Weaning time is coming on. For some, it may be coming quickly. That means now is the time to start preparing for the weaning and eventual sale or feedlot finishing of your calf crop and development of your replacement females, says Justin Kiefer, clinical veterinarian, department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University.
A good vaccination program is part of that effort. For example, when the first round of a vaccine is given to a 5-month-old steer calf, it takes time for the responsible white blood cells to find that vaccine and take it to the lymph nodes where antibodies can be produced. This process on average takes about 21 days. If we give the booster shot before the immune system has had time to create antibodies and a memory of the bug, we will not have that second strong immune response from the booster that provides superior protection.
Burt Rutherford, BEEFMAGAZINE.com
