Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management

Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management and is a key tool livestock producers utilize to keep animals healthy.  Maximizing immune response with a good vaccination program raises the threshold for disease challenges, reducing the need for antibiotics and increasing the percentage of calves that stay healthy the rest of their lives.  

Which vaccines to use and when to use them can sometimes be a challenge to figure out, so it is important to work with your herd health veterinarian to develop a total herd health program for your operation.  

Even though good management and biosecurity measures can greatly minimize disease risk, some diseases can still be a threat–spread by wildlife, insects or pathogens that may be ever-present in the environment.  Leptospirosis, for instance can be carried by deer or other wild animals, rodents or canines urinating in haystacks, or any carrier animal urinating in water sources. Many clostridial diseases (blackleg, red water, blacks’ disease, malignant edema, or enterotoxemia due to Clostridium perfringens) are not spread by animal-to-animal contact but by spores in the environment or in the animal’s own digestive tract.  They cause disease when conditions are just right for the spores to “come to life” and proliferate.  Which diseases to be concerned about will depend on your location and the risk for exposure or transmission. Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management.

Rhyannon Moore-Foster, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Livestock Field Service, Colorado State University, has worked with beef producers for many years.  “Most producers utilize vaccination against respiratory diseases.  Typically, these come in a combination product, covering several viral diseases but maybe also some bacterial respiratory diseases.  There are many products available.  Any of the major brands tend to be reputable and effective, as long as they have the trials to back them up,” she says.

There are two categories—modified-live vaccines and killed vaccines.  Modified-live typically have two components.  They have a dry powder in one bottle and a sterile diluent or some other fluid to mix with it, just before you use it.  “Make sure you mix both of them together.  Follow label directions because often both components contain an important part of the vaccine.”

Don’t save any left-over fractions once those are mixed.  The modified live virus only lasts a few hours and even the bacterial components won’t last more than 24 hours, and the vaccine is no longer viable.  If you only have a few animals to vaccinate, buy the smallest-dose bottle so you don’t have to waste so much when you throw away what’s left.  Mix a new bottle for a new group of animals if you vaccinate them later.

“If you go to the expense and trouble to vaccinate, you want the vaccine to be effective!  Always read labels, to know if that product needs to be bolstered in a few weeks.  Typically, a modified-live vaccine that’s being given to an animal for the first time—such as a replacement heifer– will need at least two doses about 3 to 4 weeks apart.  It will take more than one dose to gain maximum immunity,” she says.

“Some animals may mount a good immune response with one dose, but others won’t, without a booster.  If the animals are naïve to those vaccines, it is very important to give two doses the first time, and after that they will only need an annual booster for the modified-live vaccines,” says Moore-Foster.

“It’s also important to not give pregnant animals a modified-live vaccine unless they’ve had a vaccination prior to becoming pregnant and have some immunity already.  Otherwise, it’s best to use a killed vaccine, to eliminate the risk of causing that animal to abort and lose the pregnancy.  The killed vaccine will typically be much safer,” she says.

“The downside of killed vaccines is that they don’t stimulate as great an immune response as the modified-live vaccine and need boosted more frequently.”

Some producers give every cow a “scours prevention” vaccine a few weeks ahead of calving, to stimulate production of antibodies that will be included in the colostrum.  A killed vaccine can be given one to two months prior to calving.  In a beef herd in which all the cows and heifers are calving about the same time, they can all be vaccinated as one group, but sometimes a second dose will be needed for any that will calve toward the end of the calving season.  Then there will be good antibody concentration in colostrum. Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management.

The vaccines and the timing may vary with each operation, each individual herd.  “We generally think about respiratory diseases and the pathogens that can cause scours in calves, for pre-calving vaccines.”  

After they are born, all calves on a beef operation need clostridial vaccines to protect against blackleg, malignant edema, and Clostridium perfringens (that can cause acute enterotexemia and sudden death in calves).  In some parts of the country the 7 or 8-way clostridial vaccine should also include Clostridium haemolyticum to protect against “redwater” and this vaccination is even more important for adult animals than for calves.  It should be boostered every year—and in some regions twice a year.

