containment, … [Read more...]
Preparing cattle for transport saves time, money and stress
Every year after harvest, millions of cattle are trucked to graze crop residue, get to winter pasture or to be put in dry lots. With current challenges in the trucking industry, reviewing best practices is appropriate. . . .several factors should be considered when cattle are being transported. These include loading conditions, time in transit, weather conditions, comingling, … [Read more...]
Dead sows are co$tly
Complimentary Commercial Content Sow mortality has nearly doubled in the past 15 years to approximately 13 percent. Ron Ketchum estimates a midpoint cost of $1,125 per dead sow. This amounts to an estimated $2.25 per pig weaned in incremental production cost. Source: The Pig Site, November 11, 2021. Link. Also see: Sow to sales: mortality breakdowns, National Hog … [Read more...]
Heated waterers keep poultry water from freezing
Commercial Content A heated chicken waterer can help make winter care a little easier for poultry keepers. The author shares some popular styles of heated chicken waterers. They are simple to use, plug into a standard electrical outlet, and are inexpensive to run. Source: Backyard Poultry, November 15, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – November 11, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post Cost of veterinary care concerns consistent among generations. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin – November 4, 2021. Link. . . . Archives Archived AHD posts for October 2021. Link. This 11-year-old is helping hard-to-place dogs in shelters get attention – and find new … [Read more...]
Pandemic coronavirus is widespread in Iowa deer
About 80 percent of Iowa deer tested between late November 2020 and early January were infected with the pandemic coronavirus according to a New York Times report. The deer picked up mutations and variants in similar patterns to humans across the state, suggesting humans passed infections to deer multiple times. The rapid rise in the prevalence of infections indicates … [Read more...]
Tackling listeriosis on the farm
Listeriosis is a bacterial disease caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. It is present everywhere in the environment and survives well in moist soil for about one year. A synopsis explaining the infection path of Listeria and how farmers can keep the infection at bay is provided here written by Clare Holmes from Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences … [Read more...]
10 early interventions to rescue sick calves
Scours and pneumonia are the twin challenges of every calf raiser, especially heading into winter. However, early detection along with proven interventions, will help many calves pull through temporary setbacks and thrive. . . . supportive care is more valuable than antibiotics.” - Pamela Ruegg, DVM, MPVM Source: Dairy Herd Management, November 3, 2021. Link. Develop … [Read more...]
The history of the Kansas City Stockyards
Kansas City once housed the second-largest meat packing industry in the nation, just behind Chicago, known as the Kansas City Stockyards. The last cattle auction took place in September 1991. The stockyards then closed because of rising costs and changing agricultural marketing patterns. Meat processing challenges have been discussed routinely in 2020 and 2021 as the … [Read more...]
Chicken frostbite. Treatment & prevention.
It takes about 10 minutes in below-freezing temperatures to cause chicken frostbite. The most vulnerable parts for chickens are the combs and wattles writes Mary Christiansen. She also shares ways to prevent damage to those exposed, featherless feet. Source: Backyard Poultry, November 2, 2021. Link. Also see: Why chickens’ legs do not get cold in winter, The Omlet Blog. … [Read more...]
Time to FOCUS on biosecurity
Opinion The theme for the Kate Dion’s discussion of the biosecurity research currently in progress could be begin with the end in mind. She describes current work at Iowa State University to understand the rate of disease transmission in growing pigs and associate the timing of disease introduction with <location> biosecurity characteristics or events that could cause … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – November 3, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post Beef upcycles well. It’s a great story we all can share. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin - October 28, 2021. Link. Culling moose in Maine to control ticks Source: Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2021. Link to PDF. To save Maine’s moose population from being decimated by ticks, … [Read more...]
60 percent more milk from 30 percent fewer cows
Karen Bohnert shares some of the drivers changing the future of U.S. dairy including areas where cows will be milked in the future. Source: Dairy Herd Management, August 31, 2021. Link. Sponsored Content Our industry’s researchers have investigated all aspects of individual cow health during, ahead of and at the end of milk production. Early detection of infection at … [Read more...]
Cattle rendering, an unsung sustainability success story
Key points from last week’s post, Beef upcycles well Link, are reinforced in this article from Jennifer M. Latzke. Without the rendering industry, America would fill to capacity every one of its landfills in four years just with the offal and other parts of cattle that don’t go into the butcher’s meat case, she writes. This was one key point from a peer-reviewed study … [Read more...]
