Implanting Beef CattleLawton StewartExtension Animal Scientist — Beef cattleIntroductionImplanting nursing calves with a growth stimulantis one of the most economically justifiable practicesavailable in the beef industry. Implants have beenshown to increase weaning weights of nursing calvesin hundreds of research trials. Stocker and feedlotcalves exhibit even greater responses than nursingcalves. Implanting returns more revenue per dollarinvested than any other management practice.Despite being approved for more than 50 years, only33 percent of cow/calf producers nationwide usegrowth-promoting implants. Unless calves are marketed to a program that prohibits the use of implants,nursing calves intended for sale should be implantedprior to weaning.Although technologies are constantly being developedto reduce the costs of beef production, cow/calf producers are often reluctant to use implants. Therefore,it is critical that manufacturers invest money intoresearch and product development to benefit cow/calfproducers.ImplantsImplants are small pellets that contain a growth stimulant that is slowly released over a period of time. Implants work by increasing circulating levels of somatotropin and insulin-like growth-factor 1. This causesan increase in the secretion of growth hormone, whichincreases muscle growth.Many implant products are available for use in nursing calves, stocker calves and feedlot calves. Mostimplants are specifically designed for a certain sex, ageor stage of production. Always read the product labeland follow the manufacturer’s recommendations priorto implant use.Implants that are approved for use in beef cattle areshown in Table 1. Of the hormones used in beef cattleimplants, three are naturally occurring (estradiol,progesterone and testosterone) and two are synthetics(zeranol and trenbolone acetate). Estradiol, progesterone and zeranol are estrogenic, whereas testosteroneand trenbolone acetate are androgenic. Estrogenicrefers to hormones affecting female characteristics andandrogenic refers to hormones affecting male characteristics. Zeranol mimics estradiol and trenboloneacetate mimics testosterone. Table 2 lists the production phase and age approvals for each implant.Using ImplantsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves and regulates the use of all growth-promotingimplants. The only FDA-approved location for placement of an implant is the middle third on the back sideof the ear, between the skin and the cartilage.Optimal response to implants depends on sanitationand proper implanting techniques. Improper sanitationand technique may cause defects including abscesses,lost implants, improper placement, crushed pellets andmissing pellets. Implant manufacturers market an implant gun that is specific for each implant. The implantand implant gun should be made by the same manufacturer to keep defects to a minimum. Take the followingsteps to minimize implant failures:1. Restrain the animal’s head in a head gate to restrictmovement. Catch the animal just behind the ears.If the animal will not be calm, use a halter for the
safety of both the animal and implant technician. Ifthe animal is moving, the needle can easily comeout of the ear and the implant will be deposited onthe ground.4. Place the implant in the center one-third of the ear.To prevent crushing the pellets, slowly withdrawthe needle as the implant is being administered toallow space for the implant pellets. Close the incision made by the needle by pressing down on theopening.2. Check the needle to make sure it is tightly securedto the implant gun; replace the needle when itbecomes dull or damaged. Clean the needle with adisinfectant between each implant. Some implantsare coated with antibiotic, which can decrease therisk of infection.Examine the ear to make sure the implant was properly placed. The implant should be slightly movable ifplaced between the skin and cartilage. The implant willnot be absorbed if it is placed in the cartilage wherethere is no blood flow. Avoid placing the implant in theblood vessel because the absorption rate will be higher,and the implant will be effective for a shorter period oftime. Be patient and make sure the implant is correctlyplaced. Each implant that is improperly placed canmean 15 to 20 of lost income.3. Clean the ear of any mud or manure and disinfectit before implanting. A commonly used disinfectantis Nolvasan (chlorhexixine acetate), which shouldbe mixed at 1 ounce per gallon of water.Table 1. Implants approved for use in beef cattle.Trade NameCompanyActive IngredientRalgro Ralgro Magnum Synovex-C Synovex-S Synovex-H Synovex-Plus Synovex-Choice Revalor-G Revalor-S Revalor-H Revalor-IS Revalor-IH Revalor-200 Finaplix-H Encore Compudose Component E-C Component E-S Component E-H Component TE-G Component TE-S Component TE-H Component T-S Component T-H Component TE-IS Component TE-IH Component TE-200 Schering-PloughSchering-PloughFort DodgeFort DodgeFort DodgeFort DodgeFort fe36 mg zeranol72 mg zeranol10 mg estradiol benzoate, 100 mg progesterone20 mg estradiol benzoate, 200 mg progesterone20 mg estradiol benzoate, 200 mg testosterone28 mg estradiol benzoate, 200 mg trenbolone acetate14 mg estradiol, 100 mg trenbolone acetate8 mg estradiol, 40 mg trenbolone acetate24 mg estradiol, 120 mg trenbolone acetate14 mg estradiol, 140 mg trenbolone acetate16 mg estradiol, 80 mg trenbolone acetate8 mg estradiol, 80 mg trenbolone acetate20 mg estradiol, 200 mg trenbolone acetate200 mg trenbolone acetate43.9 mg estradiol25.7 mg estradiol10 mg estradiol benzoate, 100 mg progesterone20 mg estradiol benzoate, 200 mg progesterone20 mg estradiol benzoate, 200 mg testosterone8 mg estradiol, 40 mg trenbolone acetate24 mg estradiol, 120 mg trenbolone acetate14 mg estradiol, 140 mg trenbolone acetate140 mg trenbolone acetate200 mg trenbolone acetate16 mg estradiol, 80 mg trenbolone acetate8 mg estradiol, 80 mg trenbolone acetate20 mg estradiol, 20 mg trenbolone acetateImplanting Beef Cattle2UGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 1302
