Beef cattle

Health and Care

Vaccine Overview

Vaccines can prevent serious disease by stimulating the immune system with killed or modified versions of disease-causing microbes. Although there are many vaccines to choose from, not all will be appropriate for every farm. Close partnership with your veterinarian to determine a cost-effective and protective vaccine program for your individual herd is key. More information on vaccines and how to vaccinate can be found here.

Parasite Control

Not all parasites will be a problem in every herd. Working closely with your veterinarian to discover which affect your herd, as well as a cost-effective and achievable parasite control program (which includes pasture management, nutrition, prevention, and deworming as needed) will be key.

Liver flukes: Liver flukes require a snail as an intermediate host and occur usually in areas of high moisture such as irrigated pasture or wetlands. In warm and wet weather, it is especially important to monitor and deworm cattle. Stressors in calves such as castration/weaning may increase their risk of heavy internal parasite load. Drug resistance is on the rise, so periodic evaluation of the dewormer effectiveness should occur every few years. Treatment options for liver flukes are best discussed with your veterinarian.

The current recommendation is to 1) treat/deworm for flukes in the fall, after the first hard freeze and after the flukes have completed their life cycle, 2) check cows via fecal egg counts at spring green up and treat accordingly, and 3) re-evaluate and treat cows and calves in mid-summer.  More information parasites can be found here.

Anaplasmosis: Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by a tick-transmitted parasite in which red blood cells are attacked, causing anemia and ultimately death. Herds moved from the Central Valley, where there are few ticks, to the foothills will become infected and many may die if not treated. Cattle raised in areas with the disease (in the foothills and more vegetated/mountainous areas) will become immune but can still spread the disease to susceptible cattle. Vaccination can help prevent losses.

Bacterial Infections

Foothill abortion (or epizootic bovine abortion) is a bacterial disease transmitted by bites from the pajaroello tick. Cows that have not been exposed to the disease before and are infected while pregnant will typically abort their calves 6 - 9 months into pregnancy. If cows or heifers are exposed to the ticks prior to breeding, they tend to develop an immunity for about 2 years.

Pinkeye is a bacterial eye infection that leads to oozing, discolored and bulging eyes. Tall vegetation can contribute to pinkeye or eye irritation from foxtails. Pinkeye affects the center of the eye while irritation from foxtails typically affects the side of the eye.

Branding

A brand is a mark with a hot iron (freeze brands do not count) and can also include an ear mark (part of the ear is cut in a specific way). Some brands are registered with a ‘slick’ or unaltered ear. You must apply to register a brand and register it through the California State Brand Inspectors office.

A brand is not required to sell cattle in California. However, branding is recommended for cattle theft protection. When a cow is bought or sold, there needs to be a bill of sale and a brand inspector should be called out to inspect the cattle. When you bring cattle to a saleyard, a brand inspector is generally always there to conduct inspections. Even if a cattle is not branded, you must have a brand inspection done when meeting one of these listed conditions.

Moving Cattle

Understanding cattle's flight zone is crucial to moving cattle in a safe and low-stress manner. More about flight zones can be found on the General livestock page and Temple Grandin's website.

Housing and Fencing

Housing - Confined operations

• In unsurfaced (earth pens) 300 square feet are required per animal
• In surfaced pens, 80 square feet are required per animal

Fencing

Fences to contain beef cattle include: barbed wire fence, board fences, electrified poly wire and high-tensile electric wire.

Most counties in CA are closed range, meaning it is the cattle owner’s responsibility to keep cattle enclosed with “good and substantial fence” around their property perimeter.

• “Good and substantial fence” is three tightly stretched barbed wires fastened to posts of reasonable strength, firmly set in the ground not more than one rod apart- one wire shall be at least 4 feet above the ground surface
• Any other kind of wire or fence of height, strength and capacity equal or greater than the above described wire fence is also “good and substantial”

Interior fences are not held to the same standards as perimeter fences. For more information, look at state regulations for fencing and the estray ordinance here.

Figure 2: Beef cattle in an overgrazed pasture in California. Photo/courtesy Rebecca Ozeran.

Nutrition

More information can also be found on our Rangeland and Pasture Management page.

Stage of production of beef cow

Table 1: Nutrient requirements for a 1,000 lb reproducing beef cow throughout a year. Adapted from Balancing beef cow nutrient requirements and seasonal forage quality on annual rangeland.

Stage of non-reproducing bovine

Table 2: Nutrient requirements for growing animals gaining approximately 2 lbs/day. Adapted from Oklahoma State's publication Nutrient requirements of beef cattle.

Beef cattle on California range

Livestock production on CA rangeland requires balancing seasonal forage availability/quality with supplementation of feed to match livestock's changing physiological needs. Note: Actual timing of described seasons vary based on location, geography, and current weather patterns.

Adequate green season (Jan - Jun): green forage with adequate nutrition

• Wet years will increase the window in which forage is adequate
• Supplementation isn't needed in adequate season

Inadequate seasons

• Inadequate dry season (July - Oct): dry forage, enough forage but not enough protein in it.
• Inadequate green season (Oct - Jan): green forage, forage is good quality, but there isn't enough yet to sustain livestock
• Supplemental nutrition (alfalfa hay, etc) is provided when range forage is inadequate
  • Drought will increase the window in which forage is inadequate

Vitamin A

• Dry forage does not offer a lot of Vitamin A
• Additionally, Vitamin A levels in mineral mixes often do not meet requirements and degrade over time
• During a drought, Vitamin A deficiency can contribute to fertility problems
• Additional information on Vitamin A supplementation can be found here

Table 3: Crude protein and crude fiber content of different forages at seven stages of maturity. Adapted from UC ANR’s publication Ecology and Management of Annual Rangelands Series Part 7: Livestock Production.

Beef cattle on irrigated pasture

Irrigated pasture can provide a source of green forage for most of the year which can be used instead of supplemental feeding on range in summer and fall (inadequate dry and green seasons, respectively).

• In summer-
  • A typical irrigated pasture in the Central Valley will exceed cow protein requirements throughout the summer
  • But irrigated pasture can experience a summer slump, when cool season grass species' growth is slowed by hot weather
  • Pastures are generally irrigated every 10 - 14 days
• In winter- may be best to avoid being on irrigated pasture, if possible, in order to:
  • Save pasture for summer/fall
  • Prevent damaging the pasture in wet conditions

Beef cattle in confined operations

If fed twice a day, animals need about 20 - 30 inches of space to all eat simultaneously from the feeder. In confined operations, typically cattle are fed a combination of grain and hay.

Reproductive Cycle

Cows gestation length is similar to humans, around 9 months or approximately 280 days. Cows must be bred within 80 - 85 days after calving to maintain a 365 day calving interval (see Figure 3 below). Therefore, adequate nutrition and good planning are crucial, as cows will not become pregnant if nutrition is not adequate.

Low body condition is the most common reason cows do not become pregnant. The best time to make up for lost condition is after weaning, when cows are dry, and in mid-gestation. Small landowners may choose to have their cows calve in the fall so that the spring flush in forage is timed with when the calves' grazing picks up.

Male calves should be castrated within their first 3 months, unless they are being kept as bulls. Calves are typically sold at auction to feedlot buyers at about 6 - 10 months of age, but this can vary based on grass conditions

Figure 3: A cow’s reproductive cycle is tight if you would like to re-breed every year. Image from UC ANR’s Balancing Beef Cow Nutritional Requirements and Seasonal Forage Quality on Annual Rangeland.