Convey of prime Alberta beef headed your way Burnt

[woodland]

I like your program. We’re not that different. Calve late April and May. Sell the yearlings in September. Steers usually about 950 lbs. Wean in November. In this open country ranging out in winter can be dangerous. The reason I asked about vaccinations is because we are real strict about vaccinating at branding and weaning. Modified live, clostridial, and, somnugen. With that program we seldom treat a calf with antibiotics. What I like about the grass yearlings is we put an extra 400 lbs on our calves and just have to do it cheaper than the feedlots which isn’t hard.

The cows surprised me yesterday in a good way. It was -36 with a good breeze and they didn’t even bother to come see me shred some hay and straw bales for them. They’re getting some rolled oats daily and they all come for that. Otherwise it’s just corn stalks with a few leaves but no cobs left and they’re still happy.

I agree about vaccinating rather than treating. Lost two calves while corn grazing before weaning to pneumonia since when we move to a new field it’s a week before you can find critters in it. Treated a couple others and talked to a couple vets and they said that was still a fantastic average. I thought it was borderline to a mess though.

Our math says we can do our current yearling grassing or calve 50% more cows to pencil out the same. I’m pretty sure I’d have a mutiny of family if we did that anyway.

I love what I do.................. I just wish the feed truck would build air pressure but it’s -44 windchill now. Fun times🍀

[shtferbrains]

This covid vaccine thing has me thinking about all the cattle vax we did over a lot of years.
If you read close the Phizer vax says 95% chance it will stop getting seriously ill from covid.
Reminds me of pneumonia vax in calves. Still had some that looked scary with green snot hanging out thier nose but just watch they didn't get too droopy and usually passed in a few days. But without a doubt they still had pneumonia.Death loss low to zero as long as you didn't have untreated calves from someone elses herd like community pasture.
Scour vax the same some years.Scary when you see those wet behinds but mostly just passed through as long as the weather didn't go against you.
Vaccine most always kept you out of a real shit storm.
BUT that was at largest % of animals vaccinated, not 50 or 60%. But maybe also much much higher percent infectid at times.
When I quit buying cattle in life got a lot easier!
But if you relate that to covid how are the government and all the Nancy's going to take all those positive tests and the walking infectious. What changes from what we have today?
What's your expectations and experience with vaccine?
Like to hear Mallee's experiences.

[shtferbrains]

I'll say I also liked to get as much as possible out of the cows by grassing the yearlings and breeding most of the heifers.
If your going to have a bunch of good cows and good bulls like you picture you might as well take advantage of those genetics. Best part of having cattle is when your peers want your heifers and will pay top dollar for them.
In the cattle buisness like life your reputation is what you make it.
But you get what you deserve not always what you want.

[Blaithin]

This covid vaccine thing has me thinking about all the cattle vax we did over a lot of years.
If you read close the Phizer vax says 95% chance it will stop getting seriously ill from covid.
Reminds me of pneumonia vax in calves. Still had some that looked scary with green snot hanging out thier nose but just watch they didn't get too droopy and usually passed in a few days. But without a doubt they still had pneumonia.Death loss low to zero as long as you didn't have untreated calves from someone elses herd like community pasture.
Scour vax the same some years.Scary when you see those wet behinds but mostly just passed through as long as the weather didn't go against you.
Vaccine most always kept you out of a real shit storm.
BUT that was at largest % of animals vaccinated, not 50 or 60%. But maybe also much much higher percent infectid at times.
When I quit buying cattle in life got a lot easier!
But if you relate that to covid how are the government and all the Nancy's going to take all those positive tests and the walking infectious. What changes from what we have today?
What's your expectations and experience with vaccine?
Like to hear Mallee's experiences.

Scours and pneumonia vaccines only cover certain strains, they aren’t vaccinations against every type.

They will list the efficacy against the strains they’re for, so say 95% effective against Histophiluls but that doesn’t mean it’s even a little bit effective against mycoplasma. You wouldn’t be able to say you seen the 5% not covered by the vaccine unless you cultured the type and confirmed that what the calf has was the same kind you vaccinated for.

Also coming into play here is vaccine handling. I know of people that had big wrecks with IBR because the vaccine was not stored and handled correctly.

Pfizer and Zoetis and all the companies are never going to say something works 100%, because nothing does. Efficacy is subject to a lot factors.