You bought your first herd of cattle! Good for you and welcome to the world of breeding. Regarding the work required for ruminants, caring for livestock is, in general, similar to caring for cows, except that other classes of cattle such as calves, steers and bulls are not excluded.
Assuming that your enclosures, buildings, water sources, and mineral springs are in perfect working order and that you have already fattened the animals, taking care of livestock should be relatively easy if you know what you are getting into. Different species and different types of livestock require different care: calves tend to require a lot of work, much more than weaned steers; bulls require more attention than slaughter cows and calves; cattle in the fattening pen require much more care than grazing cattle.
Whatever species of livestock you have, the steps to care for them remain relatively the same - read below to find out how to care for your flock.
Steps
Step 1. Feed cattle and / or provide lots of forage
This is the most important stage of cattle care - you can't expect them to live long if you don't know what or how to feed them. Although livestock feed primarily on grass and can be grazed in forage fields, in some cases, nutrients such as silage, hay and grain for livestock will be needed which need to be kept under care or grown in a dry lot or in a specific area. Areas with very snowy winters cannot allow cattle to graze on grass as in the summer months; cattle that are fattened for slaughter are often kept in an enclosure where there is no grass to graze. In both cases, it is better for the producer to feed the cattle, rather than letting them eat whatever they find.
- Winter grazing is practiced in those areas where snow accumulates: taking the cattle out of the enclosure and into the fields or pastures during the winter is in fact a sustainable and low-cost practice, and consists of grazing on mown grass, or through bales. of hay and stocks.
- Rotational grazing is a highly recommended practice for grazing livestock: it optimizes the space of the pasture and distributes the manure more evenly than continuous grazing.
Step 2. Think about having water and minerals available ad libitum
Water is the most important nutrient for all types of livestock: it would be inhuman, not to say cruel, to deny such a thing. Nutrients in the form of dissolved minerals or salt blocks are equally important: livestock have a high need for salt with the type of food they consume.
Step 3. Keep the flock healthy
Keeping up to date with vaccinations and deworming and lice schedules is especially important if you don't have an enclosed flock (more in regards to feeding than stocking or fencing) and if your flock is at risk for certain diseases such as anthrax. Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), calf diarrhea, and IBR (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis). Some livestock species are more prone to certain diseases than others, so be sure to check with a large animal veterinarian or other farmers or breeders (if a veterinarian isn't available) which vaccinations are best suited to your case..
Step 4. Check your livestock regularly for symptoms of disease or injury
Calves kept in a dry lot need to be checked more frequently than grazing calves, simply because they are more likely to get sick: they are normally checked every time they are fed, while grazing calves are checked when they need to be moved from a pasture or fence to the other.
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The flocks during mating need to be checked more frequently especially if there is more than one bull in a single flock. You can risk injury if you herd a herd of bulls during mating season, due to competition between bulls for a particular cow or group of cows. A lameness, an injured or broken penis can compromise a bull's abilities and its success in mating.
Such herds also need to be checked to mark which cows have mated and which are still in heat
- Calves kept in dry batches risk getting pneumonia or transport fever, acidosis, carbuncle, etc. Fattening cattle are more at risk of acidosis than others, and just as at risk for respiratory diseases that can be caught by dust or dusty food.
Step 5. Keep your fences and machinery running smoothly:
good fences produce good relations between neighbors; well maintained machinery makes a farmer happy. This kind of thing needs to be considered when caring for livestock.
- Livestock will flee if fences are not well maintained and secured or if there are holes in them. Sometimes there may be leaks even if you've done your best to keep the fences in good shape - this is to be expected, but it doesn't have to become commonplace.
- Machinery that is kept oiled and lubricated, and whose worn or broken parts are repaired or replaced, will stay with you for a long time. Old machinery tends to require more care than your livestock or new machinery requires, but the latter will wear out soon if you don't take care of it.
Advice
- Keep the cattle calm and have them herd as quietly as possible - it will produce good cattle and also good beef to eat.
- Think about preparing an emergency kit with everything you might need for your flock in case your vet fails to arrive in time to take care of it.
- Keep your veterinarian's phone number at hand in case of an emergency.
- If you are feeding hay bales to your cattle, be sure to cut the wires or nets - it is impossible for cattle to eat through wraparound nets or even plastic wire since they don't have the "tools" you have.
Warnings
- Caring for livestock is not for everyone, as it requires hard work and a lot of effort to keep the animals healthy and well fed.
- Bulls and cows with calves can be dangerous. Even the wildest and most unreliable cattle can become dangerous if treated roughly and kept in a corner whose only way out would be through you.
