Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle: 3rd Edition PDF
Preview Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle: 3rd Edition
STOREY’S GUIDE TO RAISING BEEF CATTLE Storey’s Guide to RAISING BEEF CATTLE Health Handling Breeding HEATHER SMITH THOMAS Foreword by Baxter Black, DVM The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment. Edited by Rebekah Boyd-Owens, Sarah Guare, and Deborah Burns Art direction and book design by Cynthia N. McFarland Cover design by Kent Lew Cover photograph by © Lynn Stone Text production by Erin Dawson Photography by Heather Smith Thomas Illustrations by © Elayne Sears, except for Jeffrey Domm: 83, 90, 150; Carl Kirkpatrick: 75; © Elara Tanguy: 84–85, 110, 168, 180, 186, 249, 266; U.S. Beef Breeds Council: 3–7 Expert readers: Julius Ruechel and Dr. Ronald Skinner Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications © 2009, 1998 by Heather Smith Thomas All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247. Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396. Printed in the United States by Versa Press 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thomas, Heather Smith, 1944– [Guide to raising beef cattle] Storey’s guide to raising beef cattle / by Heather Smith Thomas ; foreword by Baxter Black. — [New ed.] p. cm. Originally published as: Guide to raising beef cattle, c1998. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60342-454-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-60342-455-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Beef cattle. I. Title. SF207.T47 2009 636.2′13—dc22 2009013688 This book is dedicated to my husband, Lynn, who has been my partner and helpmate during 42 years of raising beef cattle. PREFACE TO THE tHIRD EDITION The first edition of this book was published in 1998. I wrote it to help stockmen (first-time cattle owners as well as old hands) deal with the various aspects of raising beef cattle. Much of the information in the original edition is still valid today, while other information has changed as our knowledge of certain subjects (certain diseases, for example) has expanded. Whether you are raising one steer or 500, this new and revised edition brings you the most up-to-date and helpful information on cattle breeding, health, and care. My husband and I have spent a lifetime with cattle. We both grew up on ranches and have spent the past 43 years of our married life raising cattle together. On our ranch in central-eastern Idaho, we typically calve out about 170 beef cows each year. No matter how many years of experience we have, however, there is always more to learn. Even though we’ve had help from a number of veterinarians, university professors, textbooks, and other sources, our cattle have always been our best teachers. Much of what I’ve written about here has been gleaned from working with our own herd, augmented by information gathered during 40-plus years of interviewing numerous breeders, beef cattle specialists, and researchers around the country for cattle-care articles in livestock publications. It is my hope that this book will be a helpful edition to your livestock library. Contents Foreword by Baxter Black, DVM 1 Breeds and Genetics: An Overview Choosing Beef Cattle Breeds and Types of Beef Cattle Which Type Is Best? Inheritance of Traits Crossbreeding and Hybrid Vigor Selecting for Certain Characteristics 2 Handling and Behavior of Beef Cattle Basic Cow Psychology Grazing Behavior Training Cattle Moving Cattle Avoiding Injury 3 Issues in Buying and Selling Buying a Weaned Calf to Raise for Beef Buying Calves at Auction Buying from a Farmer Buying a Heifer What Makes a Good Beef Cow? Buying Pregnant Heifers or Cows Buying Open Yearlings Marketing Cattle Dealing with Shrink Getting Cattle Ready for Market 4 General Guidelines for Raising Beef Cattle Understanding Your Calf’s Behavior Care for the Weaned Calf Winter Care of the New Calf Summer Care of the Yearling The End Product: Beef Feeds and Finishing 5 Pasture, Fencing, and Facilities Pastures — Sizes and Types Water Pasture Fencing Pens and Facilities Working in Corrals Feeding Facilities Equipment and Supplies 6 Feeding Cattle Basic Nutrition Digestion Feeding Forages (Roughages) Nutritional Needs Vary 7 Keeping Cattle Healthy Know What a Healthy Animal Looks Like Vaccinations Bovine Respiratory Disease Clostridial Diseases Rabies Coccidiosis Eye Problems Foot Rot Lump Jaw Bony Lump Jaw Mastitis in Beef Cows Hardware Disease Urinary Calculi (Bladder Stones) Bloat Acidosis and Laminitis Poisoning: Toxic Plants Emphysema Nitrate Poisoning Internal Parasites External Parasites Skin Problems Porcupine Quills Snakebite Strangulated Teat from Hairy Udder 8 Growing and Breeding Heifers Feeding Weaned Heifers Age at Puberty When to Breed Nutrition for the Pregnant Yearling Basics of Reproduction in Cattle Choosing the Bull and Getting the Heifer Bred 9 Care of the Pregnant Cow Nutrition Disease Prevention Problems of Pregnancy 10 Calving Create a Safe Environment for Calving Calving Facilities Cold-Weather Calving Handling Cows at Calving Time Signs of Approaching Parturition Minimizing Calving Problems: Getting the Calves Born Alive First Things First: Get the Calf Breathing 11 Care of the Newborn Calf Get the Calf Breathing Care of the Umbilical Cord Helping a Calf to Nurse Importance of Colostrum Helping in Different Situations 12 Calf Health
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