Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle

by Thomas, Heather Smith

• ISBN13: 9781635860405
• ISBN10: 1635860407
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2018-11-27
• Publisher: Storey Books

Summary

Whether a farmer is raising one cow or a herd, Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle is the most reliable reference for ensuring a successful, healthy cattle operation. In this fully updated, full-color fourth edition, long-time cattle rancher and author Heather Smith Thomas explains every aspect of bovine behavior and provides expert guidance on breed selection, calving, feeding, housing, pasture, and health care. Along with in-depth information on raising grass-fed animals, there is also advice on creating a viable business plan and identifying niche markets for selling beef.

Author Biography

Heather Smith Thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. Her books include Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, Essential Guide to Calving, Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle, The Cattle Health Handbook, The Horse Conformation Handbook, Storey’s Guide to Raising Horses, Storey’s Guide to Training Horses, and Stable Smarts. She raises cattle and horses on her family ranch in Salmon, Idaho.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Baxter Black, DVM

Chapter 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

Chapter 2: Handling and Behavior of Beef Cattle
Basic Cow Psychology - Grazing Behavior - Training Cattle - Moving Cattle - Avoiding Injury

Chapter 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

Chapter 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

Chapter 5: Pasture, Fencing, and Facilities
Pastures: Sizes and Types - Water - Pasture Fencing - Pens and Facilities - Working in Corrals - Feeding Facilities - Equipment and Supplies

Chapter 6: Feeding Cattle
Basic Nutrition - Digestion - Feeding Forages (Roughages) - Nutritional Needs Vary - Winter Feeding

Chapter 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

Chapter 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

Chapter 9: Care of the Pregnant Cow
Nutrition - Disease Prevention - Problems of Pregnancy

Chapter 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

Chapter 11: Care of the Newborn Calf
First Breath - Care of the Umbilical Cord - Helping a Calf to Nurse - Importance of Colostrum - Helping in Different Situations

Chapter 12: Calf Health
Calfhood Immunity: The Role of Antibodies - Castration - Dehorning - Detecting Illness in Young Calves - Managing Scours - Treating Diarrhea and Gut Infections in Calves - Pneumonia in Young Calves - Diphtheria in Calves - Navel Infections and Joint Ill - Catching Calves for Doctoring - Using an Esophageal Feeder - Giving Oral Medications - Broken Bones - Birth Defects in Young Calves

Chapter 13: Weaning the Calves
The Importance of When You Wean - Stress of Weaning - Vaccinations - Dehorning

Chapter 14: Rebreeding
Feeding the Cow after Calving - Cow Fertility - Use of Bulls - Reproductive Behavior of Cows and Bulls - Breeding Ability of Bulls - Artificial Insemination

Glossary
Resources
Metric Conversion Charts
Index