Pens Of Cattle Research Articles

Association Between Persistently Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus-Infected Calves and Pen Levels of Morbidity and Mortality in an Iowa Feedlot

As persistently infected (PI) cattle are the primary reservoirs of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in cattle populations, there is general agreement that effective control of BVDV-induced losses requires the detection and elimination of these carriers from dairy and cowcalf herds. However, the significance of the presence of PI calves in pens of feedlot cattle is unknown. Our long-range goal is to determine whether identification and removal of PI calves prior to shipment to feedlots would be economically advantageous to feeders, and if such testing should be incorporated into preconditioning programs. As the first step toward answering this question, the objective of this study is to determine whether differences exist in morbidity and mortality in groups of calves that include PI calves and groups that do not include PI calves. If PI calves negatively impact morbidity and mortality, then future studies can be designed to examine the feasibility and economic impact of including BVDV PI testing in preconditioning programs.

Geographical Difference in Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in Finished Beef Cattle

As part of a larger study to measure the feedlot pen prevalence effects of Escherichia coli O157 on carcass contamination, 15 pens of cattle were sampled from 12 different feedlots in three states. Thirty fresh pen floor samples were collected prior to slaughter. Other variables included sex, days on feed, weight, number, pen condition and feedlot geographic location. Fecal samples underwent standard enrichment, immunomagnetic separation and isolation procedures for E. coli 0157.

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella spp. isolates from US cattle in feedlots in 1999 and 2000.

Faecal samples from cattle in US feedlots were evaluated for the presence of Salmonella. When Salmonella isolates were recovered the antimicrobial resistance patterns were determined. Faecal samples were collected from pen floors in 73 feedlots in 12 states during the period from October 1999 to September 2000. Pens of cattle selected for sampling were those that had been in the feedlot for the shortest period of time, the longest period of time and a randomly selected pen from the remaining pens. Faecal samples were cultured for Salmonella spp. and all Salmonella isolates were categorized by serotype. The susceptibilities of all isolates were determined using a panel of 17 antimicrobials. Overall, 6.3% (654/10,417) of the samples cultured positive for Salmonella spp. and 22.2% (94/422) of pens and 50.7% (37/73) of feedlots had one or more positive samples. There was little difference in the proportion of positive samples from short-fed (6.1%, 212/3482), random (6.4%, 217/3400) and long-fed (6.4%, 224/3485) pens of cattle. One of two pens of cattle that could not be attributed to a pen type had a single positive sample (2.0%, 1/50). Samples collected during the period of April to June (6.8%, 209/3054) and July to September (11.4%, 286/2500) were more likely to be positive than those collected during October to December (4.0%, 73/1838) and January to March (2.8%, 86/3025). The most common serotypes of Salmonella were dissimilar from those that are typically seen in human illness and cattle illness. The majority of isolates (62.8%, 441/702) were sensitive to all of the antimicrobials tested. Resistance was most frequently observed to tetracycline (35.9%, 252/702) followed by streptomycin (11.1%, 78/702), ampicillin (10.4%, 73/702) and chloramphenicol (10.4%, 73/702). Multiple resistance (resistance to > or =2 antimicrobials) was observed for 11.7% (82/702) of the isolates. Salmonella was isolated at low frequency from faeces of feedlot cattle and the serotypes were not those commonly associated with human illness. In addition most of the Salmonella isolates were sensitive to all the antimicrobials tested. This study contributes to understanding the ecology of Salmonella in cattle feedlots and the prevalence of resistance among potential food-borne pathogens.

Estimating the impact of animal health and death loss on economic performance of feedlot cattle (2003)

This study examined the impacts of animal health and death loss on the economic performance of feedlot cattle. Using data from two feedlots in western Kansas, the impact of animal health on economic performance was quantified. Death loss and the percentage of animals treated significantly impacted feed conversion, average daily gain, and cost of gain. Feed conversion for a pen of cattle was found to increase by 0.27 lb feed/lb gain and daily gain decreased by 0.08 lb/day for each percentage point increase in death loss. An increase in death loss from 1% to 2% increased cost of gain by $2.29/100 lb gain.

