Congenital defects as a cause of perinatal mortality of beef calves.

Congenital anomalies occur at low levels in beef cattle. Usually, severe defects result in abortion of the calf or return to service. In cases that do reach term, however, some die while others may survive with or without assistance from the manager. Regardless of whether the calf survives, the fact that abnormal development occurred raises questions as to etiology of the defect(s) and its impact on the herd. By defining the defect and using a logical method of assessing the cause, one can assess the impact of that defect on future herd production.