A thorough receiving program can help get your cattle off to a good start and will reduce losses due to injury and illness.  Taking the time to prepare and handling your cattle carefully are important steps in maximizing the profit potential of your newly arrived cattle.  

Gather background and historical information about the incoming cattle.

You will want to know the age, weight, and type of cattle.  Get as much information as you can about their health history, including vaccinations, implants, and any treatments given.  Also find out what and how they have been fed and what type of facilities they have been in.  Knowing this information will help you to ease the transition to their new surroundings.

 

Prepare your facilities.

Prior to the arrival of the cattle, have the pens bedded and ready, with adequate pen space and bunk space available (see charts on next page.)  Bunk hieght and depth is very critical for both feed and water especially on light wieght calves  Have fresh water readily available.  If you have automatic waterers, it may be a good idea to have water tanks available until the cattle have become accustomed to their new home.   Have medications and a treatment plan in place to deal with any illnesses that may occur.

 

When the cattle arrive.

Upon arrival, sort and group cattle in the feedlot by size, sex, and breed if possible.   It reduces stress and allows for better average daily gains for the whole group.  Sort out any sick cattle into a separate hospital pen and begin treatment immediately.   Insert ear tags and record individual information.  Identifying cattle with an ear tag system will help you keep more accurate records and make sorting, treating, and grouping easier.  Monitor the newly arrived cattle closely.  Observe and walk through the pens every 2 hours, making sure to get all cattle up.  This will encourage them to eat and drink more and will help you identify any sick cattle at an early stage

 

Feeding guidelines for newly arrived cattle:

If received cattle were in transit for less than 4 hours, they can be given immediate access to self-feeders containing the proper Tend-R-Leen feed mixed with whole shell corn. 

• Only small amounts of feed should be offered 6-8 times per day, for the first 3 days, to provide fresher feed and prevent overeating. The bunk should be cleaned up after each feeding.

• A shallow depth pen with a long bunk is the ideal feeding setup to allow space for all the animals to comfortably eat at the same time.  Make sure all cattle are eating for the first couple of feedings by observing them and physically chasing them up to the bunk if necessary.  Cattle which continue to refuse to come up to eat need to be closely monitored and treated, if necessary.  It takes 2-3 feedings initially for cattle to become bunk wise and comfortable with their new surroundings.

• To adjust to automatic waterers, let the water run over onto the ground to attract the cattle.  It is a good management practice to provide both automatic  waterers and a water tank for the first 7 days cattle are in the lot.

• Providing hay in the bunk or on the ground leading up to the bunk is sometimes necessary initially to get cattle accustomed to bunk feeding.

• Dex-O-Lite, codes 930 and 931, can be added to the water supply at the rate of one pound to 6 gallons of water for the first 3 days after shipment to provide them with additional energy and electrolytes needed to combat the effects of stress and possible dehydration caused by shipment.

• Never start stressed cattle on a urea feed.   Ureas are harder for stressed animals to break down and convert to protein.