Blood and Bones

BLOOD AND BONES/Frances de Pontes Peebles FERNANDO LISTENED FOR the cow's labored breaths. Something within him said a calf would be born that night and that the birth would be a hard one. His father had trained him to sense what was around him, to listen to his instincts. Instinct and a good pistol, his father had said, were the only things a man could count on. AUghtning bug bumped against the rafters, and he foUowed its glow with his eyes. The room next to the cattle pen was dark, but sitting in his wooden chair, Fernando knew that there were shreds of dried manure accumulated in the corners of the concrete floor. He knew there was a medicine sheUjust above his head that held blue antibiotic spray, udder cream, de-wormer, syringes and hormones for the heifers to expel placenta . He knew that near his right arm there were pegs on the waU with two coils of worn rope and one coil of new. And he knew that his son lay on a dusty twin mattress in front of him, his head only inches from Fernando's foot. The cow moaned. Fernando leaped up and prodded his son with the toe of his boot. "Wake up, Mero," he said. "She's ready." Fernando sensed his son staring through the darkness at him and it made him uncomfortable. He heard Romero get up, stumble, then curse. His son had been against staying the night at the ranch. Romero had pleaded with his father to let him skip the birth. Mero's child support hearing was scheduled for the next morning, and he argued that he needed a good night's rest before making his court appearance. It was a logical request, one that Mero's mother, Tuta, supported. But Fernando said no. He could not explain why, only that he felt it would be best if his son stayed with him—stayed in his sight—the night before the trial. Fernando remembered the girl. She had a bony face and wet, tightly curled hair. There were circles under her eyes. Her beUy was big; she was already seven months gone when she had knocked on their door and asked to see Mero. When Fernando went to find his son, he caught him slipping out the back door. Fernando grabbed Mero by the collar and told him to take care of his responsibilities, to honor his obUgations . But Romero did neither, and after the child was born, its mother went to the courts. Fernando hadhad trouble sleeping since the summons had been delivered to their home. He'd opened the thin envelope and read the page The Missouri Review · 175 inside with its crooked typewriter script and complicated Portuguese, naming acts and amendments and numbers of laws in Roman numerals that Fernando could not decipher. His face had turned so red that Tuta asked him to take a walk and calm down, for fear of what he might do to their son. Fernando came back thirty minutes later and threw the crumpled summons at Romero. "I have never set foot in a courtroom." Fernando shook as he spoke. "You should have handled things." He kept the summons in his back pocket. Each night, after a few whiskeys , he smoothed it out and reread it. Each night he lay awake in bed, Ustening for his son's comings and goings until it was time for him to wake and knock on Mero's bedroom door at four A.M. so that they could supervise the milking. The cow moaned again, and Fernando saw its light-colored shape move around the pen as it looked for a concealed place to give birth. "Turn on the light," he ordered Mero. Two bats swooped in opposite directions when the yeUow bulb came on. "Go put the kettle on." Fernando nodded toward the room. The cow plopped down onto the dirt floor, looking as if her legs had given way under her. "It's aU right," Fernando whispered to her after Mero had left. "It's aU right, honey." Mero thought it was best to let one of the farmhands handle births, to have...

Longitudinal Study to Describe the Presence of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella spp in Feedlot Cattle Pens

The objective of this study was to use a novel diagnostic strategy to describe the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp in pens of feedlot cattle over the course of the feeding period.

Behavior of cattle towards devices to detect food-safety pathogens in feedlot pens

