Feeder cattle vaccination program
- when should i vaccinate my calves
- when should i vaccinate my calf
- when to vaccinate calves
- what age to vaccinate calves
Vaccines for calves at birth...
Craig A. Payne, DVM, MS
Associate Extension Professor, Veterinary Medical Extension and Continuing Education
Celeste Morris, DVM, MBA, MPVM, DACT-Bovine
Assistant Teaching Professor, Food Animal Medicine and Surgery
The following provides an overview of a vaccine program for a cow/calf operation.
It covers the viruses and bacteria of concern, describes the difference between killed and modified live viral vaccines, and provides an example of a vaccine schedule.
Calf vaccination
Ultimately, your herd veterinarian is the best source of advice regarding a vaccine program.
Goals of the vaccination program
Vaccine programs used in breeding animals primarily focus on preventing diseases that lead to reproductive losses, such as embryonic death, abortion and stillbirths.
Vaccinating breeding females also boosts antibodies in colostrum, helping protect newborn calves from disease during the first few months of life. In calves, vaccination programs primarily focus on preventing respiratory disease (pneumonia) and clostridial diseases such as Blackleg.
Viruses and bacteria
The viruses and bacteria d
- calf vaccines