Mortality due to fibrinous pneumonia (shipping fever) can be a significant problem in beef feedlots. Determining whether the disease clusters within specific management groups is an important step towards understanding the epidemiology of the disease and planning preventive strategies. There is anecdotal evidence for the existence of, in the vernacular of feedlot personnel, "wreck pens" or "wre...

Newly arrived feedlot calves undergo numerous stressors that result in 1) transient endocrine responses, 2) altered products of energy and protein metabolism, 3) changes in appetite and growth rate, 4) possible limited compromise of digestive and rumen function, and 5) a challenged immune system. The most consistent endocrine and metabolic responses to marketing, transport, and feedlot adaptati...

Steers and heifers were generated from Angus (A) and Belgian Blue (BB) sires mated to Brahman x Hereford (B x H) F(1) cows to characterize their growth, carcass traits, and LM shear force. A total of 120 B x H cows purchased from 2 herds and 35 bulls (14 A and 21 BB) produced calves during the 5-yr project. After the stocker phase, a representative sample of A- and BB-sired heifers and steers w...

in order to study of effects of sodium bicarbonate on lameness occurrence and the performance of feedlot cattle, 100 holstein bull calves (251.75 ± 5.75) were used in a completely randomized design. calves were group fed a similar basal diet during 42 days experimental period. used treatments included 1) control treatment without feed additive, and 2) experimental diet that calves consumed 50 g...

The 2002 USDA Consensus of Agriculture reported a total of 160 beef cow/calf ranches in the US with greater than 2,500 cows. Of these 160 ranches, 60% reside in just four states with Florida, Texas, Nebraska and New Mexico possessing 38, 28, 19, and 10, respectively. These results illustrate a significant anomaly when considering the fate of weaned feeder calves from these major calf producing ...

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a new combination drug, florfenicol-flunixin meglumine, with tulathromycin for initial treatment of undifferentiated fever (UF) in fall-placed calves that received metaphylactic tilmicosin on arrival at the feedlot. No significant differences were observed in UF relapses between the two drugs. Calves treated with florfenicol-flunixin had ...

A 3-yr study using primiparous crossbred beef heifers (n = 114) was conducted to determine the effects of protein supplement during late gestation on progeny performance and carcass characteristics. Pregnant heifers were stratified by heifer development system, initial BW, and AI service sire and placed in an individual feeding system. Heifers were offered meadow hay (8 to 11% CP) from early No...

We conducted a multiyear study in two phases to determine preweaning performance traits of Senepol (S x S), Hereford (H x H), and reciprocal (S x H and H x S) F1 crossbred calves and feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of steers. In Phase I, from 1985 to 1989, data from S x S (n = 194), H x H (n = 383), and S x H (n = 120) calves were used. Numbers of S x S cows were increased durin...

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of age at weaning and breed on the stress response of calves to weaning and their temperament. At calving, 14 Parda de Montaña calves and 14 Pirenaica calves were randomly assigned to either early weaning (at 90 days) or traditional weaning (at 150 days) treatment. During nursing, calves were allowed to suckle their dams twice a day for 30 min. Aft...

A 3-year study, using 84 fall-born and 28 spring-born calves of similar genotypes, was conducted to integrate pasturing systems with drylot feeding systems. Calves were started on test following weaning in May and October. Seven treatments were imposed: 1) fall-born calves directly into feedlot; 2 and 3) fall-born calves put on pasture with or without ionophore and moved to the feedlot at the e...