Our objective was to optimize a protocol using rope devices designed to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feedlot pens by (1) determining if the number of devices influenced the percent of cattle sampled, (2) describing when the cattle contacted the devices, and (3) determining if the time of removal or number of devices influenced the recovery or E. coli O157:H7. Overall, 2948 cattle were observed in 24 commercial feedlot pens, eight pens each in the autumn, winter and summer. Three or seven devices per pen were placed near the water tank and over the feed bunk approximately one hour prior to sunset. Cattle were observed for a 2-hour period to measure (1) the duration of time until they made contact with the devices, and (2) the type of contact they had with the devices. One tail from each of the devices was collected at the end of the 2-hour observation period (ending approximately one hour after sundown) and the other tail was collected the next morning to test for the presence of E. coli O157:H7. Recovery of E. coli O157:H7 was not significantly different using three or seven devices (p>0.10), or if devices were left available overnight (p>0.10). The rate of first contacts did not differ between pens with three or seven devices in any of the 30-minute periods of observation (p>0.50). However, regardless of the number of devices in the pen, the first contact rate was highest in the first 30 minutes and decreased significantly with time (p<0.001). Over the 2-hour observation period, a greater percentage of cattle in pens with seven devices had physical (p<0.01), brief oral (p<0.02), or prolonged oral contact (p<0.01) than cattle in pens with three devices. Therefore, to maximize the number of cattle sampled per pen, the number of devices and length of time the devices are available were important factors of the sampling strategy.

Effects of weather on average daily gain and profitability (2002)

The effect of several weather conditions on average daily gain (ADG) and profits is quantified for typical steers and heifers fed in commercial feedyards in Western Kansas from 1980 to 1999. ADG predictions for particular pens of cattle are often used to plan marketing dates and calculate breakeven purchase prices. Weather is known to influence cattle performance, and expected weather conditions can be used to improve ADG predictions. Effects on ADG and profits from combinations of, and interactions between, temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed were analyzed. The influence of these weather conditions was allowed to differ by sex, placement weight, and placement month. Results indicate that performance and profits of lightweight placements are more sensitive to temperature and precipitation changes than are heavier weight calves. Above average temperature tends to reduce cattle performance during the summer and increase it for cattle fed during the winter.

SOLUTE AND MOISTURE FLUX BENEATH CATTLE FEEDLOT PENS

Seepage of manure beneath cattle feedlot pens can be responsible for groundwater contamination. In semiaridclimates, such as the Canadian Prairies, there can be deep unsaturated zones, thus slowing solute travel to the water table.The purpose of this study was to determine the depth and rate of manure seepage and soil moisture flux using profile analysistechniques. Manure seepage was represented by the solutes K + , Cl , NH4N, and NO3N. Solute concentrations from soilcores beneath three 30yearold feedlots near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, were examined. Although nitrate and ammonia ionswere measured, the objectives were met using chloride and potassium as they are not affected by biological transformationand can be used to approximate nitrate and ammonia ions. The concentrations of K + , Cl , and NH4 + N were at least two ordersof magnitude greater in the top soil layer than their background solute levels found at depth beneath the feedlot. In soil cores,Cl decreased to background levels by 2.2 to 4.9 m depth and was at 50% relative concentration by 0.2 to 0.6 m depth, whereasK + background and 50% concentrations occurred at depths between 1/3 to 2/3 that of chloride. Moisture flux beneath thesepens is between 2 and 6 mm/yr, which although low, is not atypical for the prairies. Movement by diffusion accounts for 1 to2 mm per year. This study indicates that although most of the manure solutes are moving as bulk flow (matrix) and movementis thus very slow, there is sufficient bypass flow to contaminate shallow piezometers located up to 20 m outside of the pens.

Longitudinal Study of the Prevalence, Incidence and Duration of Fecal Shedding of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 by Feedlot Cattle

Escherichia coli O157:H7 appears ubiquitous to pens of feedlot cattle; however, the percentage of cattle shedding the organism within different feedlot pens has been observed to vary widely over time and space.1 The objective of this study was to describe the variability of E. coli O157:H7 fecal shedding within contiguous pens of cattle over the course of the feeding period.

