Hereford cattle should be checked by a vet at least twice a year in a breeding herd, typically at pregnancy checking and again at a calving- or weaning-season working, with bulls examined separately before breeding. Herefords are docile, hardy cattle, and that temperament is a mixed blessing: a quiet cow tolerates problems longer before anyone notices. Scheduled workings put hands and eyes on every animal regardless of how stoic she seems.
The two workings that structure a Hereford year
At preg-check your vet establishes who is bred, roughly when each cow will calve, and how condition is distributed across the herd while every cow passes through the chute. Feet, udders, and teeth all get their moment, and cows that are open, ancient-mouthed, or chronically unsound can be sorted before they consume a winter of feed. The second working, timed to your operation, lets calves be examined and processed under veterinary direction and gives cows heading toward calving a condition and udder review.
Those two passes also keep the herd's preventive program current for your ground and keep your vet familiar with your facilities, which pays off the night a calving goes wrong. Replacement heifers benefit from being run through at the second working as their own group, checked for growth against their target breeding weight, pelvic and udder development, and any eye or foot history they have already accumulated, so a heifer enters the cow herd as a known quantity rather than a hope.
Bulls before turnout, every year
A Hereford bull should have a breeding soundness exam annually before the season: feet and legs, eyes, condition, and reproductive soundness, done early enough to source a replacement if he fails. Bulls that fight, go lame mid-season, or lose condition sharply should be rechecked rather than assumed to be working, because a bull standing with the cows is not the same as a bull settling them. In multi-bull pastures, note which bulls are actively working; your vet's advice on bull numbers and rest depends on honest observation.
Eyes deserve their own Hereford routine
The white face that defines the breed comes with lightly pigmented eyelids, and eye trouble is a recurring Hereford theme in bright sun and fly season. Build a habit of scanning faces at feeding: a Hereford holding one eye partly shut, tearing heavily, or showing a cloudy spot needs prompt veterinary attention, since early eye problems are far more manageable than advanced ones and a cow that cannot see well on one side grazes and mothers poorly. Repeated cases in the same animal are worth flagging to your vet, as some individuals simply fare worse and may suit a different role or a cull decision.
Call outside the schedule when
A cow straining in calving without progress, a calf presented wrongly, a cow unwell after calving, or a calf scouring and weakening all need help when they happen. So does any animal that quits the herd's pattern: standing apart, failing to come up to feed, losing flesh while pasture-mates hold theirs, or limping persistently. Sudden swelling, labored breathing, or an animal down and struggling is an emergency call, full stop.
A KinsLe Pet Passport stores each Hereford's calving record, eye treatments, and working-day findings together, so repeat eye cases and chronic cows are visible as patterns when your vet reviews the herd.