Table 2. Approved implants by sex and production phase.Trade NameRalgro Ralgro Magnum Synovex-C Synovex-S Synovex-H Synovex-Plus Synovex-Choice Revalor-G Revalor-S Revalor-H Revalor-IS Revalor-IH Revalor-200 Finaplix-H Encore Compudose Component E-C Component E-S Component E-H Component TE-G Component TE-S Component TE-H Component T-S Component T-H Component TE-IS Component TE-IH Component TE-200 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXbXXXXXXXXXXXXXDo not implant heifers prior to 30 days of age.Do not implant heifers prior to 45 days of age.abUGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 13023Implanting Beef Cattle
Nursing Calf Performanceimplants only once prior to weaning. If calves areimplanted from birth to three months of age with animplant having an effectiveness of 120 days or less,a second implant can be administered approximately90 days prior to weaning. As previously discussed,the implant type will influence the effectiveness of asecond implant. If calves are three months or older atthe time of the first implant, then a second implant isnot recommended prior to weaning.Calves (steers and cull heifers) that are destined forfinishing and sale to a terminal market should beimplanted. Heifers intended for breeding requirespecific implant recommendations to avoid reproductive failures, which are discussed in a later section ofthis publication. Several research trials have shownthat implanting nursing beef calves once will improvedaily gains from birth to weaning by four to six percent. Growth response to implants is about 20 percentgreater in heifers than steers.Calves must have adequate nutrition to realize improved daily gains from an implant. Calves nursingheavier milking cows and calves that are creep fedhave been shown to have a greater response to implants. Fall-born calves may have little or no access tohigh-quality forage. If fall-born calves are creep fed,however, or allowed to graze winter annual foragesvia creep grazing, implants would be more effective infall-born calves. Late winter- and spring-born calvesshould have sufficient nutrition to allow optimum implant response unless a drought occurs, but creep feeding or creep grazing can increase the implant response.Implanting a nursing calf once will increase weaningweight by approximately 15 to 30 pounds. Most calvesare not weaned, however, until seven to eight monthsof age, and the majority of implants lose effectivenesswithin 120 days of implanting. If calves are implantedat birth or before two months of age, the implant willlose effectiveness three to four months before weaning.Research has shown that re-implanting nursing calvesincreased weight gains by 1 to 8 pounds.A summary of several research studies revealed thatimplanting steer calves only once improved dailygains by 0.10 pounds per day, and implanting twiceincreased daily gains by 0.13 pounds per day whencompared to calves receiving no implants. Table 3shows results of implanting nursing steers either onceor twice with either an estrogen-progesterone implantor with Zeranol.Stocker Calf PerformanceImplanting stocker calves improves daily gains by 10to 20 percent over non-implanted calves. A greaterresponse occurs in stocker calves compared to nursing calves. Steers will usually have a greater growthresponse than heifers. There are more implant optionsavailable for stocker calves than nursing calves (Table 2).Stocker calves can be implanted every 90 to 100 daysdepending on the specific implant used. If calves willbe stockered longer than 130 to 140 days, then a second implant should be economical, provided adequatenutrition is available. Growth response to an implantwill be greater in calves on a higher plane of nutrition.Some studies have shown that a second implant wasnot effective when calves were gaining 0.96 poundsper day with no supplementation. When calves werefed 5 to 7 pounds of supplemental feed, however, thegrowth response to a second implant was 5 percent.Research clearly shows a greater response to implantswith an increasing nutritional level, but implantingcalves that are gaining slowly will not negatively affectgrowth rates.Table 3. Percentage improvement in daily gain over non-implanted nursing steers for nursing steers implantedeither once or twice.Implant typeOne implantTwo apted from Selk, 1997.Implanting twice with the estrogen-progesterone implant showed no additional benefit as the percentageincrease over non-implanted calves was virtually thesame with one or two implants. Implanting twice withZeranol improved gains by 6.7 percent compared to5.1 percent with only one implant. This would resultin an increase in weaning weight of approximately 8pounds after implanting twice with Zeranol. Implanting twice prior to weaning will be more cost effectivewhen calf prices are high. Two implants, Compudose and En-core , are approved to be effective for200 (Compudose ) to 400 (Encore ) days. Use theseImplanting Beef CattleImplants will not decrease the benefits of feedingionophores. Table 4 shows the additive effects on gainfrom feeding a supplement and the ionophore Rumensin . The combined growth response to feeding4UGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 1302
