scours

[old timer]

What is everybody's scour vaccination program and why do you like the product  you use.

 

[C-CROSS]

Guardian

 

[Torch]

Guardian

We use that too. But we also move the calves from the calving pen (5 acre) after two weeks to the a larger (15 acre) holding pasture. Then we move them to spring pasture two weeks after that.

 

[rtmcc]

Switched to Guardian a few years back and really felt like it did a better job than the previous product we had been using.  The bigger window  for vaccination is nice also.

 

[hamburgman]

We use the novartis product, love it works very well us.  In school we are taught that vaccination is really the last part of preventing scours.  Good conditioned cows and dry areas for calves are just as important as vaccinating, without these vaccines seem to have minimal effect.  Not accusing anyone here of having poor conditioned cows or bad calving areas just saying vaccinating is part of the program not the program.

 

[Show Heifer]

You are right on hamburgman. Environment is HUGE in preventing scours. I have been accused of single handedly supporting our oat producers (for the straw), but, (KNOCK ON WOOD) I haven't had a case of scours in YEARS.
I hope I haven't just jinxed myself, as scours are awful to deal with!!

 

[GoWyo]

Big pastures with green grass just coming on -- keeps the calves spread out and dry.  Commercials calve in pasture and the fancier ones we keep around the corral until the calf follows its momma and then out they go.

 

[hamburgman]

Wish we had those options where i am from, just to expensive to use pastures for calving really, warms up to late and greens up to late

 

[GoWyo]

Wish we had those options where i am from, just to expensive to use pastures for calving really, warms up to late and greens up to late

We calve late -- start mid-April except for the prospective show cattle and even those we don't start until the later end of March - have to watch out for blizzards.

 

[husker1]

Optimizer gel given at birth....darn good preventative in our experience.

 

[JWW]

environment is huge, if you have the place then use it. Dr. Smith from the Univeristy of Nebraska developed the "Sandhills Calving Operation" - basically you have multiple calving pastures, all the bred cows are in pen one and after two weeks of calving, move the cows that have NOT calved to pasture/ pen 2, then in 2 weeks move the breds to pen 3, do this till done calving. every two weeks, the breds are moved to a new clean pen and they calves in an environment that is not contaminated by the calves that have been born.
heres a link to one of the reports about it

http://beef.unl.edu/beefreports/symp-2007-17-XX.shtml

JWW

 

[sam1988]

4 KC vaccine and clean pastures = no scours

 

[Hilltop]

We have had our cows on a vaccination program for years and really believe it is worth the money. We calve in a clean but smaller area and usually see the calves up and sucking within the hour. The fall of 1994 we deceided to skip this because we were on a farm that we were told had not had scors for years. BIG mistake. I bet we treated half of the 85 calves.We only lost one calf but I know a lot were much smaller and lighter that fall. I had a book to keep track and what a nightmare. Tubing. and needling took up half the day. We have vaccinated ever since and will never skip a year again.

 

[gw197510]

This may be changing the subject but what does everyone use for clostridial issues and in particular, if you have problems with clostridium type A?