To Properly Handle Livestock, All Types of Beef Cattle Operations Should Have a:
Acquire key management practices to improve sustainability in small herd operations.
Moo-cow-calf performance sustainability involves the efficient use of resources on-farm to improve herd profitability and farm productivity now and for future generations. For operations with less than l caput of cattle, it is especially important to focus on herd processes that amend fourth dimension and resource direction. The following are fundamental direction practices you can implement to improve herd sustainability.
Go along Cattle Healthy
A expert herd health program is essential to any subcontract management operation. Many producers think nigh vaccinations, deworming, or other treatment strategies when developing a plan. Yet practices that decrease handling and environmental stresses on the herd tin influence wellness, as well. You need a veterinarian who can work closely with y'all to all-time run into the requirements of the herd and ensure that all herd health practices occur at the proper time.
Maintain Accurate Records
Animal identification is especially of import for evaluating herd inventory, maintaining biosecurity, and tracking the functioning of animals in the herd. Private identification records should include a dogie's place of origin, date of nativity, and health care records indicating vaccinations and other treatments given.
Numerous record-keeping resource are available. Among these are the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Integrated Resource Management Redbook, online software, and mobile applications. Many resources include features that allow users to add together photos and detailed data regarding the herd for quick reference. These tools aid producers to keep track of pregnancy data, calving information, dam information such as calving interval and calf weaning weight, sire data, and pasture usage. See Alabama Extension publication "Beefiness Cattle Record Keeping Basics" (ANR-2488) for more than data on beefiness cattle record keeping.
Define a Calving Season
A controlled calving flavour tin save time, labor, and resource for a small-scale cattle producer (tabular array i). Managing the moo-cow herd to calve in 90 days or less tin can help with the following:
- Forages. Calving tin be timed to optimize forage availability and nutritive value.
- Nutrition. A more targeted feeding program tin exist established since animals are in the same phase of production (meaning, lactating, etc.).
- Record keeping. Moo-cow records can exist used more efficiently to select replacement heifers and to cull cows.
- Health maintenance. Cattle require less treatment for vaccinations and other wellness-related activities.
- Marketing. The calf crop is more uniform at the time of marketing because calves are closer in historic period and phase of growth.
Implement Crossbreeding
Crossbreeding can ameliorate production efficiency by increasing hybrid vigor (heterosis). Hybrid vigor is the increment in production traits, such as growth, fertility, and longevity, that occurs from breeding genetically different animals of split up breeds. Crossbreeding allows a cattle producer to alloy complementary strengths and superior traits, including carcass characteristics, growth rates, and reproductive functioning, to produce calves that tin perform at a higher level than the parental breeds.
To have a defined direction in the development of a crossbreeding organisation, consider the operational surround, resources, marketability and marketing plan, complementary strengths, and availability of breeds. Fix goals volition guide which breeds to apply in your crossbreeding system. Breeds selected should complement each other'southward strengths and be implemented to produce uniform feeder calves. Consider production traits such equally calving ease, weaning and yearling weight growth, milking ability, and carcass qualities in the selection of breeds to apply in a crossbreeding organization.
Consider Growth-Promoting Implants
Implants can complement other good management practices such equally crossbreeding, adequate nutrition, castration, and vaccinations to improve gains in growing beef calves. Implants are small pellets containing slow-release hormones that increase muscle growth over time. They are inserted into the ear of a calf. Steer calves and heifers to be sold to the feedlot should be implanted; replacement heifers should not receive growth-promoting implants. See Alabama Extension publication "Alabama Beef Quality Assurance: Implanting Cattle Properly" (ANR-1281) for more than information on implanting beef calves.
Castrate Bull Calves
Buyers of feeder cattle prefer castrated steers over intact bull calves. Balderdash calves that are not intended for breeding purposes should exist castrated before the age of three months or at the first available handling opportunity across this age. Calves castrated at a younger historic period recover more apace, and the process is easier to perform. Cattle buyers oftentimes prefer calves that take been surgically castrated. Alternatively, calves can exist castrated using an elastrator.
Dehorn Calves
Dehorning is a price-effective exercise that can add together value to feeder cattle and reduce the risk of injury to those handling cattle. Calves should be dehorned at the earliest age that is applied. Young calves tend to recover more than apace and have fewer complications than those dehorned at an older age. It is important to properly restrain calves before dehorning.
Additional Resources
Alabama Beef Cattle Comeback Clan
Alabama Beef Systems Extension Programme
Alabama Cattlemen's Association
Alabama Farmers Federation
Beefiness Quality Assurance Programme
Source: https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/beef/beef-herd-management-strategies/
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