Coughing Heifers - give them shots or no?
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Topic: Coughing Heifers - give them shots or no?
Posted By: bigcreek
Subject: Coughing Heifers - give them shots or no?
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 10:17am
| I have two heifer calves both around 300 to 350 pounds. One is a red angus and one is hereford. I just bought them from a guy but another guy delivered them for the guy I bought from and he didnt know their history but the guy I bought from buys and sells all the time so who knows what their history is. Wherever they came from they were covered in alot of mud and manure when I got them. Regardless I have had them for about a week now. They are out on pasture, clean water, by themselves, they graze constantly, no scours. They both cough alot. Not all the time, but a fair bit. They do eat good and look perky, heads are up, not hanging their heads, ears arent droopy, they are chewing their cuds, they act like healthy bovines with the exception of their coughs which when they start up they may cough 10 times in a row. Other than that they seem great. Would you guys give them a shot of something like Nuflor and maybe LA200, or with them being in a good environment now and acting healthy just keep an eye on them and they should improve hopefully? The reason I ask is if I were to give them a shot Id have to run them in the corral and rope them which I can do no problem but its a higher stress on them then quickly running them through a chute which this place doesnt have yet so if I dont need to then Id just as soon not. Thank you! |
Replies:
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 10:36am
|
Are raising them to breed, or raising for beef? Will they mingle with others later on, or are these the 2 you have? ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: bigcreek
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 11:02am
| Here at our place their will be another calf or two showing up soon but I will keep it/them separated from these two so as not to spread whatever they have to the calf(s). Ill probably breed them later. When I do Ill take them to my father in laws a couple miles away and he has around 800 head but it would be to use one of his bulls. My nephew was over last night and he runs a feedlot a few miles from me where they cycle thousands upon thousands of head through there so hes seen his share of sick animals. Like me he thought they looked good and a shot would help but since they are now in a good environment and I can keep a close eye on them he thought I could probably get away without giving them one. |
Posted By: NEVER green
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 1:38pm
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Few yrs ago back in my farming days I would feed medicated crumbles , worked well for non severe cough, think it had sulfa in it. ------------- 2-8050 1-7080 6080 D-19 modelE & A 7040 R50 |
Posted By: thendrix
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 1:56pm
|
If it were me I would watch a few more days. If the heads start to drop dose them up. Pawpaw used to say green grass cures a lot of ails. I've heard LA200 doesn't do much anyway ------------- "Farming is a business that makes a Las Vegas craps table look like a regular paycheck" Ronald Reagan |
Posted By: dr p
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 2:36pm
| At this point if it were bacterial they wouldn't be eating great nor looking bright. I would just watch. Lots of feed lot guys give them draxxin right off the truck. Not cheap but I think it works better than nu flur. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 3:07pm
Ah, the good old days….we used to do that too. Now we can’t buy the stuff unless we have a feed directive from a vet, and have to keep that on file for two years. Be interesting to know if the cough is an active sickness or a residual cough from an already treated sickness. Our young ones all got sick last fall. Treated and cured, but they still cough once in a while. |
NEVER green wrote:Posted By: dr p
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 3:10pm
| Lots of time they will get a lung abscess that is there forever. |
Posted By: dp7000
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 3:15pm
| I’d monitor a few more days. If coughing persists, draxxin is medicine to use. Do you know anyone with a dart gun to borrow? Vet maybe or kinfolk. Darting works well in pasture situation and less stress than roping. |
Posted By: Leesok
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 3:25pm
| I’d try worming them. |
Posted By: bigcreek
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 3:30pm
|
Nobody I know of has a dart gun. Ill keep an eye on them thanks for the reply. |
Posted By: caledonian
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 7:07pm
| Worm them update their vaccinations & give them an antibiotic. Your local vet probably has a portable chute that would work. If their coughing they have a lung issue. All this takes time and money. But your cattle are expensive especially if you want to breed them. My opinion. |
Posted By: bigcreek
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2022 at 8:57am
| Ya thats probably the best thing. Get them updated on all shots, antibiotic, and some pour on, get it all done. Ill get it knocked out. Thanks for the replies all. |