an ionophore, supplement and implant was 41 percentgreater than the control group. Use of supplementalenergy and protein will depend upon supplement price,desired gain and forage quality. Supplements willimprove implant response when forage alone cannotsupport gains of at least 1.5 pounds per day.compared to equal days fed or the same fat thickness as a non-implanted calf. Many implant protocolsrecommend a lower potency implant at feedlot entryfollowed by a high potency combination implant atapproximately 100 days from slaughter. Consult withmanufacturer representatives to develop an implantstrategy that will minimize negative effects on carcassmarbling.Table 4. Daily gain response to use of an implant, energysupplement and t ionophorebImplant, supplement andionophoreDailygainGrowthresponse, g BullsNo implants are approved for use in bulls. Implantswill reduce testicular development, semen quality andlibido. Do not implant a bull calf until it is castrated.Lifetime Effects of ImplantingTransfer of ownership of most cattle occurs at eachstage of the production chain. Implant choices areusually based upon maximizing returns at each production level. It is possible that implanting at one stage ofproduction will impact performance at the next stage.Calves may receive from four to six implants duringtheir lifetime if implanted on a regular basis from birthto slaughter. With more producers retaining ownershipthrough slaughter, impacts of lifetime implant strategies on feedlot performance and carcass characteristicsare becoming more important.Compudose bRumensin Adapted from Kuhl, 1997.aImplants have also been shown to reduce the negativeeffects of endophyte-infected tall fescue. In a Kansasstudy, stocker steers were implanted with Ralro andallowed to graze either high (82 percent infected) orlow (20 percent infected) endophyte-infected pastures.Implanting improved daily gain by 12 to 16 percenton the low endophyte-infected fescue; however, theresponse was much greater on the high endophyteinfected pasture, in which gains were improved 37 to46 percent. In addition, weaning weights of implantednursing calves have been increased more when grazingon 70 percent versus 40 to 45 percent infected fescue.Implanting calves during the nursing phase has notbeen shown to decrease subsequent performance oraffect carcass characteristics. Calves should not bediscounted at weaning if they have been administeredan implant. Studies have shown that calves implantedprior to weaning and three times during the finishingphase did not show any decrease in performance compared with calves administered implants only duringthe finishing period.Feedlot Calf PerformanceVirtually all feedlot calves are implanted at least onceduring the finishing phase. Growth responses to implants are greater during the feedlot phase than in thenursing or stocker phases. Most implants are approvedfor use in feedlot calves (Table 2). Increases in dailygains of 15 to 20 percent can be expected in feedlotcalves receiving an implant. Greater gains are observedwhen using combination estrogen/androgen implants,and the lowest gains are observed when using onlyestrogen implants. Feed efficiency is improved 6 to 14percent with combination estrogen/androgen implants,which improve feed efficiency to a greater extent thanestrogen-only implants.Implant programs used during the finishing phase affect performance and carcass characteristics greaterthan implants used during the nursing and stockerphase. Calves implanted prior to weaning and then implanted approximately 90 days before slaughter shouldshow no adverse affects in performance compared withunimplanted calves.The effect of each implant is additive and the value ateach segment will be increased, which reduces total costs of beef production. Implant potency shouldincrease at each stage of production. Repeated useof low-potency implants in the stocker and finishingImplants generally reduce marbling scores by 4 percent and increase ribeye area by 3 to 4 percent. Inaddition, implanting increases carcass weight whenUGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 13025Implanting Beef Cattle
phases negatively affects feed efficiency in the finishing phase. Once calves are on an implant program,they should be implanted at regular intervals to maintain blood hormone levels to attain optimal responseto the implanting regime. It is important that calves arealways on a positive plane of nutrition when implantsare administered. Calves that are growing slowly ormaintaining weight will have a reduced response to theimplant, which can have permanent negative effectson marbling. When growing slowly, calves will use allavailable energy for bone and muscle growth, whichlimits the animal’s ability to deposit fat.Replacement heifers that are identified early in lifeshould not be implanted. There is no advantage in dystocia or age at puberty; therefore, there is little benefitto implanting replacement heifers. Heifers that aredestined for finishing should be implanted to take advantage of the added weight gain. Heifers that are notyet identified as replacements can be implanted once iflabel directions are carefully followed. Implanting according to the manufacturer’s recommendations shouldhave very minimal effects on reproduction, and willallow the producer to take advantage of added weightgains in the heifers sold at weaning time. Using an approved product and administering it according to labeldirections is extremely important when using implantsin potential