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With warmer temperatures and
melting snow comes wet and muddy pens. Not only
does this create a poor working environment in your
feedlot, it also presents certain health implications
for your cattle.
1. Watch all cattle
carefully. When cattle are wet and muddy,
they tend to stand bunched together and humped up.
This makes it harder to notice cattle that are sick,
or they may have to be quite seriously ill before they
stand out.
2. Cattle may not
respond as well to treatment. Because cattle
are sicker and the disease is more involved by the
time cattle are identified for treatment, they may not
respond to the medication as well. It is very
important to do intensive treating right away, and
follow up the correct course for the respiratory or
other illness you are treating.
3. Establish a treatment
or hospital pen that is dryer and has improved
conditions than the feedlot.
Having a clean, dry environment for ill and treated
cattle will help with their recovery as well as making
it easier for you to work with them.
4. Maximize energy
intake in sick cattle. Make sure fresh feed
and fresh water are offered frequently and chase
cattle up often to get them to eat as much as
possible.
5. “If they go down
they’re out.” Loss of core body temperature is our
biggest enemy. Bedding priority starts with
the cattle that have required additional therapy and
moves through other hospital cattle and then to
high-risk pens where cattle are desperately in need of
some rest. If time and resources allow, some
yards will remove the bedding after a few days and
replace it if needed. Attention to surfaces
under sheds is just as important due to moisture from
the cattle congregating there. There just
isn’t a silver bullet for debilitated cattle forced
to have contact with cold, wet mud.
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