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Preconditioning Impacts Health and Welfare

Prepare your calves to perform their best.

What is preconditioning? It’s a broad term, and many operations have their own definition of what it entails. Brad White, professor of production medicine at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and interim director of the Beef Cattle Institute, said preconditioning is the preparation for change in environment, exposure to novel procedures or alteration in wellness status.

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Brad White, professor of production medicine at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and interim director of the Beef Cattle Institute, said preconditioning is the preparation for change in environment, exposure to novel procedures or alteration in wellness status.

“If we properly prepare animals for the next segment of life, it helps welfare, health and performance,” he told attendees of the fifth International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare in Manhattan, Kan., June 8-10.

The cow-calf owner is in possession of the cattle at the most opportune time to precondition, yet they may not own the cattle when the benefits of preconditioning are realized, he admitted. The decision to precondition calves is based on both potential added value and the marketing methods to capture that value. It depends on accurate records and transfer of information between seller and buyer to increase the value of those calves. Vaccinations and stress management are important aspects of a preconditioning program.

There are economic and performance consequences associated with the number of treatments in the feedlot, he said. White shared net returns on calves that were never treated for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Those never treated earned $39.41 additional profit. Those treated once earned $29.49; those treated twice earned $16.56; and those treated three times or more lost $33.00.

White questioned whether the small difference between no treatment and one treatment was caused by cattle with subclinical BRD, thus needing treatment, that just weren’t found. Diagnosis is critical. Treatment cost has increased by 87% in the last 12 years.

In a meta analysis to analyze whether vaccines are actually protecting against what they say they do, White shared that commercially available viral vaccines for bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), and parainfluenza-3 (PI3) reduced morbidity by more than 50% and mortality by 80%.

However, he added, vaccines won’t fix everything. They are a tool to be combined with an overall preconditioning program that includes a low-stress weaning program. The timing of a vaccination program is critical to allow for active immunity before disease exposure, he noted.

Preconditioning is more than building immunity; it also helps control the disease challenge. He added that cattle flow upon sale can affect calves’ immunity, saying that calves with a strong immune system can be overwhelmed by those without simply by sheer numbers.

Watch for additional coverage of the 2016 ISBCW in the Angus Journal and Angus Beef Bulletin. Comprehensive meeting coverage is archived at
www.api-virtuallibrary.com/meetings_other_news.html
.

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