Proven Techniques for Healthy Calves: Stress Management with Shelby Cornelius and Zeb Gray

Whether you are weaning, backgrounding, receiving or doing all of the above this fall; you know it can be a stressful time for both cattle and humans! Reducing stress for all parties involved starts early and requires a plan.  Shelby Cornelius – District Sales Manager with Vitalix – and Zeb Gray, Ph.D. – Technical Service Representative for Diamond V – share how nutrition and mineral supplementation play an important role in reducing stress and increasing performance in weaned calves as well as improving your reputation at sale barns in this podcast interview.

While it may seem obvious that reducing stress on calves during weaning is important, we need to remember just how critical it is and why we need a plan in place for our weaning procedure. “The most severe negative impact of not managing stress during the weaning and receiving period is going to be death. Most ranchers and feedlot owners know how to manage cattle to reduce morbidity and mortality, but we still have to deal with it at times,” said Gray. Reduced profit is also a negative implication from not managing stress properly in calves. “Producers can see reduced profit from sick calves in several different areas. It can come from reduced average daily gains, the cost of a VFD, the added cost of treatment and the extra time it takes to care for these sick calves,” said Cornelius.

Preparing for weaning starts before the calf is even born. Producers need to make sure the cow is getting adequate nutrition during the gestation period to set the calf up for success from day one with colostrum and throughout the lactation period. “The main thing is making sure that the cow is getting enough energy in her diet. We talk about supplementing protein but the purpose of that is to get the cow to consume more feed and get more energy in her diet,” said Gray. The Vitalix BreedBack Tub is an excellent way to set cows up for success nutritionally.

Preparing the calves for a shift in nutrition is also an important component of preparing for weaning day. “Often when I am working with producers, we try to get product to those calves a month before weaning to make sure those calves have a healthy gut and strong rumen intact,” said Cornelius. The KickStart Weaning Tub from Vitalix is a great option for cattle producers to include with their pre-conditioning protocol. It not only sets calves up nutritionally but it also gets them used to the tubs that will be in their pens after weaning.

Once calves are off the cow, producers can continue to take steps to set calves up for success. Water is an important component of this process. “Having clean water that is easily accessible is key to keeping calves healthy. If calves are used to drinking out of a stream or spring, you may need to let the tank in their pen overflow to make it more familiar from the beginning,” said Gray. Gray also encourages producers to work closely with a nutritionist during this process.

Selecting minerals and supplements for your cattle can be overwhelming, but there are a few things cattle producers can look at to make sure they are making the right decision. “Make sure that the product you are looking at has research done on it to show how cattle perform and what your return on investment will be,” said Gray. As a cattle producer you also need to be aware of your environment and operational goals. Cornelius reminds producers to be aware of any deficiencies that may be present in their area and look at organic sources that will be more bio-available to the animal. 

When sale day rolls around, your extra efforts to reduce stress on groups of calves will pay off. Each set of calves you sell impacts your reputation in sale barns, with cattle buyers and feeders. Be honest about how you raised your calves and share your vaccination program, nutrition program, genetic history and when you castrated with the sale barn manager to make sure it is announced when your calves get in the ring. “If you’ve ever watched a set of cattle come in and the guy on the block doesn’t have any information to share about the calves, it turns into a short sale,” said Gray.

It all comes down to knowing your goals, knowing your numbers and creating a plan around that to set your calves and operation up for success year in and year out. Do your research and ask for help from experts because we can’t be experts in everything.

Learn more about Vitalix and how their products can help your cattle thrive. https://vitalix.com/