# Vaccinating Calfs - when, what, etc.



## Hexe (Mar 8, 2007)

Hello,

I would like to know who vaccinates for what and why. 

My two cows had bull calves (they're two weeks old) and I need to castrate them, probably within the next week or two. Do I need to vaccinate for Tetanus? (I'm castrating with a bander). I looked through the vaccine section in a catalog from Livestock Concepts and did not see any tetanus vaccination, other than in conection with other stuff. So - what do you use for vaccinating your calves? And what supplier do you buy vaccines from? 

On the same point, my cows (I'll have three of them) are not vaccinated, other than rabies. I lease a bull to breed them, and the bull is used by a few other people for the same purpose. Should I vaccinate my cows for transmitable diseases, and which ones are we talking about? 

Thank you for any information!


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I only vaccinate if they are coming from the livestock auction. If you have a closed herd, why vaccinate? I wouldn't...I rarely vaccinate if they are coming from another clean farm....From the auction I give, blackleg 8, Bovine Gold shield, bamamine, and baytril....The cost of the shots are cheap, so why not if it makes you or a potential buyer happy.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Banded dozens of calves and buck goats, never a tetanus shot....Good or bad, luck or not that's how I've been doing it. Not saying that how you should do it either. I keep a ultra keep barnyard so maybe I don't have to worry to much...keep us in the loop...


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## redgrizzly69 (Jun 21, 2006)

I just got done banding my bulls, I had 3 of them, and I used the Callicrate (spelling?) bander for the first time. worked pretty slick, but the directions said to give a tetanus shot also. These boys haven't had anything since they fell out of the cow, so I really didn't want to give them a shot, so I called the vet to see if I needed to give a shot. I was told that they always give a tetanus shot, because they've had some get it, but when I told them that I planned on eating at least one of them they said, just give the shots to the ones you plan to sell!!! So I didn't give any shots, just watched them carefully, and besides some walking around and complaining they are fine. Sack is all black and about ready to fall off. These boys were 750 to 900 lbs.


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## whiterabbit454 (Jun 3, 2008)

"but when I told them that I planned on eating at least one of them they said, just give the shots to the ones you plan to sell!!! "


why would they tell you that?


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Because who ever you may sell the animal to may have a very dirty barnyard...that's my guess. Tetanus is found in dirt...


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## whiterabbit454 (Jun 3, 2008)

oh ok thanks


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## redgrizzly69 (Jun 21, 2006)

I figured it was because of the conditions at the stock yards, less chance of a sick animal,but still, it bothered me. It's not okay for you to eat but if you don't know the other people it's okay?


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

I vaccinate the calves I buy from auction twice in the first year (about a month apart) and yearly after that. I am slowly growing my herd of cattle, so I cannot run a closed herd right now. Even if I did have a closed herd, I would probably still vaccinate with the 7-way or 8-way vaccine. Blackleg is a problem in this part of the country, and while I've never had a cow come down with it, I know people who have. The cattle vaccines have tetanus in them which seems reasonable considering that most cattle have at least some exposure to rusted metal in the form of barbed wire fences.


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