Stocker Health

Mark Bray has one of the toughest jobs in the cattle business. He makes a living buying 370- to 440-pound highly stressed calves from sale barns and turning them into valuable feeder cattle. It's a job that starts the minute the calves step off the trailer at Ridgecrest Farm in Stokes County, N.C.

BARGAIN STOCKERS

"We buy thin heifers, the kind nobody else wants. When they come to us, they have that deer-in-the-headlights look. For a few weeks, we're more babysitters than cattlemen," said Bray.

Upon delivery, Bray eases the stressed heifers into a lot with high-quality grass hay, clean water and a dry place to lie down. These calves have just left the cows, and there's a lot of bawling. They need a night to settle down.

Bray believes clean water troughs, good hay and a comfortable environment are keys to helping stressed calves get over the hump. A place where the heifers can rest protected from wind and rain is important too. It all adds up to a low death-loss rate for such a high-risk group -- just 2.8%.

"We're all looking for a magic shot that keeps calves healthy. But I believe, sure as I'm standing here, that it's the environment we provide during the first 24 hours that determines the success of our backgrounding operation," said Bray.

SELECTIVE BUYING

Another veteran stocker operator, Lisa Shelton, said she places emphasis on their buying program. The goal: Avoid sickly cattle that can cost money.

Shelton manages the stocker cattle at John Queen Farms in the Smoky Mountains near Waynesville, N.C. After caring for thousands of stockers, the team at Queen Farms has tweaked its program to avoid buying calves that are likely to get sick. It works. Death loss on the place is just 0.8% across about 7,000 stockers.

"As the years have gone by, we've changed our program from straightening out stressed, lightweight calves to being more selective with the cattle we buy and getting them out on our lush mountain grazing as soon as possible," said Shelton.

To the stocker team at John Queen Farms, being selective means buying healthy animals in the 550-pound range that are farm-fresh and vaccinated. When possible, Queen buys cattle directly off farms through video sales. Buying direct avoids the disease exposure caused by commingling calves in sale barns.

This has been a change in philosophy at the ranch -- one they made because the cost of treating sick calves skyrocketed. Depending on how many times an animal requires treatment, Shelton estimates a cost of $35 to $50 plus loss of gain.

To prevent the spread of disease, Shelton tests incoming calves for persistently infected (PI) bovine viral diarrhea (BVD). PI-positive animals constantly shed virus that exposes healthy cattle to BVD.

"Because we're selective in the cattle we purchase, we're not mass-medicating with antibiotics at receiving. We watch incoming calves closely and treat with a long-duration antibiotic if needed," she said.

SALE BARN VETERAN

After a career as an Extension livestock agent in southeastern Kansas, Frank Brazle retired and started his own stocker operation in Chanute, Kan.

Today Brazle is buying 2,000 calves (mostly heifers) a year from sale barns in Missouri. The calves range in weight from 350 to 700 pounds. Through experience, Brazle knows that commingled calves from sale barns face health challenges. So he is prepared for the challenge.

"I finish some of the cattle myself, so I buy animals at a plain cattle price that have the frame and muscle to become good feeder cattle. As a result, I buy dingers, tweeners and unweaned calves. And the second you buy an unweaned calf, you set yourself up for health problems," said the cattleman. Despite the risk, he's holding death loss to 2%.

After hauling the calves to his farm, Brazle lets them rest overnight with hay and clean water. The next day, he vaccinates with modified live vaccines, deworms and gives each calf a subcutaneous shot of oxytetracycline.

Seven days later, Brazle gives the cattle booster shots and a second round of oxytetracycline. He also takes rectal temperatures.

"The key to my program is working the cattle a second time after seven days," he said. "By taking rectal temperatures at that time, I catch and treat animals with increased body temperatures that will be much sicker in a couple of days."

STOCKER PROGRAM BASICS

Most stocker operators follow a few basic recommendations for keeping calves healthy. Over the years, each operator refines this plan to fit a specific area and type of animal. Mark Bray of Stokes County, N.C., buys 1,200 highly stressed calves a year. After 16 years as a stocker operator, this is Bray's receiving program:

Intranasal vaccine for quick response from modified live viruses for IBR and PI3;

Five-way viral vaccine for IBR, PI3, BRSV and two strains of BVD;

Seven-way clostridial vaccine;

Subcutaneous shot of oxytetracycline;

Insecticide ear tags during fly season;

Oral drench dewormer to immediately kill internal parasites;

Pour-on generic ivermectin for control of external parasites and residual control of internal parasites.

(VM/CZ)

Copyright 2014 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.