replacement heifers.Implanting Replacement HeifersUsing growth-promoting implants is one of the mosteconomical production practices to improve performance in nursing calves. There is no doubt steer calvesshould be implanted, but the picture is not so clearwith potential replacement heifers. Some producershave been reluctant to implant replacement heifersbecause of possible negative effects on reproduction.Side EffectsSide effects such as raised tailheads, udder development, bulling, and vaginal and rectal prolapses havebeen cited as reasons not to use implants. These conditions usually occur when improper implanting techniques are used, particularly crushing an implant. Sideeffects are rare and of little economic significance interms of additional weight gain achieved with implants.Prior to using any implant in replacement heifers, carefully read label instructions to determine if the implantis approved for heifer calves and to identify the properage to administer the implant. Implanting at the wrongage can have substantial negative effects on futurereproductive performance. For example, administeringan implant containing Zeranol at birth has been shownto reduce pregnancy rates by 35 percent. However,giving the same implant between 1 and 10 months ofage showed no negative effects on reproductive performance.Implant SafetyImplants replace or supplement existing hormones inthe animal’s body. Implants have been approved foruse since 1954. Before any implant is sold, the Foodand Drug Administration must approve it to be safeand effective. There is no such thing as “hormone-free”beef or any other meat, as all meat products containhormones. Hormones are produced by all humans andanimals for normal body functioning and maturation.Other studies have examined the effects on pregnancyrates of administering two implants between 1 and 11months of age. Pregnancy rates were quite variablebetween the implanted and non-implanted heifers, andseveral studies showed significant reductions in pregnancy rates in implanted heifers.The hormones used in beef cattle implants includethree naturally occurring hormones (estradiol, progesterone and testosterone) and two synthetic hormones(zeranol and trenbolone acetate). Zeranol mimics estradiol and trenbolone acetate mimics testosterone. Allof these have been used without any effects on publichealth for many years. A 3-ounce serving of beef froman implanted steer has 1.9 nanograms of estradiol, anda 3-ounce serving of beef from a non-implanted calfhas 1.3 nanograms. There are 28 billion nanograms in1 ounce; therefore, the difference in estradiol is extremely minuscule.Research has shown that implanting heifer calves willincrease yearling pelvic area, but the difference isnegligible by calving time, and implanting does notappear to affect age of puberty. In addition, heifers t
missing pellets. Implant manufacturers market an im-plant gun that is specific for each implant. The implant and implant gun should be made by the same manufac-turer to keep defects to a minimum. Take the following steps to minimize implant failures: 1. Restrain the animal’s head in a head gate to restrict movement.
Beef Cattle Nutrient Requirements Nutrients Required by Beef Cattle Beef cattle require nutrients to support body maintenance, reproduction, lactation, and growth. The nutritional needs of beef cattle vary by age, class, stage of production, performance level, and weight. Physiological and environmental stressors, such as sickness and weather,
Ground Beef Round 11 32,765 255.00 - 275.00 264.32 Ground Beef Sirloin - Blended GB - Steer/Heifer/Cow Source - 10 Pound Chub Basis- Coarse & Fine Grind Blended Ground Beef 73% - Blended Ground Beef 75% 0 0 0.00 - 0.00 0.00 Blended Ground Beef 81% 0 0 0.00 - 0.00 0.00 Blended Ground Beef 85% - Blended Ground Beef
Beef cattle is the number one agricultural commodity in Texas. Texas is number one in beef cattle in the United States. The United States is number one in beef cattle in the world. With your help, we can achieve our goal of making Texas A&M University the recognized world leader in
FEEDING MANAGEMENT OF BEEF CATTLE IN JAPAN Osamu ENISHI Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan 305-0901 e-mail: enishu@affrc.go.jp ABSTRACT Improving the production efficiency of beef cattle, it is fundamental to properly satisfy the nutritional requirement of beef cattle.
Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, Sixth Edition. GA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 895 5 Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle Microminerals Beef cattle require 10 microminerals. Seven of the 10 microminerals have established require-ments, including iron, manganese, cop
Beef addition Beef subtraction Cattle math Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, prop-erties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. Beef addition Beef subtraction Cattle math Add up to four two-digit numbers usi
The amendment to the Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Levies Order to include an import levy was announced on July 30, 2013. Since January 1, 2014, all imports of beef cattle, beef and beef products into Canada have been subject to the levy of 1 per head or carcass equivalent.
The amendment to the Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Levies Order to include an import levy was announced on July 30, 2013. Since January 1, 2014, all imports of beef cattle, beef and beef products into Canada were subject to the levy of 1 per head or carcass equivalent. The Farm Products Agencies Act, which was proclaimed