Use of woodland resources within and across villages in a Zimbabwean communal area

A topical issue in natural resource management is that of scale, in particular, the organizational entry-point to community-based systems of natural resource management. This study investigated access to woodland resources from the perspective of the relevance of units (traditional villages) enjoying policy attention and the nature of boundaries of resource management units as espoused in academic debates. The relevance of the boundaries was investigated from the perspective of flow of resources across boundaries of the recommended units, and resource use relations among communities residing in contiguous units. The study used questionnaire surveys, informal interviews, and personal observations to explore woodland resource use patterns within and across the villages. People acquired woodland products from both within their own villages and from adjacent ones. Most people extracted resources from within residence villages but varying proportions of the people extracted various products from other villages. In general, members of the ruling clan – those holding exclusively ancestral beliefs, those with traditional main house types – were more likely to acquire resources from neighboring villages. People extracted lighter products like wild fruits, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs from other villages compared to bulkier products like fuel wood, kraal (cattle pens) and fence posts, wall and roof poles, and brushwood. The main reasons why people did not extract woodland products from other villages were availability of the products in their own villages, the long distances to walk to gather the resources from other villages, and, to a small extent, availability of substitutes and exclusion to some products by members of other villages. Overall, people did not deny woodland resource users from other villages access to resources in their own villages, although this applied less so in the case of extraction from areas under ritual designations or extraction for commercialization. The study argues that instead of aspiring for ``hard'' or ``distinct'' boundaries, policy needs to recognize ``diffuse and soft'' product use boundaries as a given, so as to promote resource management formulations/options that are more in phase with the operational contexts.

Traffic exposure increases natural 15N and heavy metal concentrations in mosses

Mosses have been used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution for some years, but few studies have been carried out on the effect of NOx emissions from traffic on moss tissue N. Eight species of moss (102 samples) growing on walls or roofs next to roads exposed to different traffic densities were collected from urban and rural sites in the UK. The shoots were sampled for total N, their stable isotope 15N/14N content (δ15N) and heavy metal content (Pb, Zn). There was a lack of correlation between tissue total N and traffic exposure, but a very good correlation between traffic exposure and tissue δ15N. Plants collected near motorways or busy urban roads had δ15N values ranging between +6 and −1‰, while in rural areas with hardly any traffic these ranged from −2 to −12‰. In a separate survey of mosses, the average δ15N of shoots from busy roadsides in London was +3.66‰, whereas from samples collected from farm buildings near poultry or cattle pens it was −7.8‰. This indicates that the two main atmospheric N sources, NOx and NHx, have different δ15N signatures, the former tending to be positive and the latter negative. Tissue concentrations of both Pb and Zn show a strong positive correlation with traffic exposure, with Zn in particular being greater than Pb. The results are discussed with regard to the use of moss tissue Zn as a means for monitoring or mapping pollution from vehicles, and of δ15N as an aid to distinguish between urban (NOx) and rural (NHx) forms of N pollution.

Population dinamics of Lymnaea rubiginosa in rice fields and its infection with larvae of trematodes

Field of irrigated rice paddy was the most suitable habitat as breeding site of snail Lymnaea rubiginosa , the intermadiate host of Fasciola gigantica and other trematodes. Fluctuations in the population of fresh water snail, L. rubiginosa in irrigated rice fields and their infection with L. rubiginosa and other trematodes were studied in five villages in the subdistrict of Surade, provivine of West Java. Snail were sampled based on time collection (half man hour) each site of collection. The samples of the snails were further counted and examined for the presence of larval trematodes. The result indicated that snails died during the dry season except those in persistent aquatic refuges such as streams and springs. Surviving snails recolonised rice fields near villages by passive transfer with water from refuges early in the wet season. Some recolonosation may also have resulted from haching of snail eggs deposited in habitats which had not been dried for more than a few weeks. Recolonisation with snails of further rice fields from a village occurred during the later period of the wet season. No snail infected with F. gigantica was found in the distance of more than 200 m from a village. Snail with the highest prevalence of infection occurred in rice fields which received effluent from a cattle pen were fertilised with bovine faeces. Each snail was only infected with one species of tramatodes. Infection with echinostone larvae was most common. Kay words: L. rubiginosa , trematode infection, population dynamic

Elements of Cattle Feeding Profitability in Midwest Feedlots

AbstractConventional wisdom and earlier research have concluded that cattle feeding profitability is more determined by feeder and fed cattle prices than by animal performance. This study examined cross-sectional and time-series data from over 1600 pens of cattle in more than 220 feedlots in the upper Midwest where weather and lot conditions are thought to influence feedlot profitability. In addition to input and output prices and animal performance, other factors found to significantly impact cattle feeding profitability were sex, placement weight, facility design, and to a lesser extent placement season.

