Raising cattle and ensuring their well-being can be rewarding, and as a cattle owner, your role is crucial in their care. Like humans, cattle also require proper attention, care, and a nutritious diet to stay active and healthy.
In this information-rich blog post, we’ll share some effective tips on how to take care of your cattle’s health, so let’s have a look at them right now.
1. Offer a Balanced & Nutritious Diet
Be sure to provide clean and fresh water to your cattle at all times. You need to include a balanced combination of roughage, such as hay and grass, and also concentrated feeds, such as grains like corn or wheat, or pallets made from a mix of grains and other nutrients.
Feel confident in consulting with an expert veterinarian or an animal nutritionist who will create a diet plan as per your cattle’s specific needs and life stages. As per veterinarians, cattle with 100 pounds of weight require 1 to 1.5 gallons of water.
If you notice weakness in your cattle and are worried about their health, ask your animal nutritionist. They will recommend some nutritious products for your cattle, such as dairy cow microbial vitamins, and many others.
2. Don’t Forget to Implement a Vaccination Program
You need to work with an expert veterinarian to implement a vaccination program that best suits your herds’ needs and common diseases in your locality. Keeping accurate records of vaccinations assists you in monitoring their effectiveness and ensuring booster shots are on time.
Diseases in cattle are ideally categorized into respiratory viruses and bacteria, reproductive viruses and bacteria, and Clostridium bacteria.
Some of the must-injected core vaccinations, which are essential for the cattle’s well-being, are Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Parainfluenza-3 (PI3), Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV), and Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Types I and II.
3. Go for Health Checks On a Regular Basis
To proactively manage your cattle’s health, it’s advisable to invest your time and effort in regular health checks. This empowers you to identify any signs and symptoms of illness, injury, and abnormalities early on.
Focus on their behavior, appetite, and also overall appearance. What’s more, you should pay attention to any changes in body temperature and unusual discharges. If you notice any changes or signs, consult a veterinarian to diagnose the actual causes and treatment.
Preventing the spread of disease and improving the chances for successful treatment can be achieved by early identification of health problems.
4. Ensure Well-Maintained, Clean, and Hygienic Conditions
In the pursuit of protecting them from extreme weather conditions, you must keep their living area clean by regularly removing manure and waste and providing adequate shelter.
To avoid the growth of harmful bacteria, develop a routine to clean the water troughs and feeders on a regular basis. If you do so, the risk of infectious disease will be lower and the welfare of all cattle is ensured by proper hygiene.
5. Invest Your Time in Practicing Proper Parasite Control
The health and productivity of animals can be adversely affected by parasites from within or outside. So, you must develop a parasite control plan, which includes regular deworming and preventive measures against external parasites, such as flies and ticks.
If you aren’t aware of how to prevent the growth of parasites in the environment, rotate pastures on an annual basis. You should again consult with a veterinarian to develop an effective parasite control program.
