Cattle Health at Calving: A Practical Guide to Cattle Husbandry, Treatments and Products

With calving either upon us or just around the corner, every Western Australian beef producer is keeping an eagle eye on the health of the herd. WA farmers are well known for their innovation and creativity in ensuring a steady supply of quality feed for calving heifers and cows, but good nutrition is only one piece of the puzzle. Sound cattle husbandry at this time of year — backed by the right cattle health products — is what delivers strong calves on the ground and protects fertility for the next joining.

This guide covers the two areas that have the biggest impact on cattle health at calving: worm management and vaccination. It also walks through the cattle treatments and cattle supplies we stock at FarmCo Moora to support you through the season.

Why Worm Control Is Central to Good Cattle Husbandry

Worms are one of the biggest threats to the health and fertility of any beef herd. The immunological response triggered by a worm burden draws resources away from normal growth and tissue repair. On top of that, worms reduce metabolic efficiency, suppress appetite and lead to poor weight gain — all things you can’t afford in a calving cow or a growing weaner.

Effective worm control is therefore a cornerstone of cattle husbandry, and it starts with knowing exactly what’s happening inside your herd before you reach for a drench.

Parasight Worm Egg Count Testing at FarmCo Moora

To help producers assess both the prevalence of worms in their herd and the effectiveness of the drench they’re using, FarmCo is one of only five businesses in WA offering Parasight faecal worm egg count (WEC) testing.

Worm egg count testing makes sure you’re not wasting money on cattle treatments that aren’t doing the job. Drench effectiveness is generally measured by at least a 95% reduction in faecal egg count numbers from pre- to post-drench testing.

Our Parasight service gives WA farmers:

• A convenient local drop-off point at FarmCo Moora.
• The ability to test worm burdens before drenching and again 14 days after drenching to measure drench efficacy.
• An Eggs per Gram (EPG) count plus an image of the worm eggs identified.
• Results emailed back to you, usually within a day.

The test costs just $25. Simply collect 10 fresh samples from the paddock and bring them in to us in a zip lock bag or egg carton.

Choosing the Right Cattle Drench

Like most grazing animals, cattle typically carry mixed populations of worm species, so combination drenches are generally the recommended approach to cover everything that’s present.

The Paraboss website is an excellent resource for WA producers, especially the Annual Program for Cattle in South-western WA, which sets out recommended drenching strategies through the year.

If your egg count results show drench is needed, we carry a full range of cattle health products to suit every preference, including:

• Zoetis Dectomax injectable and topical combination drenches
• Virbac Cydectin combination topical and long-acting injection drenches
• Abbey Animal Health Moxxi LA long-acting injection
• Coopers Trifecta combination oral drench

We also stock a complete range of drench applicators and other cattle supplies to make application quick, accurate and stress-free for both you and the herd.

Cattle Vaccines: Essential Cattle Health Products at Calving

Alongside worm control, vaccination is the other major lever in calving-season cattle husbandry. We stock the full range of cattle vaccines to support disease management and to protect heifer, cow and calf health right through calving.

Protecting Heifers from Reproductive Disease

Heifers are at the greatest risk from the reproductive diseases — pestivirus (also known as Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus, or BVDV), vibriosis and leptospirosis — because they haven’t been exposed before mating. Vaccinating heifers gives them the best possible chance of good health at calving and protects herd fertility long term.

The cattle treatments we stock for reproductive disease protection include (please note these vaccines are refrigerated and available for in-store purchase only):

• Zoetis Pestigard — protection against pestivirus (BVDV).
• Zoetis Vibrovax — protection against vibriosis.
• Zoetis Ultravac 7-in-1 — covers the five major clostridial diseases (pulpy kidney, tetanus, black disease, malignant oedema and blackleg) plus leptospirosis (L. Hardjo and L. Pomona).

Protecting Calves from Scours

Scours can knock young calves around fast, so prevention is far better than cure. We stock Zoetis Ultravac Scourshield, given to the cow or heifer pre-calving so antibodies are passed to the calf through colostrum, helping protect against the most common scour-causing organisms.

For more detailed information on common beef cattle diseases, vaccine schedules and costs, the Vaccination for Southern Cattle eLearning Toolbox on the MLA website is well worth a look.

A Quick Cattle Husbandry Checklist for Calving

If you’re working through your pre-calving plan, this short checklist pulls the key cattle health products and tasks together:

• Run a Parasight worm egg count to confirm whether drenching is needed.
• Choose a combination drench suited to the species present in your herd.
• Re-test 14 days post-drench to confirm at least a 95% reduction in EPG.
• Make sure heifers are vaccinated for pestivirus, vibriosis and leptospirosis.
• Keep the herd’s 7-in-1 boosters up to date.
• Vaccinate cows and heifers with Scourshield ahead of calving to protect calves through colostrum.
• Top up your cattle supplies — drench applicators, needles, syringes and ear tags — before the busy period hits.

Talk to FarmCo Moora About Your Cattle Supplies

For any cattle drench, vaccine or general cattle health product enquiry, drop into FarmCo Moora any time or give us a call on 1300 327 626. We’re happy to talk through your worm management plan, vaccination program or any other aspect of cattle husbandry to help you get the best possible result this calving.