In recent years, the approach to animal health has
switched from treatment of disease to prevention of disease.
Cattle producers who realize that preventive care saves time
and money in the long run are concerned about how man
agement practices and environmental conditions affect
animal health.
One practice that produces stress in feeder cattle is re
moving them from the familiar maternal environment to the
competitive feedlot. Because this transition is unavoidable
under most feeding systems, producers must devote consid
erable effort to preparing animals for the change.
Other stressful environmental conditions and procedures
included the following:
• dehoming
• castration
• weaning
• sudden change in feed or water intake
• loss of familiar surroundings
• poor sanitation
• exposure to new disease-producing agents
• transportation
• exposure to bad weather
Most animals can withstand one or more of these stresses
simultaneously and remain healthy because they have a va
riety of self-regulating controls that keep their body system
functioning normally.
One such control, the immune system, protects the ani
mals against potential disease-producing agents during pe-
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riods of stress. Numerous stresses acting at one time may
overwhelm the immune system, resulting in disease out
breaks such as “shipping fever” in Pennsylvania feedlots.
Nutritional Influence On Health
Authorities generally agree that as much as 75 to 80 per
cent of the health problems in feeder cattle are related to
shipping. Once the cattle have adjusted to their new envi
ronment, health maintenance should require less attention.
But some conditions, such as intensive grain feeding alone,
produce constant stress on cattle and can cause health prob
lems at any time.
Proper feeding requires knowledge of the nutritive value
of feed materials, the nutritional needs of cattle, and the
unique characteristics of ruminant digestion. For informa
tion on nutritive value and nutritional needs, contact your
county Cooperative Extension office.
Like all ruminants, cattle depend on microorganisms in
the rumen for digestion of forage and grain. These microor
ganisms adapt to new feeding programs very slowly. When
sudden changes are made in the diet, improper digestion re
sults, reducing essential nutrients and producing abnormal
rumen fermentation.
Significant dietary changes should be made over a period
of one to three weeks, not within a few days. Before you
transport cattle, you should gradually adapt them to a feed
ing program similar to the one they will receive after sale
and shipment.
Adaptation is not practical if animals are sold through an
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