Deworming

Deworming

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
I've done a number of stories lately with veterinarian Dr. Che Trejo who pre– conditions to help keep animals healthy during the weaning process. During that time, calves are particularly vulnerable to pneumonia and need to be vaccinated in an effort to prevent bovine respiratory disease (BRD). But Dr. Trejo also talks about deworming. Listen to some information I ran across from the National Grazing Lands Coalition. "Parasite control is one of the most important herd management decisions you make each season. Just a 10% improvement in weaned calf crop reduces the break even by $16.82 per hundred weight and increases net income by $120 per pair. But if you are focusing your de-worming protocol just on calves, parasites are literally sucking away at your profitability. Parasites in cows can negatively impact the immune system and reduce nutritional efficiency. This leads to lower body condition which reduces consumption rates and decreases milk production. This in turn can effect weaning weights in calves. That's why parasite control in the cow is essential to cow-calf profitability. You can't have a calf crop without calves and open cow isn't just underperforming, she's actually costing you money. By managing for conception, you are making sure your cows are actually in the game. Cows that conceived late, calve late and that can decrease weaning weights by as much as 40 or more pounds. So managing for conception should not only target ways to get cows to breed back, but as early as possible.
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