Banding

[marsh]

What is everyone's opinion on banding calves.  I have heard you should give a tetnus shot but not sure.  I have banded in the past and never gave tetnus shots, but a couple people have told me I should.  The calf I am banding is an early March calf.  Please let me know if I should give him the shot or not.  He is not very mature so it should be an easy banding.  Thanks.....

 

[Blake]

why dont you just cut him?

 

[savaged]

You can band with a standard bander (small rings) at an early age with no shot necessary - I've banded a bunch of calves without a single issue.  Generally, this method is better the younger the calf - even within days of birth if possible.  I usually band my calves within a month of age.

I would be hesitant to band a March calf in July without a tetanus shot.

 

[herefordfootball]

why dont you just cut him?

I think it'd be better to band. I wouldnt worry bout the tetnus shot either, there are a couple guys up here who are still banding late Feb. calves and giving no shots, and they always do fine with their calves.

chris

 

[vcsf]

For the little bit that the tetnus shot costs why would you not give it as you are already handling the calf to band.  The shot is cheap insurance you may band a hundred calves and never have a problem without giving the shot but if one gets tetnus it would more than have paid for the shots to them all.

Several years ago a had a calf on pasture aquire tetnus and it wasn't at all pretty.  I took the calf to the vet and he diagnosed it and told me to take it home and shoot but asked if I was in a hurry as he would like to show it to the other vets at the clinic as he was sure none had ever seen a case.  Well the younger vets wanted to try the treatment protocol the books called for which only prolonged the inevitable for a few days while the calf suffered.  When I went back to the clinic and told the first vet that the calf had died his only real comment was that he would have to collect on his bet with the others and basically that I should have listened to him.

 

[Doc]

I use the callicrate bander & I don't care if the calf is 150 lbs or 1,500 lbs , I give it a shot of tetanus toxoid. It's like vcsf said, it's very cheap insurance.

 

[shorthorngirl2010]

Personally speaking, we cut & band.  When we band, we give a 5-way injection.  If we cut, we will just spray katron (spelling?), to aide with flies and infection.

 

[Shady Lane]

I've used the Calcitrate bander on calves probably close to 800# with no issue, they had a Tetanus shot with the 7 way Vaccine they got earlier that year.

 

[NJ Farms]

We use the Calicrate bander on our spring calves in the fall.  We give them a tetanus vaccination along with a 7 way and a 5 way and then two - four weeks later we booster all, tetanus included and band at that time that's recommended protocol at the vet clinic I work at.

 

[Jill]

We don't always follow it, but NJ Farms is the correct protocol, the tetnus shot needs to be given in advance of the banding.

 

[justintime]

Has anyone else ever heard that calves that get 8 way ( with the tetanus included) gain poorer on average that calves that get 7 way ( without tetanus included). I heard this a few years ago from several long time producers, and they claimed 15 - 25 lb less weight at weaning, in tetanus vaccinated calves. My vet says he has heard this as well, but cannot find anything to document it. He says that he has to stock both 7 way and 8 way vaccine, because there are still people who will not give tetanus to their calves. I have used both, and really have not seen any difference. I have always thought this was a " rural legend" as opposed to an " urban legend", but I know of several well known breeders who will not give their calves a vaccine with tetanus in it to this day. I have asked many people about this, and either they truly believe it... or they do not know. I am in the do not know category, with very strong leaning to this being totally false. What makes me wonder is that some pretty prominent breeders truly believe this as fact.

 

[Doc]

Has anyone else ever heard that calves that get 8 way ( with the tetanus included) gain poorer on average that calves that get 7 way ( without tetanus included). I heard this a few years ago from several long time producers, and they claimed 15 - 25 lb less weight at weaning, in tetanus vaccinated calves. My vet says he has heard this as well, but cannot find anything to document it. He says that he has to stock both 7 way and 8 way vaccine, because there are still people who will not give tetanus to their calves. I have used both, and really have not seen any difference. I have always thought this was a " rural legend" as opposed to an " urban legend", but I know of several well known breeders who will not give their calves a vaccine with tetanus in it to this day. I have asked many people about this, and either they truly believe it... or they do not know. I am in the do not know category, with very strong leaning to this being totally false. What makes me wonder is that some pretty prominent breeders truly believe this as fact.

I still wouldn't take the chance. That one dead calf sure gains a lot less than 25 lbs. and costs you a lot more. JMO