When to band and when/what shots ???

[Middle River]

another question about my two hols. bottle calves they are now about two weeks old, and the little guy with the contracted tendons is also almost straight, at times he will still stand for a sec. with them all the way bent back, but most of the time he stands and walks with them about 80% straight, so he should be good to go eventually - right ?

Ok, i'm also wondering when the best time to band them is ? The flies aren't here yet, but should be within a couple of weeks - i can blu-cote them or put swat on them if i need to. Also, they haven't had any shots yet, should they ? If so, what and when ? Should i also give them another dose of probios and vit. A,E and B paste ?

They seem to be doing good, vigorous and healthy orange baby poop :+) Thanks !

[randiliana]

Your calf sounds like he is coming around just fine.

Band them now. Even if there were flies, they shouldn't be a problem. I think, the younger the better. They should hardly notice being banded.

Shots wise, it is best to wait until they are a month to 6 weeks old, that way the immunity they got from the colostrum won't interfere with the vaccine as much. Then at the very least give them a 7 or 8 way clostridial. That will cover blackleg. One for pneumonia and respiritory diseases may not be a bad idea either. The best person to talk to would be your vet, he knows what diseases are prevalent in your area. As for the probios, as long as they are eating well, you probably don't need to. And vitamins won't hurt them, so it is your choice.

[Middle River]

Thanks ! I'll band them this weekend then - so i don't need to worry about tetnus then ?

[agmantoo]

I essentially have a closed herd. I give no shots. If I had brought these animals together from outside I would give a 5 way shot. Banding is done within a few days of being born. Supplies can be bought from the internet usually at a savings. They do get an ear tag so that I can track their connection from mother to offspring. Do no more than you have to to ensure having a healthy calve and keep the expenses under control to keep a healthy bank account. Time and experience will give you the background to make the call.

[topside1]

I band at three weeks or less. No shots, at my place. Also before and after I band I spray gentle iodine on the banded area, can't remember exactly why, but I have been doing it this way for years, with never a problem. Remember not to get his teats anywhere near the band.

[agmantoo]

topside,
How do you catch and subdue the calves at 3 weeks of age? I can hold a three week old with effort but I cannot catch them on open pasture on foot.

[nathan104]

From what Ive found out, the required vaccinations varies by area. A call to the local vet can tell you what is needed in your area.

[topside1]

Agman, 99% of all the calves I raise are week old dairy bottle babies that I raise on goats milk. They are not nearly as strong as a beef calf, plus I have my kids to help....By the way the last three auction calves I asked you about have been tamed. Sorry to say I will not be making a habit out of buying calves pulled from the cows...WILD but tameable....

[nathan104]

Cant help you on how to catch them. Im having the same problem. Turned my 2 1/2 month old beef calves out a few days ago. One of them was sick before I released them and I gave it some antibiotics. Its doing much better it seems. But, the second calf which wasnt sick before now appears to have caught what the first calf has. But, she is skiddish and I can get to her to give her a shot. She stays by the water and as I try to get close, she will dang near drown herself going deeper into the water to get away from me. I cant drive her to a fence corner or the barn because she says in the corner by the water at all times. I may have to learn how to lasso!

[randiliana]

Well, here is how we catch them. It is easier if you have 2 people. 1 to distract the calf, and another to sneak up and catch it. But, don't grab unless you are darn sure you can catch. It is better to let it run off, and try again than to half catch it and have it get away. The second time is much, much harder. Also helps to have quiet cows, that don't run away from you when you approach.

When we are still feeding hay, we will drive as close as we can to the calf, they are used to the truck as we feed with it). Then have 1 person get out and walk around in front of the calf. In the meantime, the second person also gets out, and once the calf has it's attention on person #1 we sneak up behind it and grab a hind leg. It may take a couple tries, but generally it works. Our cows are also quiet enough that we can walk up close to them and use them to hide behind, to get closer to the calf.

Once we quit feeding, about the only way is to get the calf and its mama into the corral, or to rope it. I prefer to take half a dozen cows into the corral, and then sort the sick one off. If the calf is sick enough, we may keep the pair in for a while so we can retreat if necessary.

[kclementsdvm]

Vaccinate for tetanus when you band! Don't take the chance that colostral immunity will protect against it. Just give yourself (and the calves) the peace of mind of the shot at banding.

[nathan104]

If youre still having trouble getting to them in the pasture, we finally got to our skiddish heifer. We figured out that if she was laying down, and we walked slowly, we could walk up to her. If she was standing, she would take off. May not work for you, but worth a shot.