Effects of commingling beef calves from different sources and weaning protocols during a forty-two-day receiving period on performance and bovine respiratory disease.
The study objective was to determine health and performance of ranch calves from different preconditioning strategies during a 42-d receiving period when commingled with calves of unknown health histories from multiple sources. Steer calves from a single source ranch (RANCH) were weaned and immediately shipped to a feedlot (WEAN, initial BW = 247 +/- 29 kg); weaned on the ranch for 45 d before shipping, but did not receive any vaccinations (WEAN45, initial BW = 231 +/- 26 kg); or weaned, vaccinated with modified live viral vaccine, and held on the ranch for 45 d before shipping (WEANVAC45, initial BW = 274 +/- 21 kg). Multiple-source steers were purchased through auction markets (MARKET, initial BW = 238 +/- 13 kg), and upon receiving, a portion of ranch-origin steers from each weaning group was commingled with a portion of MARKET cattle (COMM). The experimental design was completely randomized with a 2 x 3 +1 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were RANCH vs. COMM and weaning management (WEAN vs. WEAN45 vs. WEANVAC45) as the factors; MARKET cattle served as the control. Calves of WEAN, WEAN45, and MARKET were vaccinated on arrival at the feedlot. Ranch-origin calves tended (P = 0.06) to have greater ADG than COMM or MARKET calves, although ADG was not affected (P = 0.46) by weaning management. Across the 42-d receiving period, DMI was not affected (P = 0.85) by cattle origin. However, MARKET, WEAN45, and WEANVAC45 calves consumed more (P < 0.001) DM than WEAN calves. Gain efficiency was not affected (P > or = 0.11) by treatment. Ranch-origin calves were less (P < 0.001) likely to be treated for bovine respiratory disease than MARKET calves; COMM calves were intermediate. Calves that were retained on the ranch after weaning (WEAN45 and WEANVAC45) were also less likely to be treated (P = 0.001) than MARKET or WEAN calves. As expected, differences in morbidity related to differences in health costs. Calves of WEAN45 and WEANVAC45 had less (P < 0.001) health costs than MARKET and WEAN calves. On arrival, serum haptoglobin concentrations were greater (P < 0.001) in MARKET and WEAN compared with WEAN45 and WEANVAC45 calves. Calves from a single source that are retained on the ranch for 45 d after weaning exhibit less morbidity and less health costs during the receiving period at the feedyard than when cattle are commingled or trucked to the feedyard immediately after weaning.
Step
D L
DL
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater 74078. USA. dl.step@okstate.edu
Krehbiel
C R
CR
DePra
H A
HA
Cranston
J J
JJ
Fulton
R W
RW
Kirkpatrick
J G
JG
Gill
D R
DR
Payton
M E
ME
Montelongo
M A
MA
Confer
A W
AW
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D048090:Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006304:Health Status; D008297:Male; D016978:Mannheimia haemolytica / Q000276:immunology; D009026:Mortality; D016979:Pasteurella multocida / Q000276:immunology; D016871:Pasteurellaceae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D011897:Random Allocation; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D006242:Haptoglobins