This is the stuff I like to have on hand in the cow barn. A few months worth of hay. A couple hundred pounds of grain (we buy 500 lbs at a time and store it in big, heavy plastic barrels). Grain dish and scoop. A mineral block. Pitchfork. A 20+ gallon water bucket. A few five gallon pails. Straw for bedding. I like to have about ten bales handy for patching up the floor. Brush, udder creams (antibiotic, winter cream to keep the teats from freezing, and moisturizing stuff for the heat), adjustable halter, collar and lead rope. A sturdy pair of scissors for cutting open hay bales. Teat wipes, milking stool, and a farmer's almanac for hitting horse flies. Fly spray (we make our own, a gallon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of citronella oil in a spray bottle). And the vet's number memorized and posted by the phones.
To add a few simple things. A long peice of flexible tube about 6 feet long and a half inch across the opening with a good heavy wall. Used to treat bloat and tube feed. Garden hose works but can be too colapsable. Bloataide or some suitable bloat remedy. Antiseptic spray, some are helpful with pink eye too. You could fill a box and frig with medical supplies but Pen G and/or some form of oxytetracycline would seem prudent. Needles and syringes to suit. Baking soda, if you're not adding ti to feed already get a spare box or two. A weigh tape and themometer are essential too. ASA (Asprin) works well on cattle but you'd need a lot of human dosed pills. I guess it really depends on how prepared you want to be, the list could go on and on. Extras might include Vitamins AD and B, maybe E Selinium it can be a life saver if needed (so can the B or thiamin specifically) I keep what might seem like a staggering amount and variety of drugs for the sheep, but with 200 ewes and at times 300+ lambs the odds of needing different things are a little bit greater. Those suggested above are a small portion of what I keep on hand, and thankfully cattle rarely need much of anything.
Ross, I can't beleive you forgot to mention boraform I thought you and I kept those folks in business.
Yeah well I didn't want to sound like a Boraform salesman There are sprays out there which are useful for pink eye (which Boraform is NOT) You really could fill a large cupboars with vetting supplies so dual purpose stuff makes the most sence.
Ross, we use it for darned near everything. With you being down east, do you have access to Nuflor? It's saved more cattle on our place since it came out than anything in the past. We don't have a lot of the conditions you see but we fight several strains of pneumonia and a couple breeds of scours and it's highly effective.
5 antibiotics cover things here PenG Oxy LP (LA and water soluable versions of tetracycline too) Tylan, Trivetrin (or equiv as Borgol) and liquid Sulfamethazine. I'll hold off on the more powerful Nuflor and Micotil until I need something more powerful. I can get them, just as we run a nearly closed flock and restrict access by the public so far things have been quite controlable. We don't use much antibiotics anyhow. Just for fun (and I doubt I NEED all this stuff, it's just nice to have) here's as complete a list as I can remember of what meds etc we keep on hand here: -The 5 antibiotics mentioned, they should cover 95% of bacterial problems here. -Vitamins AD, E Selenium (we're Sel deficiant here), B complex, Thiamin, B12 and Iron (injectable) - Cal Dextro, Cal Mag Phos, 50% Dextrose, lactated ringers and IV sodium chloride - TASVAX 8 (or Coopavax8 covexin Glanvac7+CL etc.) - PMSG and Folligon -Lidocane -Dexamethasone -oxytocin -Proplene Glycol - a powdered electrolite drench - Boraform 8) - A generic Pink eye/wound dressing spray -topical Iodine in various formats -Coopertox for feet -an oral (human) antihistamine -guiefenesan (expectorant) -dextrose powder (used for beer making but it's a good energy source too -A big roll of cotton and duct tape (of coarse) -various rolls of gause dressing etc. -Umbilical tape and a large needle. -sutures - a medical stapler (a gift) -Hoof shears, medium pinchers, knife, and pick -Ivomec, Safeguard, Tramisol and Valbazen (but not for long) -A bloat guard or some sort -Scourhalt -pepto bismol - Baking soda -Colate (I think) colostrum replacer -bag balm -mineral oil -Metamusil - A surgical lubricant who's name escapes me (good for pulling dead lambs/calves) -Clinicide (a disinfactant -Virkon (for a boot wash -plastic gloves (arm length) - a multitude of plastic hoses -a multitude of syringes and needles -probably a few more things like thermometers and stethiscopes, scalples etc and if all else fails either a .22 or a .303 brit :?
Add a set of calving chains and handles. And something everyone who has any kind of livestock should have, a Merck Vet manual. A good good light is also priceless on a dark night when old Bossy decides to calve in the far corner of the pasture, and has trouble.
