Question: The rainfall was exceptionally high in my area during late summer and autumn. The grazing looks good, and the cows are in a good condition, but my calves are not growing too well. What could the problem be? Most parasites flourish under wet and warm conditions. Roundworms and tapeworms,…
Question: Is it advisable to buy 3- to 4-week-old calves and grow them? What are the risks and what kind of feeding formula should I use? The main risk of buying young calves lies in the fact that they don’t have a fully developed immune system and their health depends…
It is important to minimise losses from disease and deaths – which should be lower than 1% – during feeding. This means that if you feed fewer than 100 calves, there should be no deaths, or you will not make a profit. The decision to feed calves in a farm…
Question: The moment I start weaning my calves they develop warts. What can I do to get rid of the warts? Warts are contagious and can incubate on your farm, infecting your cattle for long periods. It is important therefore for the farmer to take action to prevent such diseases.…
Question: We recently started a feedlot on our farm. How old should calves be before we can wean them for the feedlot? I would also like to know what weaning shock is. Calves intended for beef production are usually weaned at about 7 months (200 to 210 days). At this stage,…
Question: How long should a calf wear a nose ring to stop it suckling again? Is there a better alternative to a nose ring? It is generally accepted that a calf should wear a nose ring for about 2 weeks. This can change, however, depending on circumstances. If it is…
Question: Is it necessary to wean calves or will they do it themselves? Weaning is all about managing the cow’s body condition. At the age of 7 months, the calf can survive on grass. If the available grass isn’t that good, as at the beginning of winter, the cow will rapidly…
Every farmer who works with cattle in a crush knows the frustration of using the same crush for large animals as well as calves. Normally there are a couple of feisty calves that will turn around in the crush before they reach the head clamp and then it is a…
Up to 300 head of cattle can be handled in a day by just three workers in this feedlot - a carefully planned wagon wheel set-up. Many years before hormone-free and growth stimulant-free meat became fashionable among the health conscious, André Ferreira of Bethlehem in the South African province of…
