Animal Health Protocols for High- and Low-Risk Cattle [with Video]

FBN Network

Sep 03, 2024

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“You probably deal with cattle stress every day as producers, whether or not you know it,” says Dr. Erika Nagorske, DVM. Watch the video below or continue reading to understand what can cause stress in cattle and how to manage it so that you can optimize your profitability.  

  • What Is Cattle Stress?

  • Understanding Acute Stress in Cattle

  • Understanding Chronic Stress in Cattle

  • 6 Factors That Cause Stress in Cattle

  • High-Risk Stress in Cattle Examples

  • Low-Risk Stress in Cattle Examples

  • 5 Cattle Stress Considerations for Producers

  • Protocols for High- and Low-Risk Cattle

  • Minimize and Manage Cattle Stress with Products from FBN®

Watch Animal Health Protocols for High- and Low-Risk Cattle Video Now

This panel was originally presented live at Farmer2FarmerVI. 

What Is Cattle Stress? 

Stress is “any factor that threatens homeostasis or general stability,” explains Nagorske. There are two types of cattle stress: “It can be acute or chronic in nature.” 

High-risk cattle can become low-risk cattle and, conversely, low-risk cattle can become high-risk cattle, so it’s important to monitor cattle conditions and provide the optimum experience for their productivity. 

Understanding Acute Stress in Cattle

What Is Acute Stress in Cattle?

“Acute is your fight or flight response,” Nagorske says. Explaining that this is an evolutionary development for survival, she says the flight or flight response is when there is a “sudden release in hormones that can cause increase in blood flow to your muscles, your heart, and your brain — all the things you need to either fight off the predator or run.” 

How Does Acute Stress Impact Cattle?

There is significant energy expended when cattle experience acute stress, and as a result, it impacts maintenance requirements. Stressed cattle:

  • Need higher amounts of protein

  • Have reduced reproductive performance

  • Have reduced milk production (dairy)

  • Have reduced growth efficiency (feedlot)

How Long Does Acute Stress Last?

Acute stress is short-lived. According to Nagorske: “Typically an animal will return to homeostasis within three to seven days.”

Understanding Chronic Stress in Cattle

What Is Chronic Stress in Cattle?

According to Nagorske, chronic stress “can occur when an animal is exposed to multiple stressors over and over again or repeat exposure to the same one.”

How Does Chronic Stress Impact Cattle?

Chronic stress in cattle leads to over-release of stress-related hormones, which can compromise their immune system. As a result, cattle may experience:

  • Difficulty fighting disease

  • Reduced response to vaccines

  • Negative impacts on metabolism 

  • Digestion issues

  • Negative impacts on growth 

  • Reduced reproductive health

Additionally, farmers managing cattle with chronic stress may have:

  • Increased production costs

  • Reduced efficiencies for feedlots

How Long Does Chronic Stress Last?

Chronic stress is longer lasting than acute stress. Cattle that experience chronic stress have a slower return to homeostasis or stability.

6 Factors That Cause Stress in Cattle

There are many moments in a cattle’s life that can cause stress. The following factors can cattle to experience varying levels of stress: 

1. Weather

From a physiological standpoint, weather can be a stress for cattle. Temperatures that are too cold or too hot can be difficult for cattle to handle. 


Download our free How to Manage Heat Stress in Cattle guide to learn how to recognize the signs and treat cattle experiencing heat stress.  


2. Transportation

When a calf is moved to a sale barn, it is often their first time riding in a vehicle, which can feel intimidating due to the loud noise, bumpiness, new smells, and change in scenery. They may be exposed to pathogens outside of their mother for the first time. 


Read our blog post Top 5 Missed Opportunities in Weaning a Calf for more information on transporting calves. 


3. Dehydration

It’s critical that cattle have access to ample clean water. Not only are less likely to drink poor-quality water, dirty water can become a biosecurity hazard.  

4. Environmental Conditions

It’s important that pens and livestock facilities never get overcrowded nor overheated. They should be kept clean and dry and free from pests like flies. 


Read our blog post 6 Critical Steps to Take for Biosecurity


5. Nutritional Modifications

“A calf with an activated or challenged immune system will have a significant increase in requirements because it’s using energy and protein to have an immune response,” notes Nagorske. It’s critical to transition calves correctly. If they’re only used to feeding from their mother in the pasture, and suddenly the only option in front of them is silage, “they’re going to have a severe immune system depression because they aren’t getting the calories they need.”

6. Social Changes

“I think we forget that cattle are a social creature,” says Nagorske. “They have the herd mentality, and they establish pecking order.” Consequently, their relationships with each other can have an impact on their stress levels. 

High-Risk Stress in Cattle Examples 

High-risk stress in cattle can stem from a wide range of circumstances. Among the examples Nagorske provides are: 

Pen Commingling 

The average cow-calf herd is 40-50 head, but a pen of feedlot cattle can be 200 head. This means there could be five different groups commingling.

Sale Barn Grouping

When cattle from a multitude of farms are put together in the sale barn, it causes them to experience various levels of stress. They may be uncertain of where they stand in the pecking order, and they may be exposed to new pathogens.  

Light-Weight or Early Wean

When drought occurs or when feed costs become high, calves sometimes do not get the nutrition they need.

Dairy-Beef Crosses

“There is some debate if those are always going to be high-risk calves,” says Nagorske.

