Growing Beef Newsletter
August 2025, Volume 16, Issue 2
Preconditioning cattle to optimize health and performance
Chris Clark, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist
August is here, and although it’s hard to believe, summer will soon be winding down, and it will be time to think about weaning and marketing spring-born calves. In preparation for weaning and marketing, many producers do some level of preconditioning to add value and prepare calves for the next stages of life. But what exactly is preconditioning and why is it valuable? Please keep in mind that there does not seem to be a solid, consistent definition for preconditioning and the meaning of the term may differ person to person, regionally and among various programs. The following description represents the author’s perspective on the meaning and importance of preconditioning.
Preconditioning is a set of practices and procedures applied to prepare cattle for the next phase of production. Weaning and marketing involve many potential stressors that can negatively affect beef calves: separation from dam, new environment, diet change and new social dynamics, just to name a few. The idea of preconditioning is to prepare cattle, minimize those stressors, support health and performance, and ultimately, help cattle reach their genetic potential. Specific practices often include castration, dehorning, vaccination, adaptation to new feeds, bunk breaking, weaning, etc.
Although most preconditioning practices are associated with weaning, some of these things can actually be done well ahead of time, even in the neonatal period of a calf’s life. Well-preconditioned cattle are the culmination of a holistic management program that starts when calves are born and arguably even while they are in utero. Below are descriptions of eight specific components of a strong preconditioning program.
- Castration and dehorning procedures should be done as early as possible with appropriate anesthesia and analgesia to minimize pain and distress. Hopefully, castration and dehorning procedures are done by now. Castration and dehorning surgeries should generally be performed within the first 2-3 months of life. Dehorning should be done through genetic selection or through disbudding calves before the horns become well-established. If these procedures have not yet been done, talk to your veterinarian about the best timing and technique. Open wounds can be a problem in the summer because of fly pressure, so it is worth some thought and discussion about how to best proceed at this time of year.
- Vaccination to establish immunity prior to the stress of weaning and marketing. Stress associated with weaning and marketing can cause immunosuppression, making animals more susceptible to respiratory disease and other infections. Pre-weaning vaccines help to ensure that protective antibodies are on board at weaning, which can help to prevent and reduce the severity of disease. Work closely with your veterinarian to determine the products and vaccine schedules that make the most sense for your operation.
- Deworming to reduce internal and external parasite load can help promote animal health and performance. Cattle commonly consume infective nematode larvae while grazing, so strategic deworming as they are coming off of pasture into drylot or feedyard settings can make a lot of sense.
- Implanting with growth-promoting hormone implants is very much an optional part of a preconditioning program. Implants improve performance and feed efficiency and can improve profitability when cattle are retained long enough to take advantage of these improvements. In a strong cattle market where each pound of gain has great value, implanting may be worth considering. Keep in mind the new FDA guidance and emphasis on not reimplanting within a phase of production unless the implant product is specifically labeled for reimplantation. With this recent development, some buyers may prefer cattle that have not been implanted, so it may be worth thinking through the value of enhanced performance versus buyer preferences and demand at market.
- Adapt cattle to feed like what will be fed after weaning. Creep feeding consistently increases weaning weight but may or may not be profitable depending on the cost versus value of gain. In the current market with significant value for every pound of gain, creep feeding may be worth considering. Even when not obviously profitable, creep feeding or some kind of supplementation can help calves adapt to new feeds and feeding systems. This should support a smoother transition throughout weaning. Post-weaning feeding programs should be well-balanced to support health and growth but modest enough to prevent foot and rumen issues and over-conditioning of animals. Buyers generally like cattle to be relatively "green", meaning they prefer to buy cattle that are not overly fat.
- Weaning is considered by some to be an integral part of the preconditioning process. In fact, in some sponsored preconditioning programs, cattle are not truly preconditioned if not weaned for 45-60 days. Weaning allows producers to start cattle on feed, adapt them to the next phase of production, and treat any illnesses that may occur. Consider low-stress weaning strategies such as two-step weaning, fence-line weaning, pasture weaning, etc., and think ahead about what might work for you. Weaned cattle should be past some of the most stressful and high-risk times, and ready to enter the next phase of production.
- Strive for excellence in the basics of animal husbandry. Shelter, shade, bedding, water, feed, low-stress handling, etc., are all components of good animal care, and the most well-preconditioned animals are those that have been well taken care of from conception to marketing.
- Daily care and record keeping are key components of preconditioning. Create a plan for performing and keeping records of daily care, and develop a record-keeping system for treatment and feed records. Plan to check cattle daily throughout the weaning phase to look for signs of illness, develop a working relationship with a veterinarian, and establish a treatment plan in case of illness. Review recommended biosecurity protocols and implement as appropriate to protect the health of your calf crop. Prepare records that can be shared with buyers so that they understand how cattle have been cared for, what products have been administered and what procedures have been done.
Preconditioning does several things. First, it enhances animal health, well-being and performance, and increases the odds that cattle will perform to their genetic potential. Additionally, preconditioning minimizes risk. In the current record-breaking cattle market, cattle are more valuable than ever, and with great value comes great risk. Every illness, every mortality, every bout of weight loss and shrink hurts that much more than it would in a weaker market. Preconditioning can help manage that risk and improve the likelihood of success for producers in all phases of production. Consider preconditioning to optimize cattle health and performance and promote the success of buyers of your cattle.
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