Winter cow care

If our cold, snowy winter is leaving you feeling a little stressed, you aren't alone. andamp;lt;a...  More »

If our cold, snowy winter is leaving you feeling a little stressed, you aren't alone. andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/agricultureandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Agricultureandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; reporter andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/sarah-gustinandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Sarah Gustinandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; visits with one veterinarian about what you need to be doing this winter to keep your cows and calves healthy. For some the calving fun has already begun and for others it is only weeks away. andamp;quot;Calves are always bigger on a cold year,andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#157; said Dr. Gerald Kitto, a veterinarian. andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#339;The reason for that is there is increased circulation to the main sources of the body. The uterus is inside. It is a main organ so there will be increased circulation to the uterus on this cold year the calf gets bigger.andamp;quot; Bigger calves and more calving problems aren't the only thing ranchers need to be watching for. Kitto says making sure you are feeding a balanced diet needs to be at the top of your list. andamp;quot;You can use all the vaccine in the world that you want but if they don't get enough feed and enough quality feed it's all for not,andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#157; Kitto said. andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#339;So I feel that feed testing is very important to find out what kind of feed you have. There is a lot of old hay laying around and we are going to be digging into that this year because of the lack of hay, we better know what the protein value of that is because these cattle are in a deficit right now because of the weather.andamp;quot; Kitto says one way you can help ease stress and help your calves hit the ground healthy is to use scour vaccine. He says it's an absolute necessity in a winter like this. andamp;quot;These calves are going to be stressed the minute they hit the ground,andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#157; Kitto said. andamp;#226;andamp;#8364;andamp;#339;Well, if mamma's colustrom has some good immunity in it due to the feed that she has been getting and the vaccine that she has been given, then she has a lot better chance to save those little guys.andamp;quot; And every calf you can save and keep healthy is money in your pocket. Kitto says he is also worried about more cattle getting injured due to the icy ground and frozen manure.  « Less