IDENTIFYING CATTLE
Important Fact:
Identification of cattle is essential in order to calculate
performance data for the animal, as well as that of the sire and dam.
Identification is also necessary record health information, and may
be helpful in providing ownership.
Questions to Ask
Q. Why should cattle be permanently identified?
A. Permits accurate records to be kept which allows
for production testing, establishing ownership, etc.
Q. What is important in selecting an identification
method?
A. Easily administered, easy to read at a distance and
long lasting.
Q. Which methods would be considered temporary and which
ones are permanent?
A. Temporary: Ear tag, neck chains and ankle tags.
Permanent: Hot brands, freeze brands, tattoos, and photographs
which cannot be lost.
Q. When is the best time to identify a calf?
A. Right after its birth.
Q. Which breeds can best utilize photographs and sketches?
A. Gursey, Holstein, and Ayshire breeds plus other breeds
with unique color patterns.
Q. In which part of the ear should plastic tags be inserted?
A. The lower half so hair won't make the tag illegible
at a late date.
Q. When are ankle tags most often used?
A. Dairy farmers using milking parlors used these types
of tags because they can easily be seen in the parlor.
DEHORNING A CALF
Important Fact:
Dehorning a calf is an excellent opportunity for producers
to learn an important management practice as well as develop life skills.
Producers should understand the dehorning process to avoid being injured
by the animals and as animals injuring each other.
Questions to Ask
Q. Why should horns be removed?
A. Horns can cause damage and injury to both animals
and people. Animals with horns are more difficult to handle. Sometimes
horns that are allowed to grow and nor trained properly may grow into
the head or into an odd shaped angle which will tend to cause excessive
damage.
Q. What equipment is recommended to dehorn a newborn
calf?
A. The equipment recommended would be a caustic stick,
tube calf dehorner or heat dehorner iron.
Q. What problems might occur if the horns are not taken
off when the animals are young?
A. When the dehorning is delayed until the animal if
mature and the horns are mature and blood vessels have grown up into
the horns and this results in excessive bleeding when the horns are
taken off. This causes a great deal of additional stress to the animals.
Q. When is the best time to dehorn a calf and why?
A. The best time is when the horns are in their least
developed stage which will cause less problems to the calf. This is
within the first three months and as young as right after birth in the
first day of life.
Q. How do you use the caustic stick on the newborn calf?
A. Use a hand clipper or scissors to snip the hair around
the horn button. Spread a ring of Vaseline outside or around the ring
of the horn button so the caustic stick won't burn the skin. Apply the
paste or caustic stick to the horn button by rubbing vigorously in a
circular motion.
Q. How would you use the hot iron method?
A. After heating the iron either electrically or in
a fire, place it over the horn button or the horn and apply pressure
until a deep copper colored ring appears around the horn.
Q. How long will it normally take the horn to sluff-off?
A. 4-6 weeks.
Q. What is one of the big advantages of the hot iron?
A. The heat stops the bleeding and cauterizes the wound.
Q. How would you use the dehorning tube?
A. Put the tube over the horn and push down and twist
until the tube cuts the skin around the horn. Apply pressure and twisting
motion until the horn is gauged out.
Q. How would you use the Barnes type dehorner?
A. Push the dehorner firmly against the skin around
the horn, spread the handles apart. This closes the knives and removes
the skin.
Q. If you had to use a saw for larger horns, how would
you use this?
A. Cut from underneath the horn so that the angel of
the skull may be followed. Do not cut from the top since it is easy
to cut into the skull this way.
Q. What precautions can you use to prevent infections?
A. Have a disinfectant solution to dip the tools in
prior to and between each use.
Q. If you have excessive bleeding , what would you do
to stop this?
A. Use forceps or thin needlenose pliers to grasp the
blood vessel at a lower point which will increase the pressure on it
and allow coagulation to occur.
Q. Is there a less painful way to eliminate horns for
your herd?
A. The use of cattle that are naturally polled will
eliminate the problem.
IMPLANTING BEEF CATTLE
Important Fact:
Learning to properly implant will help a producer raise
cattle which gain faster on less feed. In addition the producer will
learn to appreciate the application of science and research in the beef
industry.
Questions to Ask
Q. What materials can be used to implant beef cattle?
A. At present there are two commercial products available-Synovex
and Ralgro which are available in pelleted form.
Q. What equipment is needed to implant the pellets?
A. A special implanting tool with a needle on it.
Q. How is the tool used?
A. In the case of the Ralgro the needle is inserted
under the skin close to the base of the ear. The object is to insert
the pellet as close to the base of the ear as possible. The needle is
inserted under the skin and then pulled back slightly so a cavity is
formed for the pellet. The trigger is then squeezed once to release
the pellet and withdrawn. With Synovex the pellets are inserted about
the middle of the ear. I this case instead of a single pellet, a string
of pellets are released which occupies a greater space than in the case
of the Ralgro.
Q. How much increase in weight gain can you expect by
implanting your calf?
A. A 6-10% increase in weight is expected, this would
mean on a 1,000 lb. calf you would expect an additional 60-100 lbs.
Gain. A calf that would gain 2.5 lbs. without the implant could be expected
to gain up to 2.75 lbs. per day with an implant.
Q. What increase in feed efficiency would you expect?
A. Studies indicate that an 8-12% increase in feed efficiency
is possible. This would mean that a calf that would normally be gaining
1 pound a day on 8 lbs. of feed when implanted could be expected to
gain 1 pound on a little over 7 lbs. of feed.
Q. What is an implant and how does it work?
A. An implant is a combination of hormone -like materials
which help make more efficient use of the protein in the feed to develop
muscle.
