Last fall we had cattle dying. Cows get down and can't get up. They will eat all you bring them. We lost 10 -12 cows from Nov.- Jan. We had a 500 pound steer do the same thing. Sent him for autopsy they found nothing but a small amount of worms which they concluded would not be the cause. We moved cattle and problem stopped. We were feeding rolled hay. Several vets came and could not determine cause. One said moldy hay. As the illness progresses the cattle will lay down and thrash head with toungue hanging out.No discharge from anywhere.Hay was gathered from several fields and was not old hay. This year it has started again. The cattle was in same field and feeding this year's hay. We have mineral salt available to cattle. We found young bull down age 4 years. We moved cattle immediately. In the process we had an older cow to get down in trailer we assume from the same illness. Symptoms are the same and she is presently still alive laying in field in upright position.Cattle are wormed every spring and fall. The illness seems to not effect young calves. We really do not believe it is moldy hay as we see farmers feeding hay that we would dispose of before feeding it to our cattle. Could it be some kind of toxic plant cut with the hay or small animals caught in mowers and rolled in hay? We are a small outfit with around 150-175 head of cattle including calves and can't afford to loose cattle like this.
cattle dying
- Thread starter cutester
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bward
Well-known member
Lead poisoning? Did the vets check for that? It does sound like a contamination of some sort and it may not be obvious as to what or where it is. Some old lead paint or lead batteries start looking like normal dirt after several years. You never mentioned whether the animals suffering got a fever.
Vets didn't check for anything.Just decided was hay and walked off. One acted like he was afraid to touch cow used pencil to look at mouth.Cattle have been in field for last 4 months with no problems till started feeding hay.That's why we thought it might be something in hay. We don't know what to look for. No cherry trees close to fields.
shorty
Well-known member
Could there be something in the water?
andybob
Well-known member
If any of your hay is produced using slurry, nitrate poisoning is worth investigating.
I must say you've got some winners for vets!!!
What you describe sounds like a magnesium deficiency, I know that wouldn't make sense when feeding hay, however, a feed high in potassium can interupt the utilization of magnesium. Is your mineral a high mag mineral? We feed silage to our herd whenever pasture is not available and learned this lesson the hard way. We only put out high mag mineral when the cows started lactating, now we use it year round and have not had any issues since. This may not be your problem at all, but I would have the hay tested and check for this possibility.
What you describe sounds like a magnesium deficiency, I know that wouldn't make sense when feeding hay, however, a feed high in potassium can interupt the utilization of magnesium. Is your mineral a high mag mineral? We feed silage to our herd whenever pasture is not available and learned this lesson the hard way. We only put out high mag mineral when the cows started lactating, now we use it year round and have not had any issues since. This may not be your problem at all, but I would have the hay tested and check for this possibility.
polledbull
Well-known member
In NC we have a tree that bears little balls called a chainy ball or chainy berry tree. They are very toxic to cattle that eat the balls after they fall off the tree.It only takes a few to kill a mature cow. Cherry tree leaves are toxic as they are wilting also.
cypressfarms
Well-known member
china ball tree toxic.
We've got hundreds of them lining the fence rows all around. There not native, I believe their from the orient. Are they really toxic??? Do you know the scientific name of the tree? Not trying to be a nerd, but people call different trees by different names. The scientific name won't change. If it's the same, then the chain saw will be coming out.
We've got hundreds of them lining the fence rows all around. There not native, I believe their from the orient. Are they really toxic??? Do you know the scientific name of the tree? Not trying to be a nerd, but people call different trees by different names. The scientific name won't change. If it's the same, then the chain saw will be coming out.
TheBullLady
Well-known member
It sure sounds like you're baling something up in the hay.. especially since the cows are on the field prior to feeding hay and are okay.
If you have an animal science or veterinary school anywhere close, give them a call. They can also test the hay.. and I'll bet you could get someone to come out and actually try and help you find an answer!
If you have an animal science or veterinary school anywhere close, give them a call. They can also test the hay.. and I'll bet you could get someone to come out and actually try and help you find an answer!
SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE
Well-known member
TheBullLady":1h09r0wv said:
I agree, NCRS or the county extension office should be able to help.They have forage and grazing experts that should be able to help you find the answer. ;-) :cboy:
skyeagle
Well-known member
O man I have a Cherry tree right on the fence I better cut it
down.To tart for me any ways.
Made in the USA
down.To tart for me any ways.
Made in the USA
Hutch
Well-known member
I would cut that tree down this winter while the leaves are off. The leaves are only toxic when wilting, vs. dried or green.skyeagle":1xgl21az said:
cypressfarms
Well-known member
dun":egvcpnm2 said:
Thanks Dun,
The chinaberry shown on the website is not the same as we have; the leaves are different. But the fruit looks the same.
Have a meeting tonight and the local NRCS guy will be there; I'm gonna ask him about this one.
cypressfarms":2nqxrazz said:
It isn;t like the chinaberry tree we used to have either. Ours would get really small fruit and would have a hard seed about the size of cherry pit but it was 3 sections rather then 2 like a cherry pit has. The seed where shaped sort of like an old style pinch bottle. Hard as a rock and on a hard surface stepping on them was like stepping on ballbearings.
dun
dun":qgme3c9s said:
I didn't know china berries are toxic to some animals. Horses and mules like to eat the dried berries off the ground. The old timers say they control worms in horses and mules. I have a few china berry trees and never knew they could be a problem.
gabby
gabby":2ya05zc2 said:
I didn;t either. The turkeys used to love them then perch in the tree over my truck. I'll gaurentee that after they;ve been through a turkey that they eat the paint and corrode the metal on a truck hood.
dun
Are these cattle eating the same hay as last year? Are they in the same lot? Are they eating out of bunks, or off the ground? What water supply source do they have. I would test the water, feed, and maybe soil. I assume there are diseases that can live in the soil for long periods. Maybe the water has run off from something leaching into it?
