I've had a few people ask me about cattle vaccines lately. Specifically, do we vaccinate?
The short answer is: Yes!
Our cattle get two rounds of vaccines before they turn 1 year old. We like to give the first round and castrate the bulls while they are nursing their moms. We do this to reassure them that a trip in the stock trailer is an okay thing and to alleviate any stress that comes with the visit. Then, they get a second round a week or so after weaning. At this point, we have a pretty good idea of which heifers we'll keep as cows and who we'll market.
This year, we added to a pink eye vaccine to this regimen and gave two doses of that to every animal in the grass herd because we had an outbreak after the tornado. Pink eye is similar in cattle as it is in humans, but, left untreated cattle can go blind from this infection. And, it is painful to be in the sun when in active infection.
The remaining vaccines are very purposeful. We don't vaccinate just to do it. We work with our veterinarian to ensure that we're addressing the diseases that could affect the animal through contact with other wildlife. To us, vaccines are a way that we ensure humane treatment. Dying from something that we can prevent with a shot or two just makes sense financially and philosophically.
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