Sickness, mortality and the buller steer syndrome in a western Canadian feedlot

A retrospective epidemiological study was undertaken of 78,445 male cattle that entered a 24,000- head feedlot in western Canada from 1991 to 1993 to determine if an association existed between sickness, mortality, and bullers. Animal health records for bullers were collected and analysed to see if they were at greater risk of sickness and mortality than other steers, and to see if pens with a high prevalence of bullers also had a high prevalence of sickness and mortality. The prevalence of bullers increased with increasing age of cattle on arrival at the feedlot (R = 0.36; P < 0.001). Sickness and mortality decreased with increasing age of cattle on arrival. However, sickness and mortality in bullers relative to other steers actually increased with increasing age on arrival suggesting an interaction existed between sickness and bullers. Bullers were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to get sick and to die than other steers. In all cases, there was a strong temporal association between sickness and bullers, with sickness and bullers mostly occurring within the first 30 days of the feeding period. On average, pens of cattle with a high prevalence of bullers did not have a correspondingly high prevalence of sickness or mortality. Sickness would appear to be an effect modifier of dominance behaviour and therefore bullers in feedlot steers. Bullers should always be checked for signs of sickness and treated accordingly. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of sickness on dominance behaviour in pens of feedlot cattle.

Survey of Salmonella Serotypes in Feedlot Cattle

A national study of health and management of cattle in feedlots was conducted. Within this study, the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in fecal samples was determined. Fifty fecal samples were collected from each of 100 feedlots. Within each feedlot, 25 fresh fecal samples were collected from the floor of the pens of cattle which had been on feed the shortest and 25 from those on feed the longest periods of time. The total number of samples collected was 4,977; 2,484 and 2,495 from pens of cattle on feed the shortest and longest times, respectively. Salmonella spp. were recovered from 38% (38 of 100) of the feedlots. Salmonella spp. were recovered from 5.5% (273 of 4,977) of all samples and from 3.5% (88 of 2,484) and 7.4% (185 of 2,495) of samples from pens of cattle shortest and longest on feed, respectively. The most common serotype recovered was S. anatum (27.9%), followed by S. montevideo (12.9%), S. muenster (11.8%), S. kentucky (8.2%), and S. newington (4.3%). The most common serogroups identified were El (39.6%), C1 (20.7%), and B (10.4%). Shedding of the serotypes most commonly associated with human illness occurred infrequently (13 of 273: 4.8%). This study provides information on the status of Salmonella spp. from cattle in feedlots and may serve as baseline information for future studies.

Factors contributing to the incidence of dark cutting beef.

The 1995 National Beef Quality Audit reported that dark cutting beef (dark cutters) cost $6.08 per animal harvested in the United States. Feedlot data were obtained over a 3-yr period from nine commercial feedyards (15,439 pens of cattle; 2,672,223 total cattle). Feedyard, sex, implant treatment, days from final implant to harvest, maximum and minimum daily temperatures, and temperature fluctuations from 2 d before harvest to the day of harvest all contributed (P < .05) to the incidence of dark cutters. Heifers yielded a higher (P < .05) percentage of dark cutters per pen and, when reimplanted a second time with an estrogenic implant, produced greater (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen than heifers reimplanted with either androgens or combination (androgen and estrogen) growth promotants. Furthermore, heifers produced higher (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen than steers during periods of hot (> 35 degrees C) weather 2 to 1 d before harvest. Steers, when treated with a combination (androgen and estrogen) implant when entering the feedyard and as a reimplant, produced higher (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen when compared to other moderate growth-promoting implant strategies. When producers opted to implant steers with estrogenic growth promotants, either as the cattle entered the feedlot or as a final reimplant before harvest, the occurrence of dark cutters was reduced from 9.2 per thousand cattle shipped to 2.0 and .5 per thousand cattle shipped, respectively. Producers that reimplanted heifers before harvest with products that were not primarily estrogenic reduced the occurrence of dark cutters from 10.4/1,000 cattle shipped to 5.2/1,000 cattle shipped when androgen-based growth promotants were used and to 3.5/1,000 cattle shipped when combination (androgen and estrogen) implants were administered. In addition to implant selection, those producers that held cattle on-feed over 100 d past reimplantation reduced the incidence of dark cutters per pen by an average of 38% among heifers and 69% among steers. By reducing the occurrence of dark cutters, there is an opportunity for beef producers to realize large economic savings.