Minimal Backgrounding

Backgrounding is when calves are fed for a short time after weaning before they are turned to the finishing feedlots. Backgrounding can help set up calves for success on the feedlot. 

Minimal or Unknown Vaccine History

Even though not knowing your calves’ vaccine history is common, it is not ideal. It’s important for cattle to be fully vaccinated so that if they are exposed to disease they will remain resilient. 

Dehydration

“If they’re dehydrated, their ability to take the vaccine that you just put in their neck and get in their entire circulation so their whole immune system can see it is very hard,” explains Nagorske. 

Harsh Weather

Snowstorms or getting stuck somewhere on their journey to the sale barn can greatly impact calves’ stress levels. 

Low-Risk Stress in Cattle Examples 

There are ways to help reduce causes for stress in cattle, including:

Single-Sourced

Single-sourced cattle is the dream scenario, according to Nagorske. 

Older Cattle

Older cattle have a more robust immune system. As well, they’ve seen a lot and so are less likely to become as easily stressed.

Backgrounding

The time between weaning and entering the feedlot can be used to help build up a calf’s immunity by increasing its weight through grains and forage. 

5 Cattle Stress Considerations for Producers

Farmers tend to have a high-risk tolerance, but everyone has different comfort levels with risk in their feedyard. Know your limitations when it comes to:

Nutrition

Nutrition limitations could include what feedstuffs you have readily available, growing season challenges, byproduct sourcing and consistency, the cost of feed, feeding different cattle than you’re used to feeding, and maintaining properly balanced diets that maximize potential health and performance.  

Management

Be realistic about your level of expertise. As well, know how much time you have to put into managing your herd. Managing high-stress cattle may require more expertise, time, and finances from you.  

Environment

It’s critical to have enough space in your yard and pen for the number of cattle you own, but don’t stop there. Also consider pen style, as different types of cattle have different pen-style needs and different weather calls for different pen styles. Be sure not to overlook bunk height and size in the process. 

Labor

Post-COVID, labor constraints have become widespread. Ensure you have enough labor to vaccinate your cattle on a timely basis and to manage the pens. Be sure that workers have the expertise you need. 

Finances

Budget for the unexpected. There may be disease or pest outbreaks that you need to manage. As well, if you purchased high-risk cattle, you may face higher costs. 


Read our free BVD Management guide to learn when to test for BVD and how to manage this common disease. 


Protocols for High- and Low-Risk Cattle

To manage high- and low-risk cattle, it’s helpful to understand herd immunity, killed vs. live vaccines, and intranasal vs. injectable vaccines. 

Herd Immunity

There are two parts of the immune system: 

  • The innate immune system is what cows are born with. It’s nonspecific for general defense. 

  • The active immune system has an adaptive response. It gets activated by vaccination or disease exposure. 

The reason it’s important to vaccinate the whole herd is because “only 80-90% of animals will have an efficient immune response to vaccination,” says Nagorske. Through herd immunity, there is protection for those individual cows that do have an efficient immune response. 

Killed vs. Live Vaccines

Understand the difference between cattle vaccine types and whether a booster is needed so that you can properly immunize your herd and protect your profitability: 

  • Killed vaccines are made of pathogen particles or a killed pathogen so it won’t cause an active disease in the cattle. Usually, a booster will be required.

  • Modified live vaccines are ones that you mix that are made of altered pathogens so it provides immunity without getting the calf sick. 

Intranasal vs. Injectable Vaccines

Using a combination of intranasal and injectable vaccines will help protect the herd because they are used for different vaccine types: 

  • Intranasal vaccines initiate a rapid immune response within the calf’s nose. It’s typically not impacted by maternal antibodies. 

  • Injectable vaccines take longer than intranasal vaccines but are still important to use. With injectables, it can take up to 14 days for cattle to be protected. Some are impacted by maternal antibodies, which means vaccination can be canceled out. 

Questions to Ask Yourself When Assessing Cattle Stress Risk Level

  • What kind of vaccine history do you have?

  • If your herd is high-risk, do you want to mass med them?

  • What are the coccidia stats, and are the levels under control?

  • Have you worked with your nutritionist to develop a feed transition plan specific to your cattle?

  • What does your stocking density look like?

  • Is there enough clean water in enough places that cattle can find it?

  • How can you reduce handling in the first 72 hours?

Minimize and Manage Cattle Stress with Products from FBN

Prevent and manage stress with high-quality products from FBN, your one-stop shop for animal health products and livestock feed.

When it comes to animal health products, we have you covered with a full portfolio of antibiotics, vaccines, and more so that you can protect your herd health. We make it easy for you to order prescriptions. Just add your veterinarian’s contact information at checkout, and our team will contact them on your behalf for the necessary prescription. Learn more about how to order livestock prescriptions online here

Proper nutrition is important to reducing herd stress and improving your ROI. You can order liquid cow feed, mineral, and lick tubs at FBN.

When you order from FBN you get transparent pricing, access to deals, and direct-to-ranch delivery. 


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Neither FBN nor its affiliates endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, opinion, product, or service referenced by third parties during Farmer2Farmer.

This presentation is provided for information purposes only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. This information does not cover all possible variables, conditions, reactions, or risks relating to any topic, medication, or product and should not be considered complete. Certain products or medications may have risks and you should always consult your local veterinarian concerning the treatment of your animals. This video is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, tax, business, legal or professional advice. Neither FBN nor its affiliates endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, opinion, product, or service referenced by third parties in this video.

FBN Network

Sep 03, 2024

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