Paired housing in lieu of group housing
Group housing for dairy calves is not an easy system for all farms to implement. Dairies can still reap the benefits that come from raising calves in social groups by housing two calves together as a pair. I really like pair housing because we get a lot of the advantages of social housing without the detrimental effects of large groups. There is a lot of opportunity to modify … [Read more...]
Offer proper winter ventilation for calves
Calves are constantly producing water vapor as they breathe. At 37°F it is estimated that a calf is producing about 1.25 ounces of water per hour that generates a quart of water per day. The winter focus needs to be on controlling and removing excess moisture produced within the calves’ shelters. Source: The Bullvine, November 1, 2021. Link. Cold temperatures within calf … [Read more...]
Top honors awarded to AABP dairy and beef DVMs
Congratulations to Dr. Kelly Barratt, Listowel, Ontario, Canada, who received the 2021 AABP Bovine Practitioner of the Year award sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Barratt is the first woman to receive this top honor from AABP. Other North American bovine veterinarians were also honored. Source: Drovers, October 18, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: Check the list of other awards, … [Read more...]
Know and share the signs, risk of EHD in deer and livestock
We’re posting this because deer seasons have opened around the country. Please consider sharing it with local media to encourage hunters and livestock producers to be on the lookout for deer, particularly whitetail deer, and livestock exhibiting symptoms. EHD is a reportable disease in North Dakota where drought has caused many producers to relocate their cattle. The virus … [Read more...]
Pigs will upcycle almost anything into nutritious food
There’s no animal superior to the pig at converting surplus nutrients into dense, living flesh. You might call pigs on-the-hoof food storage, writes Shawn and Beth Dougherty. Their context is hobby or subsistence farming, but the list of things hogs will eat should be interesting to anyone who never slopped the hogs. Pigs, like humans, are omnivores; they eat just about … [Read more...]
Stay safe when pumping manure
Sometimes before harvest is completely finished, manure slurries get pumped and put on fields already harvested. It is an important part of the pork industry's sustainability story but handling manure is inherently risky. Ted Funk shares 10 tips to control the risks to employees, manure handling contractors and avoid the potential to transfer diseases to … [Read more...]
Get BQA certified, assure customers of quality beef
Consumers trust beef producers more when they get BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) certified, which can be done online or in person in some states. Funded by NCBA, the program teaches techniques of sound animal care and resource management. BQA training certifies producers’ commitments to do things right when it comes to injections, pest protection, resource management and overall … [Read more...]
Beef upcycles well. It’s a great story we all can share.
Sustainability is a buzzword worldwide, but it is sometimes real. Beef’s sustainability is demonstrable after animals are harvested, considering only half of what a beef carcass yields is considered consumable in the U.S. Carrie Veselka’s recap of a Cattlemen’s College session about how beef byproducts are used and developed provides proof that “they use everything but the … [Read more...]
Surgeons attached a pig kidney to a human. It worked!
Researchers in New York successfully attached a kidney grown in a genetically altered pig to a human patient. The kidney worked normally representing a scientific breakthrough that may yield a new supply of organs for severely ill patients. Though the procedure won’t be available anytime soon, experts say the surgery is a milestone. Source: New York Times, October 19, 2021. … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 21, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post Grain-free? Grain-ful? The Chatfields discuss pet food choices. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin - Oct 14, 2021. Link. Label pea-protein cat food as not for ferrets, vet says Source: Petfood Industry, October 11, 2021. Link. Bladder stones in ferrets may be related to diets containing … [Read more...]
Soundness exams. No bull, they’re for bulls.
With harvest underway it is easy to put off soundness exams for herd bulls kept for breeding. Fall is the optimal time to get your beef bulls examined and identify any performance issues before turning them in with the cows. Source: Farm Progress, October 14, 2021. Link. Bull soundness exams include: Assess the body condition Rate the feet Check the … [Read more...]
Undeniably Dairy campaign designed to reach Gen Z
Did you know The dairy checkoff’s Undeniably Dairy campaign has a new wave to create deeper connections between Gen Z and dairy products. The campaign will use media channels and marketing strategies, including gaming, social media influencers and digital content, to engage with Gen Z to grow sales and trust of dairy. Did you know dairy can do more than set you at ease? It … [Read more...]
When do we need to re-treat? Cattle Chat discussion.
Treatment intervals and comfort care were discussion topics on a recent Cattle Chat podcast hosted by the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute team of veterinary experts. Producers need to start a protocol and track the results. Research has shown that the response rate improved if we followed a 5-7 or 7-10-day window as opposed to an immediate retreatment. . . … [Read more...]