At the risk of getting cross-wise with local veterinarians who should be the ranchers first line of defense in disease prevention and cure, vaccinate all of my calves for the "Blackleg" or clostridial diseases (usually called a "7- or 8-way) around 3 months of age. Vaccinate cows and replacements for this disease as well but probably in the fall when have my vet out to pregnancy test my cowherd (and it is a little cooler). The difference between the 7 and 8 way is usually for either tetanus or redwater, neither of which are important to calves but can be to cows. Castrate commercial bull calves and implant them with a growth implant in their ear. Realistically, there are a lot of bull calves going to market so a lot of folks either don't know how are don't have the skills to castrate and implant. These bulls will be castrated before going on feed and the losses incurred are passed back to the calf seller with lowered prices for weaned bulls (compared to steers). Right now, we are so short of any calves, this discount, normally $5.00 per hundredweight, is nonexistent. Some might consider deworming their calves at this point in time; it really depends on weather conditions, the nutritional condition of the cows and pasture conditions. If deworming is going to be conducted, all cows and calves should be dewormed and then turned into a clean, rested pasture. Newly dewormed cattle should not be turned out into the pasture they just came from, they will get reinfested. Although the biggest direct economic benefit from deworming will be in increased calf weights, the destruction of the adults in the cows keep the entire population under control. Mature, healthy cows can tolerate a fairly large worm burden if they are in good condition and on a good plain of nutrition. There are a number of products offered and come in a variety of forms. Pastes and drenches (orally applied products) tend to be less expensive but require facilities to handle cattle. Pour-ons are more expensive but require less labor and are more forgiving about facilities. There are feed blocks that contain dewormer that can also be used. There are differences between these products (and forms) and you local veterinarian should be consulted to determine which are best for you. Some folks might also consider implanting their heifers with a calf implant as well. If nutrition remains adequate, research shows their is no effect on reproduction. If that is a concern, then either do not implant any of your heifers (you are intending to keep) or only implant those lighter ones you are definitely not keeping. Identify calves with either an ear tag (a plain ear tag is fine, it doesn't have to be an national animal ID RFID tag) that has a number and ranch brand or name (it can be placed on the back). Usually a yellow or white tag with black letters has the best contrast. Some folks might brand their calves at this time (some registered breeds require a fire branded number) with their ranch brand and/or ID number. If you are branding calves, use a small calf brand (2-3 inches), and let it cool to ash gray before applying it to the hide. Rock it slightly side to side and up and down while pressing firmly. A brand should never be red hot of the hair catch fire when branding... the idea is to permanently ID the animal, not barbeque it! Once calves are castrated and implanted, treated for internal and external parasites and branded or tagged return calves back to their dams.

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