Working Ranch Magazine January/February 2025

Have a plan in place to protect your calves. Not If, But When

T

he experts say, “It isn’t if scours come to your herd, but when .” Scours are severe diar rhea in young calves that often cause serious dehy

dration and possibly death. It also occurs when calves nurse, drinking too much milk for their immature rumen to digest. The milk sours in the rumen, cre ating digestive distress and contributing to scours. Stress, weather changes, and unsan itary living conditions allow scours to grab a toehold in a herd. Megan Van Emon, PhD, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at Montana State University, recommends ranchers develop a scours strategy from late fall to early winter. “It’s good to have a plan in place to know what to do as soon as you see calves having issues,” Van Emon explains. “Prevention is key.” Prevention tactics include vacci nations and a complete mineral and vitamin package for cows and heifers.

Vaccinate cows and heifers with a com plete neonatal scours vaccine three to 12 weeks before calving. This also increases colostral antibodies to E. coli , rotavirus, and coronavirus. One critical prevention compo nent is cleaning the calving area. It should be as dry as possible to mini mize disease transfer. This is easier

to accomplish for smaller herds with dams that drop calves in barns. Van Emon recommends giving three-to four-year-old heifers extra care. “Bring them inside a barn with their calves,” she explains. “Having extra bonding time is beneficial. Sanitize and dry the pen, providing fresh dry, clean, deep bedding after the previous cow and

42 I JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.