The aim of this study was to estimate direct and maternal genetic parameters for calving difficulty score, stillbirth, and birth weight at first and later parities for Charolais and Hereford cattle in Sweden. Calving traits have long been recorded for pure-bred beef cattle in Sweden, but only birth weight has been used in the selection in order to avoid calving difficulties. Linear animal model...

Infections with Mycoplasma bovis can result in several syndromes of importance for dairy and beef cattle of all ages. These diseases continue to require the attention of practitioners due to poor response to treatment and the marginal effectiveness of prophylaxis. We explore here parameters of transmission of the infections, and how practitioners can use this knowledge to develop management str...

The injection of iron-dextran into beef calves at an early age immediately increased values for erythrocyte (RBC) numbers, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), even though the calves were not anemic. There were no significant differences in average daily gain (ADG) from birth through 15 wk between those tha...

BACKGROUND The prevention of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) in beef cattle is important to maintaining health and productivity of calves in feeding operations. OBJECTIVE Determine whether BRD bacterial and viral pathogens are susceptible to the lactoperoxidase/hydrogen peroxide/iodide (LPO/H2 O2 /I- ) system in vitro and to determine whether the oral administration of sodium iodide ...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of transportation and commingling on measures of the acute-phase protein response in newly weaned beef calves. Thirty-two (Exp. 1; average BW = 266 +/- 20.8 kg) and thirty-six (Exp. 2; average BW = 222 +/- 34.6 kg) Brahman-crossbred calves were randomly allotted to one of four treatments (2 x 2 factorial arrangement [transportation x com...

continued on page 2 Manuel Chamorro, DVM Clinical Instructor College of Veterinary Medicine The bovine fetus has a type of placentation that does not permit contact between maternal and fetal blood and therefore does not permit passive transfer of immunoglobulins (Ig) from the mother to her fetus. The bovine calf is born agammaglobulinemic and depends on the intake of an adequate amount of mate...

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is the most important health issue in beef feeder calves. Our study was a randomized, blinded field trial to evaluate potential differences in health, production and behavior in feeder calves administered two different preventive health programs. Calves in two replicates (n=308 and n=305) were allocated to pens and then pens were randomly assigned a pre...

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to measure the effects non-protein nitrogen (NPN; biuret) or NPN + ruminal modifier (biuret Bovatec, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) inclusion in a commercial mineral mix on growth performance yearling beef calves grazing Kansas Flint Hills.

Albendazole (methyl 5-propylthio-1 H-benzimidazol-2-yl carbamate) was used as an anthelmintic in a 3-yr study involving 578 beef cows and 438 nursing calves. Infection levels for nematodes, coccidia, and tapeworm were relatively low throughout the 3-yr period. Eggs per gram of feces in cows and calves were lower (P less than .01) 2 wk posttreatment but were not different 5 mo later, when calves...

supplementation scenarios. Introduction Backgrounding of cattle is generally utilized to prepare the calf for subsequent segments of the beef cattle industry. Cravey (1996) suggested that backgrounded calves may demonstrate greater feedlot profitability as a result of greater feedlot ADG, gain:feed, decreased medicinal cost and mortality compared to nonbackgrounded cattle. Step et al. (2008) in...