Weaning of beef calves is usually done abruptly and early compared to the natural weaning of the species, and is associated with simultaneous exposure of calves to a range of social and environmental stressors. Behavioural and physiological responses to weaning indicate detrimental effects on the welfare of these animals. The development and assessment of weaning methods aiming at reducing or a...

Although interest in beef-on-dairy breeding strategies is intensifying, little actually known of the performance differences between beef-sired male and female progeny dairy cows. The objective was therefore to use a large cross-sectional database up 1,389,670 animals investigate if existed generated from matings; focus on characteristics both producer (i.e., gestation length, calving performan...

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of injectable trace minerals on humoral responses of calves receiving a viral vaccination. Beef steer calves (n = 99; average BW = 316 ± 4.2 kg), seronegative for bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) and bovine viral diarrhea virus, genotypes 1 and 2 (BVDV-1 and BVDV-2), were sourced from 2 locations. All calves, except 15 non-vaccinated (...

Whole cottonseed (WCS) and soybean meal (SBM) were evaluated as potential supplements for preconditioning beef calves in Florida. Weaned calves were fed 2.78 lb/hd/d as fed of WCS or 1.40 lb/hd/d as fed of SBM for a 42-d preconditioning period. Steer calves fed WCS had lower preconditioning weight gains than steers supplemented with SBM (30.7 lb/ hd vs 40.1lb/hd). An economic evaluation of prec...

Vitamin D is critical for the growth and development of calves and positively contributes to immune function of cattle. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations above 20 ng/mL have traditionally been considered adequate for growth and development of cattle, but recent evidence has indicated that concentrations below 30 ng/mL are insufficient for immunity. Because little information is...

Wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo and hybrids) are routinely controlled to protect beef cattle from predation yet beef producers are sometimes ambivalent as to whether wild dogs are a significant problem or not. This paper reports the loss of calves between birth and weaning in pregnancy-tested herds located on two beef cattle properties in south-central and far north Queensland for up to 4 consecut...

Introduction The “Grass-fed beef ” label indicates meat that is produced by feeding forages from start to finish without any grain supplementation (USDA-AMS 2007). Many healthful aspects of grass-fed beef have been identified, including lower total fat content and higher content of omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), and antioxidants as compared to feedlot-finished beef (Razmi...

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of maternal lipid supplementation on the immune response to antigenic challenge in suckling calves. In Exp. 1, beginning 1 d postpartum, 18 primiparous crossbred beef cows were fed Foxtail millet hay and a low-fat (control) supplement or a supplement containing cracked, high-linoleate safflower seed in individual feeding stanchions until d ...

Holstein calves (both bulls and heifers) are of great financial importance to both dairies and feedyards in the desert southwest. For steers, their availability and uniformity and overall production have out weighed the potential deficits in carcass characteristics (smaller and elongated ribeye area, increase kidney, pelvic and heart fat, etc.) and increased maintenance costs. In Arizona alone,...

Effects of three different handling aids on calf behavior were determined. Group 1 calves were intensively-reared intact Holstein males (mean 180 days old); Group 2, extensively-reared beef-breed females (mean 230 days); Group 3, extensively-reared castrated beef-breed males (mean 253 days). Calves in each group were assigned to one of three handling aid treatments (n=5 per treatment subgroup; ...