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Beef Breeder MANUAL
3 General Behaviour - Are all the animals behaving normally? If some
animals are standing on their own and look hollow or have their heads
down in an unusual way, these are signs that something is wrong.
3 Eating - The animal is not eating or is not eating enough. Is there
something wrong with the feed or the animal?
3 Breathing - Abnormal breathing may include short rapid breathing
or heavy slow diicult breathing. This could be caused by heat stress,
a fever, a disease or an internal infection.
3 Drinking - Are all the animals getting enough water to drink? Do
they look dehydrated eyes appear sunken, the coat is dry and dull
and do they keep standing around the water trough? If so, is the water
clean or is there something in the water they do not like?
3 Manure - If the dung is very watery or dry and hard it is a good
indication of a nutritional imbalance or deiciency, or a disease problem.
3 Discharges - Discharges from the eyes, mouth, nose, vagina or anus
generally indicate a disease or infection that needs to be treated.
4.1.3. Healthy Animal Behaviour
Livestock producers and animal handlers are required to develop skills in understanding normal healthy animal
behaviour. On a day to day basis, producers should look for the signs that indicate cattle are healthy. These
include:
All of the above are indicators to assess the health and wellbeing of animals, and animals should be
observed daily. A checklist of these behaviours for day to day use is outlined in TECHNICAL NOTE 3 -
Healthy Animal Behaviour. Unfortunately, the symptoms of poor nutrition and
disease often do not show up quickly. In cases such as this, the problem takes longer to resolve and cattle
may have reduced growth rates, appear tired looking or have reduced calving percentages.
4.1.4. Reading Manure
Signs of disease and ill health can often be seen in the dung of cattle. Healthy dung pats are well formed,
green in colour and do not have an ofensive odour.
When the dung is hard, dry, in balls, or mounded in a heap Fig. 4.5 - left it is an indication that the feed
is low in protein and energy and high in ibre. Such rations or feed are seen as being high in quantity and
low in quality.
Very watery dung is an indication of a digestive upset or diarrhoea and the cause of this should be
investigated immediately Fig. 4.5 - right. Similarly the absence of any dung needs to be investigated closely
as this is a highly reliable indication that the rumen is not functioning as it should.
3 Temperature - If an animal has a higher than normal body
temperature 38.6
o
C then the cause needs to be investigated
and treated. 3 Resting - When the animals are
resting do they appear to be relaxed and content? Are they
ruminating chewing their cud? 3 Injuries Wounds - Signs of
lameness or any wounds need to be investigated and treated as
they could become infected.
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Cold Winter Climates
4.1.5. Early Diagnosis and Treatment
Where disease is a major issue in a beef herd, the symptoms may not be immediately obvious. The
producer may observe a number of symptoms in the animals which can be confusing as to what the actual
cause of the problem may be. Some diseases often show the same symptoms and further investigation is
required to ensure that the correct disease has been identiied.
In most cases, experience and local knowledge will result in the correct diagnosis. Veterinary assistance should
be considered if a disease issue becomes concerning or if it is an ongoing problem. Any abnormal behaviour
requires immediate investigation as to the cause. Once the cause has been identiied then the correct treatment
of the problem should begin as soon as possible.
Beef producers should be aware of the more common diseases that occur in their area. They should also obtain
information on the symptoms of these diseases so that the correct diagnosis can be made and treatment with
the correct chemicals or drugs can start quickly. Passing this information onto other farm staf and neighbouring
producers can also help with early detection and treatment to ensure that any loss of production is
minimised.
Figure 4.5. Dry and mounded dung left could indicate poor feed or low protein, while sloppy dung with bubbles right could indicate Acidosis. Source: Livecorp, Meat and Livestock Australia - Manual for South-East Asian Cattle Feedlots.
4.1.6. Prevention Rather than Treatment