Check the labels on all vaccines for directions on proper administration including dosage and injection routes or sites such as intramuscular or subcutaneous. Vaccines also require a withdrawal period; this is the length of time that must elapse before someone can slaughter that animal for meat. The body needs to clear some of the chemicals and preservatives before humans use the meat for consumption. Some vaccines historically contain a little bit of gentamycin. Check the label before you vaccinate an animal that might be culled or slaughtered sooner than the withdrawal period. The vaccine usually has a withdrawal period between 30 and 60 days. Vaccination requires checking the label carefully. You should consider the potential culling or slaughtering of the animal before vaccination. Understood. Please provide the sentences you would like to convert to active voice. 

In beef herds, calf vaccines are very important.  Even if you vaccinate pregnant cows just ahead of calving, you also need to vaccinate the calves for clostridial diseases and respiratory diseases.  Some herds vaccinate calves at birth for certain diseases, but all calves should be vaccinated during the first few months of life.

“There are many different products for respiratory diseases; some are intra-nasal and some are injected.  The injectable products do a better job at stimulating long-term immunity, but in a herd that is facing an immediate problem, the intra-nasal vaccines can give quicker response,” says Moore-Foster.

Many beef calves are vaccinated at branding time. Or vaccinated at one to two months of age. If that operation doesn’t use branding as proof of ownership.  “If you live in an area where tetanus is a problem. It’s even better if you can administer the clostridial vaccines before you plan to castrate calves.  The clostridial spores that cause blackleg and malignant edema (and tetanus) are always present in the environment, in the soil, etc.  Since it takes time for the animal to mount an immune response—about 2 to 4 weeks. You might want to give those calves a clostridial vaccine ahead of when you castrate them,” she says.  An open wound provides entry for clostridial spores. Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management

She says to give those vaccines at the time of branding or processing those calves if you can’t do that. This will be better than nothing. 

The other clostridial diseases will definitely need protection for the calves during their first year of life. 

Many beef operations face problems because ranchers only work with the cattle when they can be hands-on.

Ranchers cannot always round up the cattle at the most appropriate time. Farmers usually brand and vaccinate calves just ahead of spring turnout on summer pastures and some of those farmers may handle calves that are only two weeks old while others may handle calves that are two months old. Some individuals may develop good immunity while others may not.

Colostrum may hinder the young calf’s response to vaccine by providing maternal antibodies. states that if we can vaccinate them and establish some herd immunity for certain contagious diseaseThe older animals will not get sick and will not spread pathogens to the younger ones with less immunity.

There is no specific strategy that works for every farm, when it comes to cattle vaccinations, so it’s always wise to work closely with your veterinarian to make sure you come up with a protocol that makes sense for the immune system of the animal and is also easy for the people who are doing it.  “If it’s not easy, people won’t do it, or won’t do it properly,” says Moore-Foster.

Many factors influence whether cattle can mount an adequate immune response to vaccination. Stress affects health. Bad weather impacts outdoor activities. Individual immune status determines susceptibility to illness. Optimum vaccination response can be hindered. We can ensure that the vaccine we administer has not lost its potency due to improper storage or handling. Store and handle your vaccines correctly to ensure they work effectively.

Refrigerators must keep all vaccines within a certain temperature range to ensure they remain viable for their expected shelf life. 

Bring vaccines home from the veterinary clinic or livestock supply store while ensuring they stay cool. Order vaccines online early in the week to avoid them sitting somewhere over the weekend. 

They ship the items in insulated containers with cold packs or dry ice. If the items stay in transit too long. They may become too warm. 

Vaccinators consider vaccines an important part of beef cattle management.

Make sure you purchase or order them check to ensure they are cold. 

Check the expiration date to confirm they will still be good when you use them. If you contact the manufacturer when the products are expired or too close to the expiration date, they might trade you out and send you a fresher batch.

When you get ready to use the vaccine, keep it cool in warm weather and make sure it doesn’t freeze if you are vaccinating cattle in cold weather.  “Depending on the time of year, make sure you have it in a cooler with ice packs or a warm place to keep it from freezing.  Don’t mix up too much at once before you actually use it.”

