Vaccinating calves prior to marketing can add to their value at the sale barn, as well as improve their performance on your own farm.
Dr. Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension regional livestock specialist at the Johnson County office in Warrensburg, noted post weaning is a very stressful time for the calf. “The animal is getting used to a new diet, eating from a feed bunk, drinking from a water tank and new pen mates,” Davis told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. “The animal is also very susceptible to sickness, because of lower host defense and antibody protection.”
If the calf contracts Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) – actually a complex of bacterial and viral diseases – it will have to divert nutrients from its own growth to fight the illness; early sickness can also lead to poor performance for the rest of the animal’s life. That makes it important for the calf to be vaccinated for respiratory disease prior to weaning, and booster vaccinated at weaning time.
Vaccinating for respiratory disease is one part of a preconditioning program, which can contribute to improved returns for the producer. “However,” Davis said, “it is important that these calves are marketed through specific sales, or programs in which the buyers know that the calves have gone through a preconditioning program.”
Research done at sale barns in 2010 by University of Arkansas animal scientist Dr. Tom Troxel found preconditioning calves – which also involves deworming and, if male, castrating them – usually improves their value by about $5/cwt. “So, if you’re selling a 500 pound calf,” said Troxel’s colleague, UA Extension veterinarian Jeremy Powell, “if he’s been preconditioned you’re going to receive another $25 for that preconditioning program.”
Dr. Powell told OFN vaccines against the BRD complex usually target the viruses, and perhaps one or two of the bacteria, that lead to pneumonia in calves. While vaccination is usually done fairly close to weaning, “It’s variable. Some producers would do that when the calves are 3-4 months of age, and may come back and give them boosters when they wean the calves. Some folks will be doing it about a month ahead of weaning and they may booster the calf again at weaning. Or, some people will vaccinate them when they wean the calf, on that day, and then they’ll keep the calves for a period of time after weaning to let them get over that stress in their lives, and vaccinate them again and then sell them.”
In order to be marketed as preconditioned, the calves usually have to have been weaned for a period of about 45 days. Powell said, “That minimizes their risk of contracting the disease, and then would improve their performance and minimize cost of treatment.” Vaccination greatly reduces the likelihood the calf will get sick as it goes on to the next phase of cattle production, in a stocker or feeder operation. Powell said, “I think some buyers definitely prefer preconditioned calves because they’re a lot less risky when they get to the next phase of production. I don’t know that they’re demanding preconditioned calves, but they are giving this financial incentive.”
