The Basics of Cattle Care
Whether you are looking to take your operation to the next level from one cow to a few or you’re looking to brush up on the basics of cattle care, then you’ve landed in the right place!
Raising cattle can be an extremely rewarding process regardless if you are raising them for beef, milk, or even just on a hobby farm. It is crucial that you know how to care for your cattle, no matter your end goal. These care tips are great for any cattle, whether you have just one or several. In this article, we are going to provide some of our best tips on caring for cattle on your operation.
Have a Relationship with a Local Veterinarian
This is at the top of our list because it is one of the most important things you can do to help take care of your cattle. Local veterinarians will know what's going on in your area, have vast experience with cattle health and can help with a vaccination program as well.
In addition to general health, local vets can also assist with artificial insemination, breeding tests, preg checks, handling facilities, barn design and so much more. The best way to find a local vet to connect to is by asking other local ranchers who they use, or just relying on good ole Google!
The Ability to Catch and Restrain
You do not have to have a fancy chute set up to have cattle, but you do need basic gates and a head catch that will help you work your cattle safely, both for yourself and your animals. Part of what goes into this is spending time with your cattle so they are used to you being around. It can often be helpful for you to accustom your cattle to coming into the barn for a treat like grain so it’s easier to bring them in when out to pasture. Additionally, having some sorting pens available when you have to sort off or keep animals separated for whatever reason is critical as well.
Implement a Good Vaccine Program
We always like to say “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is where having a great relationship with a local vet will come in super handy. While there are some vaccines you can give yourself, you should still consult with your vet for a schedule and make sure there aren’t any holes or new developments that you should know about. This is especially true if you are bringing new animals onto the farm. If it’s one thing you don’t want to mess with is the health of your cattle.
Understand What "Normal" Looks Like
After a time, you will get to know what is special about each and every one of your animals. But in the meantime, you should know what is considered normal for cattle and when it’s time to call in backup. Part of knowing what normal cows look like is taking into consideration what they act like, how they eat, how they move, etc. This ensures that you can identify when your cows are "off" and might need some attention. Below are some of the common things you should observe about your cattle that are “normal”.
Smooth, Easy-Moving Joints and Legs
Smooth, Regular Breathing
Clean, Relatively Dry Nose
Bright, Clear, Alert Eyes
Full, Round Silhouette
A Calm Manner
No Coughing
Know That Nutrition is the Best Medicine
A good nutrition and mineral program is essential to keeping a healthy herd. But what does that look like and how can you implement one? Below are some general tips and tricks that you should consider when creating a nutrition plan. We should also mention that working with a cattle nutritionist specific to your industry (beef or dairy) is going to be one of the best things you can do for your animals as well.
Just like in human diets, cattle require five main elements in their diet: energy, protein, water, minerals, and vitamins.
Salt is a daily necessity for overall cattle health since they can’t store it. There are a few different ways you can supplement salt. It comes in bags that you can distribute in troughs or you can set our salt blocks as well for your cattle to lick on throughout the day.
Cattle being raised for meat or milk production need to eat roughly 2-4% of their total body weight in feed daily through forage or silage (depending on conditions). Obviously, pasture is the best place to feed your cattle, but if pasture grass isn’t available you can look into alternative hay or silage options. Once again, we recommend consulting with your local vet to see what the best route for your cattle will be.
Reduce as Much Stress as Possible
This tip goes for just about everything when it comes to your cattle. If you are going to change up their diet, we recommend making those changes slowly and letting your cattle adjust. Too much change too quickly can stress out your animal which could lead to other problems. In addition, when it comes to handling your cattle, the more you are around them and spend time with them, the calmer they are going to be when you need them to cooperate. Move slowly, be quiet!
Overall, we hope these tips help you when it comes time for you to move forward with growing your herd or venturing for the first time into owning cattle. If you have more questions or are interested in British White Cattle specifically, then make sure to check out the rest of our blogs as well!