Q. What is the approximate cost of an implant?
A. About $1.00 per implant.
Q. How long will one implant be effective?
A. One implant is absorbed gradually over a period of
3-4 months.
Q. Can a second implant be given after 3-4 months?
A. Yes, with about the same benefits as the first implant.
Q. Should heifers be implanted?
A. Yes, its recommended that heifers intended to be
slaughtered should be implanted, but that heifers to be kept for breeding
should not be implanted.
Q. Why should heifers not to be implanted that are going
to be kept for breeding?
A. There's a possibility that the materials in the implant
might interfere with reproduction.
Q. When can implanting be done?
A. The time to implant will vary with the product used.
Ralgro can be implanted anytime from birth to within65 days of slaughter.
Synovex is approved only for cattle above 400 lbs. And should not ne
implanted within 60 days before slaughter. Two different kinds of Synovex
are available: one for heifers and one for steers.
DETERMINING A CALF'S WEIGHT
Important Fact:
The producer who is able to determine the weight of
his project calves will be able to determine the proper feeding of the
calves throughout the project experience. The knowledge of birth weight
and or breeding weight can help every producer develop and overall young
stock program.
Questions to Ask
Q. Do all calves weigh the same at birth?
A. No, each breed will vary.
Q. Why do you want to determine a calf's birth weight?
A. There are several reasons. Two important reasons
are to determine proper feeding procedures so you do not overfeed and
to keep an accurate record of rate of gain.
Q. How do you use the birth weight to determine proper
amounts of milk or milk replacer?
A. Birth weight times 6% equals pounds of milk or prepared
milk replacer for the first days after birth, then increase to 8% after
3 days until weaning.
Q. What is the expected weight gain for a calf?
A. Beef breeding heifers and dairy heifers should gain
about 1.6-1.7 lbs. per day from 200 to 1,000 lbs. of body weight. Market
beef should gain 2.25-3.00 lbs. per day, whether heifer or steer.
Q. Why would you want to determine a calf's weaning
weight?
A. To determine if the calf's feeding program is correct.
It gives you a measurement of judge growth of the calf against the breed
standards.
Q. Why is the weight of a calf important when she is
of breeding age?
A. By determining the weight, you can judge if your
heifer is ready for breeding at 15 months. Growth rate and nutrition
are as important as age at this time.
Q. What is the minimum weight a dairy heifer should
be at breeding time?
A. A beef heifer-depending upon breed 500-750 lbs. The
low limit is for a Jersey and the upper limit is for a Hostein. The
beef heifer should be at least 650 lbs., but breed will also a play
a role.
CASTRATING A CALF
Important Fact:
A producer who raises cattle should understand how to
castrate a calf since this one of the accepted practices of raising
beef. This will also give the producer an increased understanding of
reproduction in cattle.
Questions to Ask
Q. What is castration?
A. Removing the testicles of male calves which eliminates
production of the male hormone testosterone.
Q. Why do you castrate a calf?
A. Castration results in easier handling of the calves
and a higher price at market price at market time.
Q. When should you castrate a calf?
A. As soon as possible after birth, preferably in the
first two months.
Q. What are some pieces of equipment used for castration?
A. Sharp knife, emasculator, burdizzo or elastrator.
Q. What method is most commonly used by producers?
A. The use of the knife is still the most common method.
Q. If you decide to use a knife how would you use this?
A. Two methods are commonly used:
1. Grasping the scrotum and cutting the lower third
off with a sharp knife, or
2. Slitting both sides of the lower two-thirds of the
scrotum-being certain of slitting all the way through the bottom. In
leach case, the procedure is to squeeze the testicles out of the scrotum:
slit the outer membrane back and the cord may be pulled out. On an older
calf, pull only the testical out until the cord is visible and then
using a knife scrape the cord until it's apart. This will reduce any
bleeding.
Another method which is recommended is to crush the
cord with an emasculator after it's visible.
Q. If you decide to use a burdizzo how would you instruct
someone to do so?
A. In this method the skin is not broken. The cord of
one testicle is worked or pushed to one side of the scrotum.. The burdizzo
is then clamped over the one cord an inch and half to two inches above
the testicle. After the clamping the burdizzo hold for a moment and
then remove. In order to increase the certainty of crushing the cord
a second clamp may be ½ to inch above the first one. The same
procedure is followed on the second testicle and cord. It is very important
not to try to crush both cords at one time which will cause blood vessels
and nerves in the median of the scrotum to be severed.
Q. How do you test to see if the burdizzo is working
properly?
A. Place a piece of paper between the clamps and clamp
down. The paper should be cut.
Q. How long after you pinch the cord will the testicle
shrivel up?
A. This usually takes several weeks.
Q. If an elastrator is used, when should this be used
and how might it be demonstrated to your neighbor?
A. This may be used on a calf up to a week of age, although
some people use it on older calves. There is a risk of tetanus infection,
especially with calves over two weeks old. A special rubber ring is
put on the elastor. The ring is then inserted over the scrotum where
it attaches t the body. The blood supply is cut off and the testicals
wither in 20-30 days. This method cause no internal hemorrhage but may
result in more intense pain for a longer period of time for the animal
than the other method discussed.
Q. What is a castrated male calf called?
A. A steer.
Q. When should a fly repellent be used?
A. In warm weather when the chance of fly strike is
present.
Prepared by
Gregory Reed, Director
Farmers Home Administration Technical Assistance Program
The information given is for educational purposes only.
References to commercial products or trade names are made with the understanding
that not discrimination is intended of other products that may also
be suitable.
Alcorn State University does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap and veteran
status and is an equal opportunity employer.
Publication 405
( Rev. 10M-18-94)
