TB Dos and Don'ts

Don't: Commingle breeding and replacement cattle with high-risk cattle. Buy replacements or breeding cattle without a negative TB test certificate. Wear the same clothes, including footwear after visiting a sale barn, show or exhibition around your own herd until you have cleaned and disinfected them. Do: Test replacement animals. Isolate replacement animals for six weeks before commingling them with

Don't:

  • Commingle breeding and replacement cattle with high-risk cattle.

  • Buy replacements or breeding cattle without a negative TB test certificate.

  • Wear the same clothes, including footwear — after visiting a sale barn, show or exhibition — around your own herd until you have cleaned and disinfected them.

Do:

  • Test replacement animals.

  • Isolate replacement animals for six weeks before commingling them with the breeding herd.

  • Prevent direct contact between your herd and those of other producers.

  • Isolate diseased cattle.

  • Use sterile syringes and needles.

  • Disinfect tattoo, dehorning, castration, ear tagging, etc., equipment. Properly dispose of diseased dead animals by burning or burying the carcasses.

  • Ask your veterinarian to submit laboratory tests on diseased animals, alive and dead.

  • Use milk replacer or pasteurized milk, not raw milk.

  • Thoroughly clean any vehicles, trailers, etc., that have been to the sale barn, show or exhibition.

  • Restrict on-farm visitors from contact with your herd. This includes milk haulers, feed-delivery personnel, or others who have contact with other herds.

  • Ensure fences are in good condition to separate your herd from wildlife.

  • Buy animals from accredited TB-free herds; test new animals prior to purchase.

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