Page 25 - MWC 2-23-2023s
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Calf Scours and Calving                                                                  The Midwest Cattleman · February 23, 2023 · P25

      Pasture Rotation                                    By Mark Z. Johnson

         Calf scours results in sick- calves born in pasture two  a week of each
      ness, poor performance, med- remain as pairs in pasture  other. Cow-calf
      ical expenses, and death.  two.                                       pairs from dif-
      Scours is a complex disease           4) Each subsequent week,  ferent pastures
      with     many      inter-related the remaining bred cows are  can be commin-
      causes. Agent, host, and envi- moved to a new pasture and  gled after the
      ronmental factors collective- the pairs remain in their pas- youngest calf is
      ly explain scours and these  ture of birth.                           four weeks of age
      factors interact dynamically          This results in pairs in  at which time all
      over the course of time. In- multiple pastures each con-                                   Calf scours results in sickness, poor performance, medical
      fected  calves  typically  be- taining calves born within                    continued on   expenses, and death.   Photo- OSU
                                                                                        page 27
      come ill or die from diarrhea
      by one or two weeks of age.
         Regardless of what causes
      the disease, the first seven to        PARAMOUNT
      14 days of age defines the age
      of susceptibility as well as
      the age calves are most likely
      to become infected and shed
      the agents in their manure.             Elevate to a more valuable female.
      This is important because in
      many (if not most) calving
      systems the number of po-                                                                   For over a decade, Red Angus females have
      tentially infected calves may                                                            commanded more at auction than all other breeds,
      outnumber the number of                                                                including Angus. According to Superior Livestock data,
      susceptible calves resulting
      in high potential  to trans-                                                              Red Angus heifers brought nearly $17/cwt more –
      fer a disease causing dose of                                                                  that equates to a $92/head premium
      pathogens.                                                                                      on a weaned replacement female.
         Although the cow herd
      serves as the source of calf
      scour pathogens from year to                                                                      To learn more about
      year, the average dose load of                                                                      industry-leading
      pathogen exposure to calves
      is likely to increase over time                                                                     stayability, visit
      within a calving season be-                                                                            RedAngus.org
      cause calves infected earlier
      serve as pathogen multipli-
      ers and become the primary
      source of exposure to young-
      er susceptible calves.
         The management plan
      defined as the  “Sandhills
      Calving System” works by
      segregating calves by age
      to    prevent      transmission
      of pathogens from  older to
      younger calves through the
      scheduled movement of preg-
      nant cows to clean calving
      pastures which have been
      unoccupied by cattle for sev-
      eral months.
         1) Initially, pregnant cows
      are turned out in the first
      calving pasture where calv-
      ing season runs its course for
      two weeks.
         2)  After two weeks, cows
      that have not yet calved are
      moved  to a second pasture
      while the pairs stay in the
      first calving pasture.
         3) After a week of calving
      in pasture two, the remain-
      ing  bred  cows  are  moved  to
      a third pasture while the
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