Extension program on the control of bovine fasciolosis in West Java, Indonesia

An extension program to control fasciolosis in cattle and buffalo was undertaken in collaboration with officers of the District of Livestock Services (DLS) and farmer organizations in the Surade district of West Java. Control strategies were based on results of extensive epidemiological studies on fasciolosis in this area over the past 4 years. Recommendations included: (1) preventing animals grazing harvested rice fields adjacent to a village or cattle pen; (2) feeding stock only the top two-thirds of freshly cut rice stalks; (3) mixing cattle or buffalo faeces with manure of ducks or chicken naturally infected with Echinostoma revolutum, before using them as fertilizer in rice fields; and (4) a single treatment with triclabendazole in July, about 6 weeks after harvest of the last seasonal rice crop. Farmers were surveyed in January 1996 to determine their level of knowledge about fasciolosis. The extension program commenced in February, soon after planting the second seasonal rice crop in four villages. At first, leaflets were distributed to farmers, and posters were displayed in each village to provide basic information. Following discussions with village leaders, groups of farmers met in each village to discuss the advantages they saw in each strategy, ways they could implement them, and to identify socio-economic constraints that needed to be overcome. Taped interviews were prepared for a local radio station and the farmer groups. In August, final survey was conducted to determine the change in knowledge and attitudes that had occurred as a result of the extension program. Bennett’s hierarchy was used at each stage to evaluate the effects of inputs and activities. Farmers adopted the techniques of cutting and feeding rice-stems 2/3 above water-level, and isolating cattle from rice-fields during harvest time, as these appeared to be beneficial in social and economic terms; but they rejected the two other practices where they perceived that socio-economic costs exceededbenefits. Key words : Fasciolosis control, extension program, cattle, buffalo

Pits, Tunnels and Cattle in Nyanga, Zimbabwe: New Light on an Old Problem

Muozi Hill Later Iron Age site is part of the Nyanga complex of terraces and pit structures. The debate on the use of these structures has been raging for many decades. The faunal material from the Muozi Hill site provides evidence for dwarf cattle, 20% or more smaller than modern African breeds. These animals are, on average, smaller than any cattle thus far identified from the southern African Iron Age. This in itself does not necessarily prove that these structures were used as cattle pens. The estimated size of the animals is, however, such that most of them would have been small enough to enter the pit structures through the tunnels and passages, so the use of these structures as cattle pens is a possibility. The samples also yielded sheep and goat remains, but these do not appear significantly smaller than modem breeds.

Management and nutritional factors associated with the detection of Salmonella sp. from cattle fecal specimens from feedlot operations in the United States

In a convenience sample of 100 feedlot operations (included in the United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 1994 Cattle on Feed Evaluation), up to 25 cattle fecal samples were collected and tested for the presence of Salmonella from each of two pens (the pen which contained the most-recent arrivals, and the pen with cattle that had been on feed the longest). One or more Salmonella spp. were recovered from 38 (38.0%) of the 100 feedlots, 52 (26.0%) of the 200 pens and 273 (5.5%) of the 4977 fecal samples collected. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that feeding tallow and feeding whole cottonseed or cottonseed hulls within seven days prior to fecal sample collection was associated with an increased risk of finding Salmonella in a pen. Variables not found to be significantly associated with the detection of Salmonella in a pen included region, operation size, use of sprinklers, time on feed, type of cattle in the pen, number and concentration of cattle in a pen, feeding probiotics, and various other feeds.