Don’t contaminate a bottle of vaccine when refilling syringes.  Use a different needle for taking vaccine from the bottle—not the one you’ve been injecting the cattle with.  “It’s also important to change needles often on the syringes you are using.  Many people don’t take time to do this, but it should be a priority.  Even if you don’t change needles after every injection, you should change them after you’ve injected several animals.  Needles tend to become dull after a few uses, and a dull needle not only causes more pain but also meat damage.  A dull needle also makes it harder to push through the hide and administer the vaccine,” says Moore-Foster.

“It’s good to change after every 5 animals, or at least when you refill a 10-dose syringe gun.  Many vaccines come in 50-dose bottles, and if you are refilling from the same bottle, always use a clean needle.”  Pushing through the rubber stopper on the bottle also tends to dull a needle, so you don’t want to use that needle for injecting.

Some vaccines keep quite a while when properly refrigerated, but if you’ve used part of a bottle, check it closely before using it again.  “I like to put a date on the bottle when I first puncture it, and then if it’s been sitting there for 6 months before I use it again, I might need to get a new bottle—especially if the color changes or it shows any other signs of having been contaminated,” she says.

INJECTION PROTOCOLS

Always use BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) protocols when vaccinating cattle.  Always vaccinate in the neck, in the triangular region above the shoulder and below the top of the neck, staying away from structures like the bony column near the bottom and the ligaments at the top.  Never inject into the rump or back of the thigh.  Most people injected into the rump in earlier years because it was a handy spot to reach, with thick muscle to absorb a large injection.  But that’s an area where an injection that creates scar tissue can damage expensive cuts of meat and is also hard to open and drain if an abscess ever occurs (as can happen with a dirty needle). Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management.

Keep track of where you give injections, even when doing it in proper locations on the neck.  “If I’m giving multiple vaccines, I try to do an even number on each side, but also consistently give a certain vaccine on a certain side, says Moore-Foster.  Then if there’s swelling or some kind of problem, it’s easier to know which vaccine caused it.  

“When we are seeing a lot of abscesses or irritation, I have an idea which vaccine might be causing an issue and have a better argument when calling the vaccine company to report a problem,” she says.

It’s also helpful to have some kind of system to mark or label the syringes when giving multiple vaccines, so a person never makes the mistake of putting a different vaccine in that syringe.  “This is especially important when giving modified-live vaccine; you want one syringe dedicated to that one, or to a killed vaccine, so things are not getting mixed up,” she says.

STORAGE – Vaccine must be kept within a certain range of temperature, as listed on the label.  Scott E. Poock, DVM, DABVP, Associate Extension Professor, University of Missouri, says there have been many articles in the past 10 years discussing storage of vaccines, looking at research regarding how well refrigerators do or do not keep vaccines at proper temperature.  Some refrigerators get too cold (and may freeze the vaccine) or too warm.  “Don’t just assume that the refrigerator you use for storing vaccine is working properly,” he says.

“I have my own cattle and keep our vaccine in our kitchen refrigerator.  It’s important to monitor and make sure a refrigerator is keeping vaccine cool enough And at the right temperature.”  It helps to have a thermometer in the refrigerator.

Always make sure to keep the vaccine cool before it reaches you. Always order the vaccine on a Monday through your veterinarian farm store or another supplier so it won’t sit somewhere over the weekend. I recently visited a farm that ordered a vaccine. They received part of the product right away. They received the rest of the product the following Monday. 

Make sure ice packs completely are thawed, and the product became warm. 

That company made it right by taking it back and sending some new vaccine to replace it. 

Order early in the week. If there is a delay and it takes longer than expected to arrive return it. Spending money on a vaccine makes no sense if it arrives in poor condition. Using it won’t benefit the animals. People should not use it. Vaccinators play an important role in beef cattle management. Farmers consider vaccines an important part of beef cattle management. Veterinarians administer vaccines to improve beef cattle health. 

Producers recognize vaccines as essential for managing beef cattle. Experts emphasize the importance of vaccines in beef cattle management. 

HANDLING THE VACCINE – “I am fussy about how vaccine is handled when people are working cattle.  A pet peeve of mine is when people are using a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine. And not keeping it cool, or have it exposed to sunlight.  Or they use MLV vaccine and if there’s some left, instead of discarding it they decide to keep it and use it in a day or two.  This turns a really good modified live vaccine into a very poor killed vaccine,” says Poock.

