2 calves in 2 weeks

[scf84]

have had 2 calves die on me in the last 2 weeks. one was around 3 months old, and the other was around 10 months old. both was healthy looking, just happend all of a sudden.

the only thing that has changed is we spread chicken crap in the fields, and i sprayed roundup
in one field, dont think this would have affected them though.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Just a thought....

chicken poop = salmonella

 

[Chris H]

That's not a lot to go on, maybe pneumonia?

 

[scf84]

That's not a lot to go on, maybe pneumonia?

not that i could tell, fine one day,not couple days later.

 

[snake67]

That chicken crap also contains deads - so you might want to think on where you spread it.

Best to all

Bez

 

[wbvs58]

Yep, I brought this up about 18mths ago about chicken litter containing dead carcases and the risk of botulism and the advise to vaccinate for it, people jumped on me and said it was squeekie clean and the animal welfare requirements wouldn't allow there to be deaduns. Well I think there is a good chance that those deaths could be from botulism, it produces sudden deaths like that.
Ken

 

[scf84]

just lost another, 4 month old bull. just moved them off of the places that has the chicken manure.
not sure that is the problem on not, but got them off of there any way.
the neighbor i bought chinken crap from spreads it on his place and never has any problems
that i know of.

 

[mncowboy]

Might be worth while taking one of the deceased to the closest University to have it looked at in case you can prevent any further loss..

 

[gizmom]

I found a good article on utilizing chicken litter as fertilizer.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/as...ines-for-using-poultry-litter-on-pastures.pdf

It talks about the possibility of des ease, but also recommends not grazing cattle for three weeks after application to avoid disease. Sorry about your loss, I know losing calves hurts.

Gizmom

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I know you have found the cause, but I just wanted to bring up the use of chicken litter on fields. This part of MO is the chicken mecca, with houses all over the place (we have a Tyson processing facility within 10 miles, and a George's processing facility within 30 miles - and Georges does a half million birds A DAY, and often on Saturdays!). Chicken litter is a big business out here, with the cost of litter being the same as if you bought commercial fertilizer, which I think is crazy. But everyone puts it on their fields, and you can smell it daily depending on where it was applied. I am not sure if they are just hay fields or fields they graze on, but you would think if it caused deaths, people would avoid it. Out here, there is a waiting list to get it spread on your pastures!