Maintaining a healthy herd
By
David Dugan-
Where did summer go?
It is hard to believe that swimming pools are closed up for the year, most of the tobacco is in the barn, soybeans are starting to turn and corn is being chopped for silage on some farms.
The Adams and Highland County Fairs are behind us for 2011 and the Brown County Fair wraps up this weekend.
Last week, I talked about fall management of alfalfa, and in weeks prior to that, I have talked about anaplasmosis, pasture management, seeding hay or pastures and more. Now, other issues have popped up on livestock farms in our area.
I have had reports of anaplasmosis cases showing up in herds in multiple locations throughout the area. This is a bacteria that destroys the red blood cells and can cause animal loss. It can be spread by insects that bite like horse flies or by producers using the same needle from cow to cow among other ways. Cattle will often be found dead, but in cases where the animal is found sick, one of the symptoms is that they animal will wobble with their backend. There are things that can be done to reduce the risk of an outbreak. For more information about Anaplasmosis, go to a fact sheet from Texas A&M by doing a Google search. This factsheet provides details. If you do not have access to the internet, stop by the OSU Extension Office for a copy.
The other problems that are showing up include nitrate poisoning that can be caused by a number of plants. Many plants that are common on local farms in grazing areas are on the list of potential danger, but don’t panic when you read the list that includes johnsongrass, pigweed, sudangrass, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and the list goes on and on.
Nitrate poisoning is more of a management issue. There are several things that can be done to reduce the risk. This week in the Beef Blog an article referred to a factsheet from Kansas State that covers this issue pretty complete. The fact sheet can be found at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/mf3029.pdf
One of the things that you need to know about nitrate poisoning is that this is more often a problem when drought conditions exist.
Another issue is that young plants are usually more of a problem than mature plants, but not in all cases. The lower parts of the plants usually have a greater concentration of nitrates, too. The stems are usually the problem, much more likely than the leaves. Avoid turning cattle into fields that may have plants with heavy nitrates especially when they are hungry. Feeding dry hay will reduce their consumption, too. Forages on land that has been covered with large amounts of manure or nitrogen increases the risk of nitrate problems. This may be the case where hay has been fed and large amounts of manure are present, too. Increasing the energy in the animals by feeding ground feed, like corn or other by-products will help the animal handle and use the nitrates. They can adjust, but often the problem is that they consume too much, too quick.
These are just a few of the points that are included in the fact sheet from Kansas State. If you can’t access it online, and would like to read more, stop by the OSU Extension Office for a copy.
Now that we have covered a couple of issues that have occurred in Southern Ohio the past few weeks in livestock, we need to think of an overall strategy when it comes to animals that are lost. When an animal in your flock or herd dies, do you know why? Should you really know why? If you answered no to the first one, I will tell you the answer to the second question is yes. Unexplained deaths of cows or other animals are often discounted as some freak thing. It might be a lightning strike, or it could be that the animal picked up metal. By the way, that one is used often.
However, it is often not the real cause. If you don’t know what caused the first death, it might be the second, third or even fourth animal that you find that convinces you to take note. The bottom line is that if you learn what killed the first one, there is less of a chance that you will have the second, third or fourth one to talk about. I have been there and done that.
An unexplained death in your livestock is of no value to you when it comes to preventing additional problems. However, learning what caused the animal to die is priceless. First step would be to contact your local veterinarian. We have labs in both Reynoldsburg and Lexington that will examine the dead animal for a minimal fee.
David Dugan is an OSU extension agent for agriculture.[[In-content Ad]]
It is hard to believe that swimming pools are closed up for the year, most of the tobacco is in the barn, soybeans are starting to turn and corn is being chopped for silage on some farms.
The Adams and Highland County Fairs are behind us for 2011 and the Brown County Fair wraps up this weekend.
Last week, I talked about fall management of alfalfa, and in weeks prior to that, I have talked about anaplasmosis, pasture management, seeding hay or pastures and more. Now, other issues have popped up on livestock farms in our area.
I have had reports of anaplasmosis cases showing up in herds in multiple locations throughout the area. This is a bacteria that destroys the red blood cells and can cause animal loss. It can be spread by insects that bite like horse flies or by producers using the same needle from cow to cow among other ways. Cattle will often be found dead, but in cases where the animal is found sick, one of the symptoms is that they animal will wobble with their backend. There are things that can be done to reduce the risk of an outbreak. For more information about Anaplasmosis, go to a fact sheet from Texas A&M by doing a Google search. This factsheet provides details. If you do not have access to the internet, stop by the OSU Extension Office for a copy.
The other problems that are showing up include nitrate poisoning that can be caused by a number of plants. Many plants that are common on local farms in grazing areas are on the list of potential danger, but don’t panic when you read the list that includes johnsongrass, pigweed, sudangrass, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and the list goes on and on.
Nitrate poisoning is more of a management issue. There are several things that can be done to reduce the risk. This week in the Beef Blog an article referred to a factsheet from Kansas State that covers this issue pretty complete. The fact sheet can be found at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/mf3029.pdf
One of the things that you need to know about nitrate poisoning is that this is more often a problem when drought conditions exist.
Another issue is that young plants are usually more of a problem than mature plants, but not in all cases. The lower parts of the plants usually have a greater concentration of nitrates, too. The stems are usually the problem, much more likely than the leaves. Avoid turning cattle into fields that may have plants with heavy nitrates especially when they are hungry. Feeding dry hay will reduce their consumption, too. Forages on land that has been covered with large amounts of manure or nitrogen increases the risk of nitrate problems. This may be the case where hay has been fed and large amounts of manure are present, too. Increasing the energy in the animals by feeding ground feed, like corn or other by-products will help the animal handle and use the nitrates. They can adjust, but often the problem is that they consume too much, too quick.
These are just a few of the points that are included in the fact sheet from Kansas State. If you can’t access it online, and would like to read more, stop by the OSU Extension Office for a copy.
Now that we have covered a couple of issues that have occurred in Southern Ohio the past few weeks in livestock, we need to think of an overall strategy when it comes to animals that are lost. When an animal in your flock or herd dies, do you know why? Should you really know why? If you answered no to the first one, I will tell you the answer to the second question is yes. Unexplained deaths of cows or other animals are often discounted as some freak thing. It might be a lightning strike, or it could be that the animal picked up metal. By the way, that one is used often.
However, it is often not the real cause. If you don’t know what caused the first death, it might be the second, third or even fourth animal that you find that convinces you to take note. The bottom line is that if you learn what killed the first one, there is less of a chance that you will have the second, third or fourth one to talk about. I have been there and done that.
An unexplained death in your livestock is of no value to you when it comes to preventing additional problems. However, learning what caused the animal to die is priceless. First step would be to contact your local veterinarian. We have labs in both Reynoldsburg and Lexington that will examine the dead animal for a minimal fee.
David Dugan is an OSU extension agent for agriculture.[[In-content Ad]]