A killed vaccine contains adjuvants to help stimulate the immune response. Modified live vaccines do not contain adjuvants. Killed products have higher levels of antigen. Now you have a vaccine that kills contains no adjuvants and has lower numbers compared to a killed product making it a really poor vaccine he explains.

Place MLV vaccines in 10-dose vials when we work our own cattle. 

Then mix up only what we will use quickly—in less than an hour. I use a syringe gun that holds 20 doses. I mix up two 10-dose vials of MLV vaccine. 

I won’t mix up anymore until I use that up. I keep it fresh. He says that he can evaluate how many more cattle they have left to vaccinate.

And only mix up what will work for them. Vaccinators play an important role in beef cattle management.

He keeps the pistol-grip syringe in a cooler when he does not use it after mixing. 

Use a cooler with slots for syringes which keeps the vaccine in the gun cool. I wrap a towel around the syringe when I vaccinate in the sunlight. I decrease the exposure to sunlight during the injection. Understood. Please provide the sentences you would like me to convert to active voice.

Always pays to have a good cooler or insulated Styrofoam box for the vaccine and syringes at the chute.  In warm weather, a person can put ice packs in the cooler to keep vaccine from getting warm, and in severely cold weather, you can put a jar of hot water in that box, to keep the vaccine from freezing.

I had to keep things warm when I practiced in Wisconsin; otherwise the vaccine would freeze solid in the needles. The heater in my vet box in the back of my truck blew warm air. The warm air kept things warm enough. The warmth prevented the product from freezing in the needle. Wisconsin faces more problems but it also experiences cold weather in Missouri occasionally. Think ahead and prepare.

“If you don’t have a box designed for pistol-grip syringes, even a Styrofoam box with some ice packs or gel packs will help.  The main thing is to keep vaccine cool and out of direct sunlight.  If I am outside at the chute, mixing the MLV vaccine, I try to do it in the shade, or turn my body to block the sunlight while mixing, and filling syringes.”

OTHER VACCINATING TIPS – Along with keeping vaccine cool, it’s important to keep things as clean as possible.  “I like to set up a table near the chute and lay a clean towel on the table.  I also have a systematic order. The vaccines are at the front of the table nearest the front of the chute.  If I am palpating or doing ultrasound.  Those materials are at the back of the table near the back of the chute.  If we are working on both sides, I have a table on both sides,” says Poock.

“People need to make sure they are handling vaccine correctly and using proper techniques. Vaccinate on a clear day when cattle are calm and clean. Understood. Please provide the sentences you would like me to convert.  They won’t respond as well when stressed. And if you inject through a wet or dirty hide. This can create problems like injection-site abscesses.

Cattle can minimize stress if they go through the facility calmly.  “Many producers put cattle through the chute several times each year.  A good practice is to put the calves through the chute when we finish working their mothers. If we are working the cows but not doing anything with the calves.  This is a good training program, and they are not as reluctant to go through the chute again later.”  If their first experience is traumatic, they don’t want to go in again and may be balky the rest of their lives.  If we can keep cattle calm and relaxed–less stressed–they will respond better to the vaccine.

When vaccinating, use the same syringe for each type of vaccine.  Don’t put the clostridial vaccine into the syringe that had modified live virus vaccine, or vice versa.  “I might be using 3 different products, so it’s important to keep them straight,” says Poock.

Some producers use colored tape or mark each syringe differently.  So, no one would mistakenly put in the wrong vaccine when refilling.  A marking pen on masking tape can be a handy way to identify each syringe, or color-coded markers.

“I have one syringe with a yellow ball on the handle and use it for MLV vaccine (since I’m often using BoviShield Gold).  And one syringe with a black ball, so it’s the one I use for blackleg.  The third syringe is a different type, so it’s the one I use if I am giving another vaccine in addition to those two,” he says. 

Vaccines are An Important Part of Beef Cattle Management.    You don’t need to use any disinfectant.  “Since a disinfectant would inactivate MLV vaccine, to make sure that will never happen, it’s best to just wash all your syringes with hot water alone.   Rinsing at least 3 times is usually adequate.  If you are consistent in doing that, those syringes will be clean enough.” 

By Heather Smith Thomas

American Cattlemen 2025